# NCAA finals



## espola (May 18, 2021)

The women's game ended in a 1-1 draw.  Santa Clara won the post-game kicking carnival to take home the trophy.  (Full disclosure -- I only watched the shootout video because I messed up the game time (and the men's game was off by an hour even on the ESPN status bar during the game)).

The men's game gave us almost 10 minutes of bonus soccer, but the best college athletes in the country could still only score one goal.  (Maybe because of the best keepers in the country?)  

The game started with the announcers saying that Marshall liked to play possession soccer, which was demonstrated by one of the most exciting plays in the first half -- a 60+ yard pass forward from the middle of Marshall's half over the head of a teammate streaking into the empty right-corner area.  He was the only one out there, so it was both longball and possession.

That was either artificial turf or the best-kept grass I have seen in years.

The game was originally planned to have no fans in attendance, but a last-minute relaxation in covid rules filled the stands (and all those people were fully vaccinated, right?)  

Are keepers trained to raise an arm pleading for an offside call on every goal?  (Similar to the way cops are trained to shout "stop resisting" when they turn their bodycams on?)


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