Be the Referee: Soccer Foul After Shot on Goal
By
Paige Winne
MHSAA Director of Brand Management
September 2, 2026
Be The Referee is a series of short messages designed to help educate people on the rules of different sports, to help them better understand the art of officiating, and to recruit officials.
Below is this week's segment – Soccer Foul After Shot on Goal - Listen
We’re on the soccer field today, and the home team has the ball and is on the attack.
The ball makes it around to a forward from the home team, who is on-side and within the penalty area. His shot just misses – going wide for a goal kick.
However, just after the ball crossed the goalline, a player from the away team tackles the home team forward with excessive force.
What’s the call?
Because excessive force was used, it’s a red card for the away team player, which is an automatic ejection. But because it happened after the ball crossed the goalline and not at the time of the shot, it’s still a goal kick for the away team, not a penalty kick for the home team.
Previous 2026-27 editions
Aug. 25: Fumble Out of Bounds - Listen
Highlight Reel: Covenant/Heritage Christian
October 27, 2014
The Grand Rapids Covenant Christian boys soccer team defeated Kalamazoo Heritage Christian 6-1 in a Division 4 Regional Semifinal last week. See below for highlights and a link to watch the game in full (click the headers to watch).
COVENANT STRIKES FIRST - Covenant Christian gets on the board first in this Div. 4 Regional Semifinal when Travis Bouwkamp heads one into the net.
HERTIAGE WITH THE EQUALIZER - Heritage Christian ties the game at 1-1 off a restart. Bryant Cross gets the goal.
BROWER WITH THE GAME-WINNER - Covenant Christian got the last goal it would need late in the first half from Brendan Brower. The goal gave Covenant a 2-1 halftime lead.
You can watch the whole game by Clicking Here.