Published: Jan. 30, 2014
WIAA to extend games next fall
Teams will play 45-minute halves
By NICHOLAS DETTMANN
Daily News
In an effort to fit with the guidelines of club, collegiate
and professional soccer, the WIAA announced Wednesday its plan to extend halves
from 40 to 45 minutes for high school soccer games, starting in the fall of
2014.
Kettle Moraine Lutheran boys and girls soccer coach Matt
Moeller confirmed the plan.
“Most clubs at the 17- and 18-year-old level play 45-minute
halves; professional and collegiate levels play 45-minute halves,” he said. “It
bring us closer to the higher level soccer and to how the game is played
(around the world).”
This change was one of many decided on by the WIAA’s Board
of Control at its monthly meeting, including the finalization of the Green Bay
Realignment plan, which has KML and Kewaskum becoming conference foes starting
in the fall of 2015. Those schools will join Campbellsport, Plymouth, Waupun,
Berlin, Ripon and Winneconne to form an unnamed conference.
Kewaskum athletic director Jason Piittmann said nothing has
developed in terms of a name, bylaws, etc.
In addition, the WIAA announced it will start and end the
boys soccer season one week later, starting in the fall of 2015. And the
regional dates will be moved from a Tuesday/Thursday schedule to
Thursday/Saturday.
“I don’t like the fact they’re moving the season back,”
Slinger boys coach Brian Kiley said. “For high school, you want fans in the
stands and the season starts before school starts so I can see where they’re
coming from. I prefer to start in that first week of August.”
“I would love to see a Wednesday/Saturday or
Tuesday/Saturday (regional schedule),” he added. “It allows you time to prepare
and to recover. Those days are important to me.”
Moeller completed his three-year term on the state soccer coaches
advisory committee in November and said this was an idea that has been in the
works for the last couple years.
The WIAA had to request a waiver from the NFHS to implement
this change as an experiment. Moeller said that procedure has taken place and was
approved.
In addition to the 45-minute halves, the sudden-death
overtime will be eliminated for regular season matches. In the postseason
tournament series, after 90 minutes, if the teams are tied, games will be
extended to two 10-minute overtime periods with no suddenvictory goal. If teams
are still tied, penalty kicks will break the tie.
One of the reasons for the change, especially in regular
season matches is to assist players, parents, coaches and officials with a
solid start and end time to games. Moeller said many referees try to officiate
more than one game in a day. If a game goes to overtime, an official may not be
able to make a second game. With this change, the officials know when a game
will start and when it will end.
“Different coaches have been thinking about this for a while
because so many players play club,” Moeller said. “Some of the players had even
talked about it.”
“Good move,” Slinger girls coach Jim Rasmussen said. “I
think it makes sense with what FIFA and what that age group is doing at the
club level. I think they’re trying to get the rules to be more uniform with the
club level. I’m all in favor of it.”
The change will also likely alter the game management by a
coach.
“The coaches have a better idea of how many minutes they’re
going to play, you can make knowledge substitutions,” Moeller said. “It’s
always tough late in regulation because you want the best players out there,
but you need fresh legs for overtime.
“I think this will improve the overall nature of the game.”
Rasmussen said he’d like to see overtime stick with
conference games.
“You don’t want to have a tie in conference,” he said.
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