Question Number: 22803

Kicks From The Penalty mark 2/7/2010

RE: Under 14

Lauren of Boston, United States asks...

Hi, I was wondering, what happens after sudden death and penalty kicks in a soccer playoff game?

Answer provided by Referee Tom Stagliano

Lauren

Per FIFA LOTG, if a game must have a winner, there is No sudden death overtime. Instead, two overtime periods are played in their entirety. The length of those OT periods depends upon your league.

However, in games played under high school or college rules, an overtime game does end on a 'golden goal'. First goal wins.

Under FIFA LOTG and NCAA rules if the over time does finally end in a tie, the teams will advance to Kicks from the Penalty Mark (KFTPM) to determine the winner. High School rules also allow for KFTPM to decide a winner, but that is dependent upon your state. In Massachusetts, where you are from and where I referee, the high school rules (MIAA) allow for KFTPM to decide a tied game at the end of OT in a playoff game. However, U14 (middle school) soccer does not have playoffs and therefore there are no Overtimes nor KFTPM to decide a winner.

Each set of laws/rules (FIFA, NFHS and NCAA) have a different set of requirements on who can participate in the KFTPM. However, all of the laws/rules have both teams alternating five kicks before determining a winner. If the score is still tied, the kicks continue one at a time (each team taking one) and then after each round of one, the score is checked for a winner.

After that, the winning team celebrates and the losing team cherishes the memory of a hard-fought playoff.

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

At some point, one team will win more of the kicks in the KFTPM than the other team, and they will win the game.

Once, in a girls' playoff game, we went 17 pairs of kicks before there was a winner!

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

The laws of the game permit ties (draws), but authorize several methods that a league may adopt to determine who advances in or becomes the champion in tournaments when a match ends in a tie. A common one is kicks from the penalty mark, and as Ref Maloney and Ref Stagliano note, the kicks continue until one team prevails.