A look back at the offside penalty in BYU's 1-0 season-ending loss to Santa Clara

BYU women’s soccer lost 1-0 to Santa Clara on Friday night to end its season. The game included a controversial finish which caused some negative reactions on social media among the Cougar fan base.

Here’s how it all went down. With a mere minute in regulation, a sudden Cougar goal tied the score at one apiece. But the celebration in the stands of South Field soon ceased upon the realization that the goal would not count.

Why? The referees negated the goal due to a back-breaking offsides penalty.

The Broncos drained the remaining time on the clock by keeping the ball away from their side of the field. They had survived and moved on in the NCAA tournament.

Fans have a right to feel frustrated that BYU's season ended with a penalty call. But an examination of the rules is needed.

An offside position is defined in section 11.1.3 of the rule book as following: “They are nearer to the opponent’s end line than the second to last opponent.” (The last opponent would be the goalkeeper.)

It’s worth noting that the rule states it is not an offense to be in an offside position generally. However, a player is penalized if, at the time the ball touches or is played by a teammate, the player is in an offside position and then does the following action as stated in section 11.2.2: “[an offside player] interferes with play by touching or playing a ball that was passed or touched by a teammate”.

To summarize, a player cannot “play the ball” after having been in an offside position while the ball touches a teammate. Being in an onside position when taking the shot is not the determining factor of the call. The issue was that she came from an offside position.

Upon examining the replay, one of BYU’s players was clearly offsides, meaning she was ahead of the last defender. She then moved back into an onside position to receive a pass from her teammate, which prompted the penalty call. The replay shows that the official immediately raised the flag once she received the pass.

Fans may not like it, but it was the correct call per the rules.

“It’s the youngest team we’ve ever had here at BYU,” said coach Jennifer Rockwood. “For these girls to still finish fourth in the Big 12 and host an NCAA tournament game is amazing and I’m really proud of our team.”

On X, BYU women’s soccer tweeted a thank you to Cougar fans for their support throughout the 2024 season.