The Penalty Shootout

Is eight seconds a long time?

Depends if you're shooting or defending in a field hockey penalty shootout, apparently.

For a little context, college field hockey games consist of four 15-minute quarters. If there is a tie at the end, then it goes to two 10-minute overtimes, though the first goal wins. One quirk of the field hockey overtime is that four players are taken off the field, and teams go from playing 11v11 to 7v7.

If that doesn't break the tie, then it goes to a penalty shootout. This is not like penalty kicks in soccer, or even penalty strokes in field hockey. 

Instead, the ball is placed on the restraining line 23 meters from the goal. Eight seconds are put on the clock. When the umpire blows the whistle, the shooter has eight seconds to attempt to score. Play continues until the ball is in the goal, knocked out of the circle or goes out of bounds or until the horn sounds after those eight seconds.

Each team gets five chances, just like in soccer. If it's still tied after five, it goes to sudden death and continues that way until there is a winner. 

If you've been following TigerBlog's theories through the years, you know that he is not a fan of penalty kicks used to decide knockout games in soccer, whether it's the World Cup or the NCAA tournament. In field hockey, the penalty shootout is a bit more balanced, giving a mostly equal chance for shooter and goalie. 

If you're not going to have ties, then you have two choices: keep playing until someone scores, or go to this sort of definitive tiebreaker. While TB would still prefer to see games keep going, he's much more okay with the field hockey penalty shootout.

One thing that is inarguable is that it is unbelievably dramatic. Take Friday's game between Princeton and Cornell on Bedford Field. 

Actually, TB will get back to the shootout later. First, there was the matter of what happened before the game. 

Field hockey fields are watered pregame, and they're watered by huge, strong, high-paced water cannons. You definitely don't want to be standing next to one when it goes off — and now TB can tell you that from first-hand experience, as he was zapped with the water cannon at midfield. 

When he got home from the game, he was still able to wring water out of his clothes. His sneakers, by the way, are still wet. Also, he sends a special thank you to Derek Griesdorn, from the equipment room, for getting him dry shorts and a t-shirt and Anna Pitingolo from the marketing office for going and getting them. 

Anyway, fast-forwarding through the game, Princeton and Cornell ended regulation at 2-2. Then they went through the two 10-minute OTs without a goal, though Cornell certainly had a massive chance when a turnover led to a breakaway that Tiger goalie Robyn Thompson stopped and cleared.

When the clock got to zeroes again, it was time for the shootout. And for the eight-second clock. 

And, as TB said before, those eight seconds seemed to take forever when Cornell was shooting and zoom by when Princeton was. A player would start towards the circle. TB would glance at the clock. Then back to the field. Then back to the clock.

Imagine what it had to be like to be on the field?

Both teams scored on their first attempt. After that, there would be 12 more attempts but only one goal, as Thompson and Cornell's Martha Broderick were both fantastic.

The lone goal came on the second round of sudden death, when Princeton's Helena Große snuck one into the cage. Thompson made one more save, and Princeton had the win. 

If you're keeping track, Thompson turned aside the final six shots that came her way, and that doesn't even take into account the breakaway in the second OT.

The win was big, as Cornell was 2-0 in the league heading in. Now Princeton is 2-0, one of three unbeatens, along with Harvard (3-0) and Penn (2-0). The Quakers are on Bedford Field tomorrow at 4 for yet another big game.

Remember, this is the first year of the Ivy League tournament in field hockey. The top four teams will make the tournament, which will be held at the site of the No. 1 seed, and the winner will get the league's automatic NCAA tournament bid. The Ivy League champion (or champions) will be considered the team (or teams) who win the regular season.