Men’s & Women’s Soccer Code of Conduct
As Of: 10/25/2017
I. OVERVIEW
A. Administrative Authority
Administrative authority shall be the Sports Committee and overseen by the athletic administrator appointed as liaison to the Sports Committee and the Association Executive. Any resolution passed by the sport committee must be approved by the Athletic Administrators Committee before it is enacted and included in the Code of Conduct.
B. Committee Membership
All Landmark members that sponsor men’s or women’s soccer at the varsity level shall be represented on the committee. Each institution shall have one representative per gender. Unless otherwise specified by an institution’s athletics director, an institution’s head coach shall serve as the representative.
C. Duties of Committee
The committee will meet at least once annually, either in-person or via conference call, to discuss sport-specific manners, review the code of conduct, and recommend changes to the athletic administrators as necessary.
D. Sport Chair
The chair shall be appointed by the committee and serve a two-year term.
· Women’s Soccer Chair: Christa Racine, Drew (June 2017 – December 2018)
· Women’s Soccer Vice Chair: TBD
· Men’s Soccer Chair: Todd Ervin, Moravian (December 2015 – November 2017)
· Men’s Soccer Vice Chair: Jim Findlay, Susquehanna
· Administrative Liaison: Sean Sullivan, Catholic
E. Duties of Chair
The duties of the chair are as follows:
1. Organize meetings of the committee, at least once annually and additionally as necessary; compile and distribute the agenda for all meetings; supervise the meeting; record attendance and minutes
2. Provide the Commissioner and the Athletics Administrator Liaison with a written report outlining all discussion, action, and voting which occurred during the meeting
3. Within one week after the meeting, distribute a copy of the minutes to the members of the committee, the designated liaison, and the conference office. The Commissioner will distribute the minutes to delegates of the Athletics Administrators Committee for consideration and vote, as necessary
4. Communicate and explain voting items to the designated sport liaison
II. SPORTSMANSHIP/ETHICAL CONDUCT
Sportsmanship and the proper treatment of all individuals are core beliefs of the Landmark Conference and its members. Students, staff, and all other members of an institution should adhere to the fundamental values of respect, fairness, civility, honesty, and responsibility. Coaches should conduct themselves in ways that promote the character development of participants to enhance the integrity of higher education, and to promote civility in society, student-athletes, coaches, and other participants associated with athletics programs and events.
III. ADMINISTRATIVE REGULATIONS
Unless otherwise specified in the Code of Conduct, or the Landmark Bylaws, all institutions shall conduct their programs according to the guidelines outlined in the most recent edition of the NCAA Division III manual.
IV. SPORT-SPECIFIC REGULATIONS
A. Rules
Matches shall be conducted per the specifications outlined in the NCAA Men’s & Women’s Soccer rulebook. NCAA Rule 7.6 shall not be in effect for conference contests; decision regarding delayed or suspended matches shall be made by the participating institutions in consultation with the conference office.
B. Scheduling
The conference schedule shall be developed by the conference office and approved by the Athletics Administrators Committee. In order to minimize missed class time and reduce time away from campus, all conference matches shall be scheduled on Saturdays during the NCAA traditional season, with the exception of one match, which shall be played mid-week.
1. Conference Priority
Conference contests shall take priority over non-conference contests.
2. Match Times
A single match scheduled to take place on a class day shall start no earlier than 3:30 p.m. A single match scheduled to take place on a non-class day (for both teams) shall start no earlier than 1:00 p.m.
If an institution is scheduled to host two matches on the same field on the same non-class day, then the following procedure shall be used:
If the facility has lights, then game times shall be set at 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m., or 30 minutes following the completion of the first game, whichever is later. If the facility does not have lights, then game times shall be set at 12:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.
Match times may be altered by competing teams as long as the athletics directors of both institutions mutually agree.
3. Doubleheader Rotation
The order in which doubleheader matches are played will rotate biannually. Women’s matches shall be played first in 2016 & 2017, while men’s matches shall be played first in 2018 & 2019.
4. Postponed Match
If a match is postponed (due to inclement weather, etc.), the athletics directors of the competing teams must mutually agree on a make-up date, with the host institution informing the conference office of the rescheduled date and time.
5. Environmental Conditions at Scheduled Game Time
The following guidelines shall be used regarding environmental conditions:
a. Cold Weather
In the event the wind chill or actual temperature is forecast to be below 5° F at the start of the contest, and conditions are not forecast to improve throughout the majority of the competition, then the contest shall be rescheduled to a time when conditions are expected to have improved, or to another day.
b. Heat Index
In the event that the wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT) is greater than 88° F, then the competition shall be suspended or postponed until a point when conditions have improved.
The host institution athletic training staff shall be responsible for monitoring weather conditions and determining whether a contest shall take place, in consultation with staff members from competing teams and game officials. Every effort to reschedule or postpone a contest shall be made prior to the visiting team’s departure for the site of competition.
Additional information regarding policies and procedures for extreme heat and cold weather conditions is available in the Landmark Athletic Trainers Code of Conduct.
6. Altering Conference Schedule
With the exception of a team’s final match of the regular season, institutions are free to alter the approved conference schedule as long as the athletics directors of both competing teams mutually agree. All changes to the conference schedule must be reported to the conference office by the host institution.
The final match of the regular season cannot be moved without approval from the conference office.
7. End of Season
The regular season schedule shall be completed by the Saturday prior to the start of the conference championship.
C. Contest Management
1. Pre-Match Protocol
The NCAA Regular-Season Pregame Schedule shall be used for all conference matches. In the event an institution is scheduled to host two matches at the same site on the same day, then the pre-match protocol may be amended, if necessary, as long as both teams mutually agree.
It is the responsibility of the host institution to inform the visiting team and all game officials of the pre-match protocol. Only starting players shall be announced.
Clock Activity
60:00* Teams may begin warm-up on the field in front of their bench
*Begin clock 60 minutes before match starting time
15:00 Game rosters exchanged
10:00 Captains and officials meet
Teams clear field
Introduction of officials, coaches and players
1. Officials
2. Visiting coaches and team
3. Home coaches and team
4. National Anthem
5. Teams shake hands; designated away team moves to shake designated
home team’s hands
0:00 Game begins at scheduled start time
2. Officials
The Mid-Atlantic Soccer Officials (MASO) shall provide officials for all teams for all games (conference & non-conference, and postseason). Teams should contact Mark Garcia () and John Collins () with any questions. The host institution is responsible for payment of all officials.
3. Equipment
The Wilson Forte Fybrid soccer ball is the official conference game ball and will be used for all contests. The host institution is responsible for providing game and warm-up balls.
D. Scouting/Film Exchange
Film exchange is the recommended method for scouting amongst conference members. While in some cases in-person scouting may be necessary, the time, travel, and costs associated with in-person scouting make this course of action impractical and less desirable.
It is impermissible for teams to share scouting information regarding conference teams with non-conference teams.
E. Incomplete Season
In the event that a team or teams are unable to complete their conference schedule, the conference office, in consultation with the athletics directors, if necessary, shall determine the qualifying teams and seeding for the conference championship. Options for determining seeding and selection include, but are not limited to: winning percentage in conference contests, treating all matches played against teams that did not complete their season as non-conference matches, treating any matches that are unable to be played as forfeits for the responsible team, and other actions, as discovered.
V. CHAMPIONSHIP REGULATIONS
A. Qualification
The top four teams in the conference standings following the completion of the regular season shall qualify for the Landmark championship.
Conference standings shall be sorted by points. A team shall receive three points for each victory and one point for each draw in conference competition.
B. Tie-Breaking Procedure
In the event two (or more) teams tie in the conference standings, the following procedure shall be used to determine seeding for the championship:
1. Head-to-head record amongst all tied teams in contests that count toward the conference standings
2. Comparison of tied teams’ records against remaining teams in conference standings in descending order (starting at No. 1)
3. Goal differential in matches played amongst tied teams, with a maximum differential of three goals per match
4. Goal differential for tied teams in all conference matches played, with a maximum differential of three goals per match
5. Lowest goals allowed total in play that counted toward the conference standings
6. Head-to-head record against common non-conference opponents at same site
7. Head-to-head record against common non-conference opponents at different site
8. Coin flip (or similar random action)
Application of Tie-Breaking Procedure
In a tie of more than two teams, tie-breakers shall be applied in descending order until a team or a group of teams have gained an advantage and the initial tie has been broken. Teams shall be seeded accordingly based upon where they rank within the group of tied teams. If a sub-group (or groups) of tied teams are created by applying tie-breaking criteria to the original group, the tie-breaking process begins anew for the sub-group (or groups) until all teams can be seeded.
In a tie of more than two teams, when a random action is used to break the tie, the tie-breaking process shall begin anew starting with the first criteria (head-to-head) once one team has gained the advantage.
In the event of multiple ties in the standings, the ties will be broken in descending order, unless a lower seeded tie can be broken by using the first criteria (head-to-head). When comparing tied teams against positions lower in the standings which are also tied, those “lower tied positions” shall be considered as a “single position” for purposes of comparison, unless those “lower tied positions” were broken through head-to-head comparison.
If two or more groups of teams are tied, the seeding for one group of tied teams, even if determined by a random action, shall be considered for tie-breaking purposes for any remaining groups.
C. Format
The championship shall be conducted during the week that precedes the NCAA tournament selection date. The team that wins the championship shall receive the conference’s automatic qualification to the NCAA tournament.
Semifinals
The semifinal round shall take place on the Tuesday/Wednesday prior to NCAA tournament selections. The higher-seeded team shall host. If a higher-seeded team is unable to host, then the lower-seeded team shall be afforded the opportunity to host.
In odd years, the men’s semifinal will be played on Tuesday’s, followed by the women’s on Wednesday. In even years, the women’s semifinal match shall be played on Tuesday, followed by the men’s on Wednesday.
Match time is at the discretion of the host institution, but cannot begin prior to 2:00 p.m. If the host institution’s facility does not have lights, then the match will begin at 2:00 p.m.
Championship
The final round shall take place on the Saturday prior to NCAA tournament selections. The higher-seeded team shall host. If a higher-seeded team is unable to host, then the lower-seeded team shall be afforded the opportunity to host. Match time is at the discretion of the host institution, but cannot begin prior to 1:00 p.m.
If an institution is scheduled to host both the men’s and women’s final, then the following order of play shall be used. In odd years, the men’s final will be played first, followed by the women’s final at least 30 minutes after the completion of the men’s award ceremony. In even years, the women’s final will be played first, followed by the men’s final at least 30 minutes after the completion of the women’s award ceremony.
NOTE: In the event an institution will host a soccer and field hockey match at the same site on the same day, the host institution shall work with the conference office to determine the appropriate schedule based upon the guidelines for both sports.
D. Contest Management
The host institution shall follow the contest management guidelines as outlined for the regular season.
1. Officials
The conference office shall be in charge of assigning officials for all championship matches. The host institution is responsible for the payment of all officials during the championship.
The host institution is responsible for providing game management officials (site director, PA Announcer, ball persons, etc.) for all matches it hosts. Game management personnel are to be neutral in the performance of their duties.
2. Facility & Equipment
The facility shall be ready at least 90 minutes prior to the start of the match. The host institution is responsible for providing game balls.
3. Overtime Procedure
If at the end of regulation the score is tied, no more than two 10-minute sudden-victory overtime periods shall be played, as per outlined in the NCAA Men’s & Women’s Soccer rulebook. If at the end of the second overtime the score remains tied, the match shall be recorded as a draw and the NCAA penalty kick procedure shall be used to determine the advancing team/the conference champion.