Be the Referee: Soccer Shootouts

By Sam Davis
MHSAA Director of Officials

October 18, 2022

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 Shootouts - Listen

It’s tournament time for boys soccer, and that means the return of the shootout. In the regular season, games can end in a tie. But postseason games need to have a winner. If a game is tied at the end of regulation and the 20-minute overtime period, we move to a shootout.

Each team gets five attempts from the penalty spot, alternating between teams. If after five attempts, the teams still remain tied, it moves to one kick for each team until the tie is broken.

Now what happens when a kick is stopped by the keeper but has enough spin on it to roll back across the goal line?

That’s a goal. A shootout attempt isn’t complete until the ball stops moving, goes out of play or the referee stops play. Just because a goalie initially stops an attempt does not mean the play is over.

Previous Editions:

Oct. 11: Safety in End ZoneListen
Oct. 4: Football Overtime Penalty - Listen
Sept. 27: Kickoff Goal - Listen
Sept. 20: Soccer Timing - Listen
Sept. 13: Volleyball Replays - Listen
Sept. 6: Switching Sides - Listen
Aug. 30: Play Clock - Listen
Aug. 23: Intentional Grounding Change
- Listen

Be the Referee: Hockey Overtime

By Paige Winne
MHSAA Marketing & Social Media Coordinator

March 7, 2023

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 – Hockey Overtime - Listen

There may be nothing more exciting than overtime hockey in the playoffs. So what happens in the MHSAA Ice Hockey Tournament when a winner cannot be determined after three periods?

If a game is tied at the end of regulation, sudden victory overtime is played for a maximum of four, 8-minute overtime periods. If someone scores a goal in one of those periods, they win – game over.

But if it’s still tied after four overtime periods, then the fifth overtime period and any additional overtime periods are played 4 on 4 until a winner is determined.

Let’s say a team starts the fifth OT with two players in the penalty box. Then that period will start 5 on 3 until the penalties expire. Then, at the first stoppage – teams revert to 4 on 4.

Previous Editions:

Feb. 28: Baker Bowling - Listen
Feb. 21: Ski Finish - Listen
Feb. 14: Swimming Touchpads - Listen
Feb. 7: In or Out-of-Bounds in Wrestling - Listen
Jan. 31: Over the Back - Listen
Jan. 24: Competitive Cheer Judges - Listen
Jan. 17: More Lines - Listen
Jan. 10: On the Line - Listen
Jan. 3: Basketball Measurements - Listen
Dec. 13: Pregame Dunks - Listen
Dec. 6: Gymnastics Judges - Listen
Nov. 22: Football Finals Replay - Listen
Nov. 15: Back Row Illegal Blocker - Listen
Nov. 8: Swim Turn Judges - Listen
Nov. 1: Soccer Referee Jersey Colors - Listen
Oct. 25: Cross Country Tie-Breaker - Listen
Oct. 18: Soccer Shootouts - Listen
Oct. 11: Safety in End ZoneListen
Oct. 4: Football Overtime Penalty - Listen
Sept. 27: Kickoff Goal - Listen
Sept. 20: Soccer Timing - Listen
Sept. 13: Volleyball Replays - Listen
Sept. 6: Switching Sides - Listen
Aug. 30: Play Clock - Listen
Aug. 23: Intentional Grounding Change
- Listen