true sportmanship

[uniden]

First, let me say that the Farragut JV team is VERY GOOD. Our boys really wanted to win that game and we played well enough to win for about 65 minutes.

 

The goal in question was scored within 5 minutes of the goal Farragut scored to go up 2-1. So, to go down by two was a big hit and quite frustrating.

 

The ball deflected off a free kick and clearly rolled into the goal. As one of the posters mentioned, the referee closer to the goal had a bad angle due to the two ref system (which is commonly used for JV games). Our player retrieved the ball by going around the back of the goal, which may have strengthened the refs opinion that the ball went outside the goal. We began to take the ball towards half field when the ref started motioning that he was awarding us a free-kick. Of course, as any coach would be, I was relieved at first. I assumed he was calling off-sides. We all know off-sides is tough to call and will always be argued. If this was the call, we never would have decided to "award" the goal. By the time it became apparent that he was awarding a goal kick, our sweeper had cleared the ball and play resumed. At that point, I was sure that Farragut had scored a legit goal. In fact, two of our players were confirming the fact that it was a goal to the official and the opposing coach.

 

At this point, I remembered reading the article that I have pasted below. Without reading this article, I would never have thought to do what we did. Coach Leader and I spoke about what to do and we both agreed that Farragut had scored a deserved goal. We really wanted to come back in the game, and we didn't want a 2-2 tie or 3-2 win with an asterisk. We were not able to act very quickly because play had resumed. Fortunately, the ball was played to our keeper only ~2 minutes later. I asked him to put the ball in the net and he understood why immediately. Our players were somewhat surprised, but I was very proud to see that they understood and supported the decision. In fact, they seemed to be motivated by the goal. Despite there desire to win the game, not a single player showed discontent with the decision. They even picked up their play to end the game.

 

In response to the poster concerned with respecting the referees' decision, I understand your concern. Coaches always have a hard time with referees' decisions. I respect both referees that were doing the game. They are experienced and they are good. The fact that the referee who made the decision did not change his mind despite the reaction from all involved proves that he is good ref. He believed in his call and would not be swayed. That is his job. Nevertheless, this was a unique situation, and an opportunity for young people to learn about the difference between competitiveness and fairness. Farragut scored a goal, so they deserved a point.

 

Below is the article I referred to previously. Again, if I had not read this article, I would have never thought to do what we did.

[uniden]

This is copied from D3kicks.com. This happened in a women;s college game with post season implications (I had actually posted this in the club soccer forum last fall).

 

11/4/06 - A Tale of True Sportsmanship

While many of you may have heard or seen the final result from the recent Framingham vs. Bridgewater women’s match, the following is an account of the actual events of the game, and how a team chose sportsmanship and fair play over victory.

 

On October 29th, the Framingham State women took on Bridgewater State, in a must win for Framingham. Bridgewater was in first place in the MASCAC and needed to win to earn the conference title, while Framingham State was in fifth place (of the 7 team MASCAC) and needed the win to qualify for the MASCAC tournament. Bridgewater controlled the first half although they failed to score. It was 0-0 at halftime. About 7 minutes into the second half a ball was played in front of the Bridgewater goal from the flank. The ball rattled around in traffic and ended up in the back of the net. Although the ball was in the net, the Framingham coaches felt there was something odd about the goal as their girls weren't celebrating wildly.

 

Two of the Framingham players, the freshman forward who took the shot, Kellen Doughterty from Amherst, MA and the attacking central midfielder, Carolyn Reinstein from Ashland, MA, both ran to the bench and told the coaches the ball had passed through the side netting and was not a goal. The players were instructed to tell the referee. After conferring with his AR for a few minutes, the referee mysteriously awarded the goal.

 

As Bridgewater State lined up, the Framingham players were instructed by their coach to permit Bridgewater State to score a goal uncontested. As it was a very windy day, not all of the players heard the instruction but eventually Senior Captain Karin Knutsen, and Senior Goalkeeper Ashley Baker conveyed the instructions, and Bridgewater was permitted to score uncontested. The score stood at 1-1. The match ended with Bridgewater prevailing 3-2 (or 2-1 without the "non-goals"), Framingham waseliminated from post-season play, and Bridgewater State won the MASCAC.

 

When asked about his decision, Framingham coach Tucker Reynolds said “The decision was an easy one, made even easier by the honorable conduct of my players. I don't coach soccer, I coach young athletes. There were far more important lessons learned by all of us last Sunday than which team could win a game on a windy Sunday afternoon. I have never been more proud of a team than I am of my young Framingham State team right now. They may have lost a game, but they proved that sportsmanship, integrity and a sense of honor are invaluable personal qualities. The Bridgewater State coaches, players, Athletic Department and even some parents have expressed their thanks and gratitude not only for our girls' honesty, but also for allowing their "...toughest MASCAC match of the year..." to be decided fairly.

 

From all of us here at D3Kicks, we would like to say thanks to Framingham State for displaying true sportsmanship and honor, and even though you will not be playing in November, you should hold your heads high because all of you have shown the character of a true champion.

[uniden]

QUOTE(BigG @ Mar 16 2007 - 05:24 PM) 826414499[/snapback]While I understand your point, the thing is, it didn't go against him... it actually was in his favor to accept the goal kick. My hat is off to him. I just want to know if he would do it during the CAK Catholic district game! /tongue.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":P" border="0" alt="tongue.gif" /> (Which in all honesty, I think he would, because he is that type of coach)

 

 

G /wink.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=";)" border="0" alt="wink.gif" />,

We are not in the business of giving away goals, so don't get your hopes up.

[The Zon]

thats a great story and after reading it i would know why you chose to do that beside that it was a goal.

 

p.s. uniden i will probably go shoot some nets during spring break to stay in condition. /wink.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=";)" border="0" alt="wink.gif" />

[uniden]

QUOTE(The Zon @ Mar 16 2007 - 08:48 PM) 826414728[/snapback]thats a great story and after reading it i would know why you chose to do that beside that it was a goal.

 

p.s. uniden i will probably go shoot some nets during spring break to stay in condition. /wink.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=";)" border="0" alt="wink.gif" />

 

 

Zon,

According to Mr. Leader, the proper activity for staying in shape over spring brake is to "throw some nets."

[BenMaDaKi]

This is a fascinating discussion of sportsmanship. While sccrmun3 makes an excellent point about accepting a referee's decision, what really happened in this instance is no different than what happens in the NHL, NFL, Division I College Hockey and the Minnesota State High School Hockey Tournament when instant replay is used to occassionally overturn a referee's good faith mistake. In this case, the Knoxville Catholic coaches and players didn't need a video tape to tell them that, indisputably, the referee's best efforts resulted in a wrong, and unfair, decision. They needed their better instincts to recognize and acknowledge the referee's unintended error, and they needed their best instincts to take the action necessary to nullify the error and correct the result. While it can be argued that Tennessee high school soccer doesn't use instant replay, and therefore a referee's decision must be final, it can't be argued that the young men involved did the right thing by achieving the correct result. It's more important to do the right thing than to do things right. With absolutely no disrespect to the referees intended, my congratulations to the players and coaches at Knoxville Catholic. Whether in sports, business or personal life, we can all learn from the example set here.

[goalieman101]

you see, this is what i love about soccer. i have not been playing since i was 6 like most of the people who play highschool soccer and still am not as experienced as id like to be. But there is a difference in soccer and the half a dozen other sports i have played. Soccer is a real sport of honor, integrity and real sportsmanship. No football team would ever have given a touchdown back. neither would any baseball team give up a run. i know that from experience. Its moments like those that ,even though i am criticized for playing a "communist sport", make me completely proud to say that i play soccer.