Girls Soccer had a great team this season. In the first round of playoffs on February 2 the girls played against Sunrise Mountain at IRHS. At the end of the eighty minutes of regular time there was some confusion that led to IRHS losing the game. 

According to Coach Watkins, the Girls Soccer Coach, “There was a confusion about the rules, the game was supposed to end at penalty kicks. [There are] supposed to be two ten-minute overtimes and end at penalty kicks … and the ref gave us a third golden goal overtime . [That] should only happen in the finals. Our ref had us go to a third overtime and we got scored on and that’s where we lost the game. We basically lost in an overtime period that doesn’t exist.”

According to AIA soccer rules in article 26.1.5.4, the way to determine the winner of a match during the state tournament (play in games until semifinals) is to play two ten-minute overtime periods.Then if the score is still tied at the end of the periods, the winner will be determined by penalty kicks.

Article 26.1.5.5 explains that the way to determine a winner is the state championship. The article says two ten-minute overtime must be played. If the score is still tied the teams will play two five-minute Golden Goal overtimes. If the score stays the same there will be penalty kicks.

Senior Forward Bailey Ferguson said “As a senior it was kinda sad, it just doesn’t feel fair, because it’s not the rules. It’s just not fair that they didn’t want to fix their mistake. It was really sudden and unfair to all the seniors”.

While the game was being played no one knew about the rules and both teams thought the referee knew what had to happen after the two ten-minute overtimes. IRHS Girls Soccer lost the game in an unfair game, but that does not change the great season they had, having a total record of 14-3-1.