By Angelica Niedermeyer, Asst. Sports Editor
In the 2021 season, Manhattan College Women’s soccer team had a 7-7-1 record, scoring 1.13 goals per game and taking 0.396 shots on goal per game. The team did not make it to the playoffs due to their three losses in overtime which ranked them ninth in the MAAC when only eight teams qualified.
“In previous years, we were actually upset that there was overtime,” said Ianah Mackey, junior center back. “A lot of the time we would have a tie and then we would end up getting scored on, so then we would lose the game.”
In April 2022, The NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel eliminated overtime in men’s and women’s soccer for both the regular season and the postseason. The new rules are now in effect this season.
“If a game is tied after the regulation 90 minutes, it will end in a tie,” according to the NCAA website. “Previously, teams played two 10-minute overtime periods in a sudden-victory (golden goal) format, and if neither team scored, the game ended in a tie.”
This season, the team is currently ranked 10th out of 11th in the MAAC rank standings. The Jaspers have a record of 3-7-4 of three wins, seven loses, and four ties with a 0.62 record of goals per game and a 0.500 record of shots on goal.
“Honestly, I was happy about the news because being a senior the past three years we just did not have good luck when we would go into overtime,” said Kaitlyn Cooke, senior center back. “Overtime takes a lot out of you and could be an extra 30 minutes which is really tasking on your legs. So, I saw it as a good thing for our team.”
On the other hand, Cooke explains further that because a tie equals one point and a win is three points, sometimes it was worth the risk of overtime.
“A tie is nice because it is that one extra point instead of losing, but sometimes we do need that extra time if we need to have a win, like three points instead of one,” Cooke said. “So, it is important if we need a couple extra minutes to score.”
Compared to last season, the team thinks the new rule could have helped them get to the playoffs, instead of losing in overtime.
“It’s like 50/50, sometimes it’s good and then sometimes it’s not,” said Reina Callahan, junior right back. “Last year, we lost a lot in overtime and getting rid of that could have had our games end in a tie.”
Even though some of the team thinks that last year the ties could have helped, there are also players who want overtime this season to score more points.
“As of now, we have had a lot of ties, so maybe if we did have that overtime we would have that 50 percent chance of winning,” said Mackey. “These games that could have been beneficial, we could have won and it would have been easier for us to have a spot in the playoffs.”
The team shares that their opinion on overtime depends on the team they are going against and how the game is going. This season, the games resulting in ties were against Siena, Mount Saint Mary’s, Stony Brook and Canisius.
“I just think it depends on where we are in the season and what we need out of each game,” said Cooke. “Say it is the last couple of games of the season and you need wins and at the end of a game you are tied. You want that extra time to try to score so you can get those three points, but other times all you need is a tie.”
With the lack of overtime, the dynamic of how the team plays in their games has also changed.
“When we go out there, we know we have to do what we need to do in those 90 minutes or it will strictly be a tie or a loss,” said Mackey.
Without the overtime allowance, the Jaspers have to make the very most of their games.
“We have to fight to the very last minute because we know we are not getting that extra time to score,” said Cooke.
The new NCAA rule of the elimination of overtime has a varied effect on Manhattan College women’s soccer team. However, depending on the competition and chances of winning, ending in a tie earns more points for the team than losing in overtime.