Question Number: 17688

Law 14 - Penalty kick 11/5/2007

RE: High School High School

Beau Berry of Columbus, Wisconsin United States asks...

During a state semi-final game a penalty kick was awarded to the opposing team. The shot was blocked by the keeper. I was wondering if the player that took the kick is allowed to follow his shot and put it in after the keeper saved it?

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

If you're talking penalty kicks during regulation play, then yes, the kicker can follow up on a shot blocked by the keeper (assuming no encroachment issues, or other problems). If it is a penalty kick called at the end of regulation time, the kicker cannot kick it a second time, which is also true if we are talking about a tie-breaking procedure after the regulation time has expired.

Answer provided by Referee Steve Montanino

I will make an assumption. That is, the referee ordered a penalty kick to be taken during the normal "game" portion of the match. If that is true, then it is perfectly acceptable for the player who took the kick to touch the ball and score if it has been saved by the goalkeeper.

If on the other hand the kick strikes the post or crossbar but no other player has touched it, then the player taking the penalty kick may not touch it again until it has been touched by any other player (an offense punishable by an indirect free kick.)

If this was not an "in-game" penalty kick, and instead was part of the "penalty kick shoot-out" (actually called kicks from the penalty mark) then there is no way the player taking the kick may touch it again - the moment he did it, it would be disallowed and his chance would be over and counted as a miss.

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See Question: 17897