SPORT SPECIFIC LEGISLATION WOMEN’S SOCCER
(Updated August 2012)
SECTION 1. TITLE
South Atlantic Conference Women’s Soccer Committee.
SECTION 2. COMMITTEE STRUCTURE
The committee shall be comprised of the head women’s soccer coach of each member institution. Each head coach shall have one vote. The Women’s Soccer Committee shall be a recommending body to the Athletic Directors Council regarding women’s soccer matters.
SECTION 3. AMENDMENTS TO OPERATING POLICIES
All recommended amendments must be included in the annual report of the Women’s Soccer Committee and submitted to the Athletic Director liaison for women’s soccer and the South Atlantic Conference office no later than March 1.
The Athletic Directors Council will act on all women’s soccer recommendations during its spring meeting.
SECTION 4. OFFICERS
A. Status and Term of Office
1. The Women’s Soccer Committee shall be chaired by a head women’s soccer coach. The chair must have been a head coach in the conference for two (2) years before accepting the role.
2. The chair term shall be two (2) years and will rotate by institutional alphabetical order.A coach has the option of passing their term as the committee chair to the next eligible coach.
B. Duties
The chair shall preside over the annual meeting of the Women’s Soccer Committee and report all recommendations in the proper written format to the Athletic Directors Council via the Athletic Director Liaison for the Women’s Soccer Committee no later than March 1. A copy of the report shall also be submitted to the SAC Commissioner.
SECTION 5. MEETING AND QUORUM
A. Date and Site
1. The committee will meet annually in the winter or spring during each academic year. The meeting will be in person or via conference call at a date and site determined by the conference office.
2. All head coaches (or designee) are required to attend or participate in (via conference call) the annual coaches’ meeting.
a. Failure to be in attendance or participate (via conference call) will result in the loss of the ability to vote on any issue discussed during the meeting.
b. Failure to be in attendance or participate (via conference call) for two (2) consecutive meetings will result in a financial penalty.
3. Additional meetings and/or conference calls may be arranged, as needed.
B. Quorum
A majority of all conference college representatives present constitutes a quorum. Six (6) votes are necessary to recommend change in policies or procedures.
SECTION 6. GENERAL PROTOCOL
A. Host Obligations
All teams will exercise a hospitable attitude in treating visiting teams as guests, and in the manner that they would want to be treated.
B. Tobacco Ban
The use of all tobacco products by student-athletes and game personnel (e.g. coaches, officials, athletic trainers, managers) is prohibited at the site of the game competition.
Violation of this ban will result in disqualification of the offending individual and the head coach for the remainder of the contest. Officials are instructed to take a zero tolerance policy in this area.
SECTION 7. REGULAR SEASON CONFERENCE PLAY
These regulations are intended to supplement NCAA rules and regulations as prescribed in Bylaw 17 of the NCAA Division II Manual.
A. Rules and Regulations
1. All Conference regular season games will be played according to the most current NCAA Soccer Rules and Regulations publication.
2. Conference members are prohibited from providing any form of a scouting report (e.g. written/verbal/game film) on another Conference member to any non-conference coach.
3. Any head coach whose team receives a red card in three consecutive games or five red cards in one season shall be suspended one game. The suspension will occur at the next regular-season game, including the conference tournament. [March 2002]
4. The home team shall wear light colored uniforms and the visiting team shall wear dark colored uniforms.
5. The field of play must conform to the dimensions and markings outlined in the most current NCAA Rules and Regulations publication.
6. It is recommended that the team benches be on the opposite side of the spectator seating.
7. A Conference game that is halted due to inclement weather or other unforeseen circumstances may continue if conditions permit within a maximum time of one hour. If the game is unable to continue and within the allotted time of one hour, the game shall be considered “no contest” if it has not progressed to 70 minutes. A “no contest” shall be rescheduled and played from the beginning with a 0-0 score; however, all cautions or ejections will stand.
If the game has progressed to 70 minutes, the game will be considered official after the one-hour time limit.
8. For all regular season games, if the score is tied at the end of regulation play (90 minutes), two (2) 10-minute, sudden-victory overtime periods shall be played. If the score remains tied at the end of the second sudden-victory overtime period, the game will remain a tie.
B. Regular Season Conference Schedule
1. The Conference office will develop the regular season schedule.
2. All Conference games will be scheduled as a doubleheader with the men’s teams playing the same day at the same location. [April 2011] A minimum of 2 ½ hours must be scheduled between the start of the doubleheader (e.g. 2:00 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.) and the teams playing the second game must be allowed a minimum of 20 minutes of warm-up time on the actual game field. [April 2012]
3. Each institution shall play all other Conference members at least once during the regular season.
4. If two teams are scheduled to play more than once, the first scheduled game shall be designated as the Conference game.
5. All Conference games must be completed by the Saturday preceding the Conference tournament.
C. Rescheduling Policy
1. A Conference game that is cancelled due to inclement weather or circumstances beyond the control of the participating institutions must be rescheduled at the first available date, as determined by mutual consent of the institutions involved. If the involved institutions are unable to agree on a rescheduled date, then the Conference office shall select the date. (July 1999)
2. A game that is cancelled after the visiting team has arrived on site (due to inclement weather or circumstances beyond the control of the participating institutions) must be rescheduled at the first available date. (July 2005)
3. The rescheduling of a Conference game shall take precedence over a non-conference match.
4. The Directors of Athletics may mutually consent to change the site of a Conference game due to unplayable conditions at the scheduled home site.
a. The originally scheduled home team is responsible for notifying the visiting team and the officials regarding the change.
b. The originally scheduled home team will continue to be the designated home team for purposes of scoring and uniform color. The host institution may use its regular bench.
c. The site change will not affect the following year’s schedule.
D. Game Balls and Ball Persons
1. The home team shall supply no fewer than three game balls, all of which must meet the dimensions, style, shape and material according to the most current NCAA Soccer Rules and Regulations publication.
2. The home team shall provide a minimum of two (2) ball persons, preferably four (4) and at least 10 years of age, at all games. Failure to abide by this policy will result in a reprimand from the Commissioner. [March 2005]
E. Officials
1. All officials for Conference regular season and tournament games will be assigned by the SAC Coordinator of Soccer Officials.
2. All Conference games shall use a three-person officiating system. If a scheduled official is not at the site, a two-person system shall be used until the third official arrives.
3. Coaches, student-athletes and institutional representatives are prohibited from making public comments about officials.
F. Protests
1. Officials’ judgment decisions are final and not subject to protest. Protests may only be made on rules interpretations. At the time of the protest, the official scorer is notified and the game shall continue. A protest of a decision made by an official must be submitted in writing to the SAC Coordinator of Soccer Officials no earlier than 24 hours and no later than 48 hours following the completion of the contest. The written protest must include the signature of the head coach and athletic director (or designee). A copy of the protest will also be sent to the Conference office.
2. Upon receipt of the protest, the Commissioner shall decide if the protest is legitimate (after proper investigation and counsel). If so, and the outcome of the game was affected, the game shall be replayed from the point of the protest.
G. Publicity
1. All game results and statistics shall be reported to the Conference office no later than 11:00 a.m. each Monday of the regular season. The Conference office will prepare and post on its website a weekly release providing results, standings, statistics and award winners.
2. A Preseason Poll will be determined by a vote of the head women’s soccer coaches and released to the public approximately one month prior to the start of the regular season. Coaches may not vote for their own team. [Amended June 2012]
3. A First-Team Preseason All-Conference and a Second-Team Preseason All-Conference shall be selected by the Conference sports information directors and released to the public at the same time as the Preseason Poll.
H. Regular Season Champion
1. During the regular season, teams will be awarded three (3) points for a win, one (1) point for a tie and zero (0) points for a loss. The regular season champion will be the team with the highest point total based on games against conference opponents at the conclusion of the regular season and shall be declared the Conference champion. [March 2007]
2. Any tie for the regular season champion will not be broken. In the case of a tie, co-champions shall be named.
SECTION 8. CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT
Wherever applicable, policies and procedures governing the administration and conduct of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II Soccer Championship shall be utilized.
A. Date and Site
1. The Conference tournament site shall be determined by an approved rotation schedule. In the event the tournament is conducted at a neutral site, the designated host institution will be responsible for providing assistance with athletic trainers, sports information personnel and any other pertinent personnel deemed necessary by the Conference office. (March 2003)
Year Host Dates
2012 Lincoln Memorial Oct. 30, Nov. 2 and 4
2013 Brevard Nov. 5, 8 and 10
2014 Newberry TBD
2015 Lenoir-Rhyne TBD
2016 Anderson TBD
2017 Wingate TBD
2018 Carson-Newman TBD
2. The tournament shall be conducted on a Tuesday (Quarterfinals), Friday (Semifinals) and Sunday (Final). [Amended August 2012]
3. The tournament shall be scheduled for the week prior to the start of the NCAA Division II Women’s Soccer Championship. Actual dates shall be set at least one year in advance.
B. Format
1. The top eight teams at the end of the regular season shall qualify for the Conference tournament and will be seeded according to the final regular season order of finish. Should two or more teams tie for eighth place, the Conference tie-breaking procedures described in Section 8-C will be used.
2. The tournament will be conducted using an eight-team single-elimination format. The quarterfinal games will be played at the home site of the higher seed and the semifinal and final games will be played at one site, which will be a neutral site or based on the rotation schedule described on Section 8-A.
Tuesday Quarterfinals #8 at #1
#7 at #2
#6 at #3
#5 at #4
Friday Semifinals Winner of #1 vs. #8 vs. Winner of #4 vs. 5
Winner of #2 vs. #7 vs. Winner of #3 vs. #6
Sunday Final Winners of semifinal games
3. The host institution in conjunction with the Conference office will determine the game times for the quarterfinal round. Game times for the semifinal and final rounds will be determined by the Conference office and will be published in the tournament handbook.
4. The practice and warm-up schedule will be determined by the host institution and/or tournament director.
5. For all tournament games, the higher seed be designated as the home team and will wear light-colored uniforms.
6. For the quarterfinal games, the home (higher seeded) team will occupy its usual bench. For the semifinals and finals, the higher seeded team shall occupy the bench to the left of the scorer’s table when facing the field.
7. For all tournament games, if the score is tied at the end of regulation play (90 minutes), two (2) 10-minute, sudden-victory overtime periods shall be played. If the score remains tied at the end of the second sudden-victory overtime period, the game shall be recorded as a tie and the tiebreaker procedure of taking kicks from the penalty-kick line or spot, as set forth in the most current NCAA Soccer Rules and Regulations publication, shall be used to determine advancement.
8. The team that wins the Conference tournament shall receive the Conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. If the tournament cannot be played to completion due to weather or other unforeseen conflicts, then the regular season champion will receive the automatic bid. Should the regular season have co-champions in this scenario, the team designated as the number one seed will receive the automatic bid.
C. Seeding and Tie-Breaker Formula
The seeding for the tournament shall be based on the results of the regular season conference games (point total). If a tie(s) exist in the final regular season standings, the following criteria will used to determine the tournament seeds: [April 2010]
a. Head-to-head record among the tied teams.
b. If a tie still exists, a comparison of each team’s record against all remaining seeds in the tournament. The comparison of records will begin with the highest seed possible and continue all the way through the lowest seed, if necessary.
c. If a tie still exists, a comparison of goal differential in Conference games among the tied teams.