Dropping Below Ten Players

[eme]

NCAA game today.

Team A shows up with ten players. Okay, no problem. Rule 1-1 ar 1 page 1
says if they start with fewer than 10..it's a forfeit.

But then we got to thinking...what happens if one of the ten cannot continue to play?
Page 27 "The officials shall ensure that each team has 10 players, including those in the penalty area, at the beginning of each period of the game and before each re-start after a goal."

Thoughts?

[MElaxRef]

Page 25, Rule 2-1 "If, because of injuries or team members disqualified by expulsion fouls, a team cannot keep 10 players in the game, that team may continue the game with fewer than 10 players, with on-side and staling rules remaining in effect."

[LaxRef]

So, Team A is down to 9 players. Then they have 3 players go out on penalties at the same time. How many players will team A have on the field when play restarts, and where do they have to be?

[_SLY_]

We saying 9 players including the goalie?? Or nine total, LR??

[CoachRob]

So, Team A is down to 9 players. Then they have 3 players go out on penalties at the same time. How many players will team A have on the field when play restarts, and where do they have to be?

They must always have enough in the offensive half. So, if they have nine, with three serving penatlies, that leaves six players. One GK, three in the offensive half, and two in the defensive half. That's all six. They have essentially lost their whole midfield line and a defender.

[Texlax33]

Page 25, Rule 2-1 "If, because of injuries or team members disqualified by expulsion fouls, a team cannot keep 10 players in the game, that team may continue the game with fewer than 10 players, with on-side and staling rules remaining in effect."

So, Team A is down to 9 players. Then they have 3 players go out on penalties at the same time. How many players will team A have on the field when play restarts, and where do they have to be?

They must always have enough in the offensive half. So, if they have nine, with three serving penatlies, that leaves six players. One GK, three in the offensive half, and two in the defensive half. That's all six. They have essentially lost their whole midfield line and a defender.

Which means they'd have to forfeit or something because their not complying with the on-side rule.

[CoachRob]

Which means they'd have to forfeit or something because their not complying with the on-side rule.

No, when a team is down by four or more men, they do not have to maintain four players in their defensive half. They must maintain three in the attack half, however. So, they give up defensive strength due to their nasty acting players who caused this mess.

[MElaxRef]

CoachRob is right. A team could be down to 6 players on the field in this scenario, and would have to play with the GK and 2 defenders. But, probably not for very long.

This does not happen very often - I haven't seen it in 28 years of officiating. I also haven't ever had to use the NCAA stacking procedure.

Interesting to think about, though.

[LaxRef]

This does not happen very often - I haven't seen it in 28 years of officiating. I also haven't ever had to use the NCAA stacking procedure.

A few times I've seen a team show up with 11 or 12 players. Sometimes more would show up later. A few guys could get injured, so this could happen, but probably not often, and usually the team with no subs is going to get slaughtered anyway.

I've seen stacked penalties once. End of the game, under 2:00 to go, and team A is trying to keep the ball in the box long enough to preserve their 3 goal lead and get off the field with no one getting hurt. Team B committed 4 live-ball fouls and one dead-ball foul on the same play (2 slashes, an IBC, a hold, then a dead-ball USC), so we had to stack. After the game, it was apparent that team B was frustrated for losing a game they thought they should have won and was just taking it out on A; we should have stopped the play earlier—contrary to the flag-down rules—just to settle everyone down. I don't think coach A would have minded.

[MElaxRef]

LR, that situation certainly qualifies for stacking. It is surprising that no one from Team A retaliated - maybe not given the number of flags decorating the turf!

I'd be tempted to make all of the personal fouls 2 or 3 minutes, trying to keep the bad actors off of the field.