The 100th Entry on Refblog!
The the goal is the score rather than to hack
Last night wasn't terribly difficult. One team decided that they would rather complain to me rather than address their team giving up a two-goal advantage (a shoulder-to-shoulder charge was interpreted as "from behind", and while they stopped to complain to me, the other team scored - yeah, that's a winning tactic). I showed one card for dissent in the last minute just to quiet down the muttering every time I came near; I probably could (should?) have gotten away without it, but made a tactical decision for when the game ended: this is a college football practice facility, so there's few amentites like locker rooms or areas where, if needed, the ref can be seclude himself in - and the table when I report the scores is next to the only servicable door.
I did not feel I was in any danger, but some times when a team is in a complaining mood, it's just better off for me to scuttle away quietly and quickly and let them cool off. It's better for them, it's better for me. I also made sure I was on the opposite side of the bench when I blew the final whistle (a State 5 ref taught me this trick).
Overall, this was a minor incident - and the only one of the night.
I love doing the team in my final game of the night; they are the epidomy of soccer done right: They play hard, run hard, they play physical when they need to, but they don't play dirty and don't whine. Not to mention, they keep me running, which during the indoor season, where the field is smaller and you don't work as many days a week, is great for me! :) I've reffed them twice, and both games the play is so high intensity that there's no time to hack - they're too fast, meaning their opponents have to keep up with them to stay in the game. If they have a weak spot, is that they'll dominate a game for 80% of the time, then just go flat for the remaining 20% and nearly lose the game. I've had them three times already, and they've gone one win, two ties; the first tie came out of a flast first half, when they fell behind 2-0 (they tied it up 2-2 by full time); last night they were up 2-0, then it went to 3-1, before falling flat again for 15 minutes in the second half, giving up two unanswered goals attriubutable to poor defending. The most spectatular was a cross into the penalty area that a defender headed to clear, sending it off his own cross-bar, to a waiting striker. They're probably the most talented team in the league, use their women better than any team (that's the secret to winning co-ed games - too many teams ignore their women), they just don't play for a full 50 minutes.
Because of their speed, I worked harder on that game than any of the others, and probably only called one foul.