The Hand Ball

The refs view taken from a coacht post.....

As center referee I wouldn't normally post a response here, but as I retired from high school officiating with this match and have returned to civilian life, I don't see the harm of answering.

I have been provided a tape of this very exciting and skillful match (and had a chance to watch that amazing save by the BGA keeper several times). Referees know the angle of sight into play is critical-- the camera for this tape was located at the top of the stands about ten yards to the right of the halfway line as you look down on the field. On the penalty the tape shows in slow motion exactly what I saw: the ball is struck at pace by the BGA player and the Baylor defender just inside the penalty area raises her lower arm (upper arm does not move), rotates her hand toward the ball, and arrests its flight with her open palm. There was no question that it was 'hand to ball', as we say. If there was any doubt the Baylor defender erased it by protesting to me, "Ref, I was just protecting my face!"
The ball, needless to say, was nowhere near her face and was not in fact going to touch her until she handled it.

So what was going on? A cynical attempt to stop a shot and pass it off as accidental? I very much doubt it. It was, I would guess, pure instinct. The ball is struck very hard, seems to be coming right at you, you instinctively raise your hand to fend it off. High school rules require that a penalty be given in any such circumstance, but most of us will let it go as trivial if the ball's flight will be arrested anyway by striking your nose, chest, lower abdomen, etc. This is indeed just protecting yourself. Unfortunately in this case the ball was going just past the defender and her upraised hand caught it.

This play would have been very difficult to pick up from the stands as the play took place in an instant and the defender's hand was the one away from the stands. Watching the tape from the camera's position in the stands without slow motion gives a good idea why a spectator would think that the ball merely struck a defender's motionless hand.

State Champions

We beat Baylor 2-1 to win State.
Here is a game description taken from CoachT.........

It certainly was a beautiful day for soccer in Chattanooga. BGA vs Baylor with Baylor trying to avenge their only loss of the year to BGA 3-1 just last weekend. Caroline Scales puts Baylor on the board first with a nice lifted shot over Jessica Smith's head to go up 1-0, 9 minutes into the half. With 6:26 left in the half a Baylor forward and a BGA defender/mid fielder go down in a heap. There looks like some extra curricular activity on the part of both girls and some major pushing going on which results in a red card for each player. The referee sends them both to the sidelines and the game goes on with each team down a player. Baylor seems to have the better of it for the remainder of the half as the teams go into half 1-0. Both teams come out in the second half trying to get some offense going but to no avail. At the 21 minute mark a BGA girl sends a shot on goal to be blocked by a Baylor player at or around the 18. The ball is a rifle shot and catches the Baylor defender with an outstretched hand. Now here is where this becomes controversial. The referee calls hand ball in the box and Susannah Dennis takes the kick and buries the ball in the back of the net to tie the score 1-1. Now I will leave up to the rules interpretation to tell me whether or not this should have been a PK or not. As I saw it the Baylor girl made no effort to hit/ divert the kicked ball. The ball was hit so hard it hit her outstretched hand and she had no chance to move her hand out of the way. Point of contention # 2, the player was I thought on the box line or I thought slightly out of the box, (obviously the ref thought otherwise) I have seen referees place the ball just outside the box sometimes and allow a free kick vs a pk when it seems to be "incidental contact". I will be interested in other people's posts regarding this call. Two minutes later a foul was called on a Baylor defender at the 35 and Susannah Dennis comes up to take the free kick. She hits a ball that never seems to get any air but is a rocket that catches the net just inside the left post. With the distance this ball had to travel the only thing I can surmise was that Taylor Davidson was screened on the play. With that goal BGA goes up 2-1 with 19 minutes to go in the game. Caroline Scales gets hurt at the 12 minute mark and she has to be taken off the field. Baylor is trying its hardest to create some scoring opportunities and does so at the 8 minute mark when Mary Shelton Bryant hits a beautiful ball on a free kick on goal with 2 or 3 Baylor player following the shot only to see Jessica come up with an amazing save. The Baylor players had obscured the goal at it appeared it was going to find the back of the net. Baylor is trying desperatley to create some more scoring chance and with 3 1/2 minutes to go in the game Kamesha Woodfine gets the ball at approximately the 8 and a few paces to the side of the post and hits a half volley to the far post that seems destined to find the back of the net. But low and behold Jessica Smith leaps into the air and goes horizontal to make the most incredible save I have ever seen in my life! I hope someone has video of this play (someone post this video please) as it is truly one of the greatest saves imaginable. It appeared she was 2 to 3 feet off the gound! Her hands and her feet were at the same elevation as she grabs the ball with two hands and secures the ball before she hits the ground. Baylor tries to muster a few more runs but to no avail as BGA holds on for the win. It is tough to lose close games of such magnitude but Baylor can be proud of their season and their girls efforts today. Congrats to BGA on winning State.