Column: BC Becomes Familiar With Pressure

Ah, the dreaded penalty kick round. It may be the worst rule about soccer, because it's just so darn unpredictable. At that point, it's anybody's game, and it doesn't matter which team dominated on the field or had more shots on goal, because all that's wiped away. The only thing that remains is a one-on-one contest from a 12-yard range between the shooter and goalkeeper.

It's so rare for a game to come to a penalty kick conclusion, yet for both Boston College soccer teams this weekend, the PK round determined its fate in the NCAA tournament, advancing one team while ending the other's run at a national title.

The women's soccer team's game against the California Golden Bears is a perfect demonstration of what I mean. The Eagles advanced after a scoreless tie, winning PKs, 3-1. Fate was on their side during the heart-stopping shootout, but the men's side wasn't as lucky. The team lost to the Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights won 4-3 on spot kicks, after a 1-1 draw during regulation.

To those who don't really know the sport as well, PK's may look like a piece of cake for the shooter. There's a massive goal, the goalie is tiny in comparison and has to stay on his or her line, and the ball is at a dead stop.

You couldn't be more wrong. You wouldn't believe the amount of pressure riding on a single strike of the ball, and the multitude of potential outcomes.

If you don't hit it perfectly to your spot, you miss. If you give the goalie a good read of your body, you miss. Sometimes even if you hit it to your spot and the goalie guesses right, you still miss. It's so unpredictable. You wouldn't believe how many teammates, and even high-level players, I've seen manage to sky the ball over the crossbar, hit a post, or pass it right to the goalie.

BC goalkeeper Jillian Mastroianni came up with two big saves that secured the Eagles' PK victory, which definitely gave BC an edge in confidence. Because PKs are a mental game, when a goalkeeper comes up with a big save, the team morale rises significantly, and ultimately this led to the Eagles' win.

The men's shootout loss came after a game they had dominated, outshooting the Scarlet Knights 17-10. The Eagles had controlled most of the action and scored early in the second half. Despite this, Rutgers managed to convert with just over three minutes left in regulation, hanging on for dear life, and ultimately forcing the shootout. This shows how separate this "game-decider" is from the actual game, as the men lost despite thoroughly outplaying Rutgers.

I debate sometimes whether there's a better way to determine a winner besides PKs. It's frustrating because it doesn't take into account the ability of a team to play together, to create offensive attack or to stop forwards dead in their tracks.

From the standpoint of a competitive player, I would vouch for more overtime periods, though there are surely downsides. In terms of conditioning, you've already played a 90-minute game, as well as two 10-minute overtime periods. It would be bizarre to keep playing endlessly and could even lead to a higher chance of injury.

Historically, the shoot-out is credited to Yosef Dagan, who watched the Israeli national soccer team lose in the quarterfinals of the Olympics in 1968 by drawing lots (like drawing straws), and recognized a need for a change. OK, maybe I should be less critical. At least penalty shootouts are soccer related.

Does it really pick the better team as the winner? No, not necessarily. Then again, soccer is a deceptive game in that sense. One team could be heads and shoulders above the other but have trouble scoring, or make one small mistake and end up losing a game, in PKs or not. In a game like football, the better team pretty much always wins – but this is not the case in soccer.

There are so many "what if" scenarios that come into play, but when it comes down to that moment, you do what you have to do: place the ball on the mark, pick your spot, take your best shot, and hope for the best.

Hey, at the end of the day, that's the game you signed on for. If you don't want to leave the outcome up to the fates, get it done during regulation. End of story.