Pandemic Forced Changes to Girls Soccer

The 2020 Fall soccer season was greatly affected this year on and off the field due to the pandemic. There were many new MIAA rules and regulations that were put into place to make the season more safe to prevent the risk of spreading CoVid.

As expected, all players, coaches and spectators were required to wear masks. There was also a limit on spectators this year. The home team was only allowed to watch with a two person restriction for each player. There was no student section or away spectators at the games. The games were played in four quarters, with a 2-minute break in between each quarter. 

One of the biggest changes was that players were no longer allowed to intentionally make body contact with the opposing team. Shoulder to shoulder contact and tackling were against the rules, only allowing foot to ball contact or below the torso contact. This will result in an indirect free kick for the opposing team if it is broken. Another rule was that if any person (coach, player or referee) accidentally touched the ball with their hands, it would have to be sanitized and a new ball would be played in.

Due to the fact that the players couldn’t touch the ball with their hands, after the ball went out of bounds, there were no more throw ins. The ball had to be played in by kicking it on the ground. It can not be kicked in the air or else it would result in a turn in posesion. This was also the same case with corner kicks. It can not be served above the ground or inside the 18-yard box.

If you intentionally headed the ball, it would result in an indirect free kick for the opposing team. Headers were now against the rules. This would also result in an indirect free kick for the opposing team if done so. Even a defensive wall is taken out of the game on restarts.  Players have to be 6 yards away from each other. Lastly, players are no longer able to rebound after a penalty kick is taken. It is dead once it hits the goalkeeper. As explained, many new rules were put in place this year, all of which needed some time to adjust to. 

As expected, tryouts were run a bit differently, as a result of both our new coach and COVID restrictions. Masks, ofcourse, and social distancing were enforced and players were separated into groups that stayed separate from each other. Maeve Jordan, Captain of the girls varsity soccer team attests to this when she states that it “felt divided and more similar to a practice, since {they} weren’t in a big group.”

In addition to these on-the-field rules, there were also precautions needed to be followed off the field. Based on past experience and the words of one of the captains, Maeve Jordan, “We were unable to attend any other sporting events. Masks and social distancing were required at pasta parties, and overall it took some time to adjust to these changes but we made the most of it.” In comparison to last year, when we were able to cheer on our fellow classmates at sporting events, we were unable to do so this year in order to reduce risk of COVID.

Transportation was also impacted this year. Typically, athletes had the opportunity to take busses to away games in order to hype each other up and have pre-game conversations. This year, we all had to carpool or take separate cars in order to follow the restriction of staying 6 feet away from others as much as possible. 

Despite the conflicts and differences faced, the girls varsity soccer team made the most of it. Maeve Jordan states, “We all really came together and made the best of what we had. We’re all so thankful for the season that was given to us and it really brought us together.” Though there were several restrictions to follow, COVID wasn’t able to take away the bonds and memories made.