High school field hockey rules changes include quarters instead of halves and a new tie-breaker

July 26, 2024

Carrie Vosburg wished she could call a timeout. The Arundel field hockey coach had just watched her team’s 3-2 lead turn into a 4-3 deficit in its match Saturday against a school from Kentucky, and with less than 10 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Vosburg wanted to give her players a mental break and a chance to regroup.

In the past, she would signal to the referee and then deliver a quick pep talk. But as part of a 2020 rule change by the National Federation of State High School Associations, field hockey games are now played in four 15-minute periods — like they are internationally and in college — rather than two 30-minute halves. The rule also eliminated the two 90-second timeouts coaches could use.

“Especially with our kids, they can easily get down on themselves. So [the timeouts are] kind of a time to build them up,” Vosburg said. “I think, unfortunately, without that sometimes, they lack that confidence.”

Though the rule removes some ability to strategize mid-period, it does afford players a bit more planned rest. They get two-minute breaks after the end of the first and third quarters in addition to a full halftime. Fairfax midfielder/defender Halley Beaudoin sees that time as a way to get over any mental barriers.

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“I have always been a player where I kind of reserve when I play. I tend to worry about how much energy I’ll have for the end of the game,” Beaudoin said. “Quarters has definitely kind of helped combat that because mentally I know there’s a break.”

Coming off last season, in which Beaudoin dealt with several stress-related leg injuries, the pause between quarters gives her chances to recover and play more minutes. On the other hand, as a coach’s daughter, Beaudoin sees the impact the rule change has on her mother’s ability to get other players involved. Because starters receive more rest between quarters, they need less time on the bench, meaning there are fewer opportunities for the reserves.

Severna Park Coach Shannon Garden said she is also still trying to get the hang of substitution patterns.

“I notice a girl is tired, she needs to sub, and I look, and normally there would be 15 minutes left,” Garden said. “But I look, and it’s two minutes. I put somebody in the sub box, and then it’s one minute, and then it’s like: ‘Why bother going in now? There’s only one minute. Suck it up.’ ”

Another recent rule change coaches and players are adapting to is in how penalty shots are conducted for games that remain tied after overtime.

Previously, teams exchanged strokes, in which a goalie faced a single shot from seven yards away, unable to move until the ball is struck.

In 2017, the NFHS rules committee suggested a new tiebreaking scenario that has gradually been implemented in various regions: a timed one-on-one.

These new shootouts put the offensive player on the 25-yard line. From there, the attacker has 10 seconds to try to score against the goalie. Follow-up shots are permitted; as long as the ball stays inbounds, it can be played for a possible score.

This is the first year Virginia public schools are playing with these rules, and for some players it has been a welcome change.

“With shootouts, both the goalie and the [offensive] player are trying to figure out what to do at the same time,” Broad Run senior goalkeeper Brigitte Racey said. “Whereas for stroke[s], it’s a huge guessing game for the goalie, and the [offensive] player has the advantage.”

In the one-on-one situations, Racey’s strategy is to focus less on the attacker and more on the ball because she looks for opportunities to attack and knock it away. Meg Dudek, her coach and a former goalkeeper, instructs her to stay patient and avoid overcommitting in those situations. That allows her to maintain her positioning, giving her the time and space to respond to a shot.

“We basically tell them… ‘You’re dancing with the field player,’ ” Dudek said. “If you could do that for 10 seconds, you’re pretty good.”

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