Coin flip determines NCAA Men's College Cup

Oh, PKs, same damn thing.

(yes, I know we have a soccer thread).

This is the biggest prize in intercollegiate soccer. Play until somebody scores. Nobody's going anywhere anyways.

Can you imagine them stopping the third game of the CWS Championship Series after 11 innings and playing home-run derby to decide who wins? Stopping the men's basketball title game after an OT and shooting free throws? Having a putt-off if the Masters is still tied after 22 holes? Having a shootout after one OT of a Stanley Cup playoff game?

Of course not.

What a terrible way to determine a champion. No way did Virginia (or Akron, had it won the PKs) prove it was the better team ON THE FIELD.

And yes, I played soccer, in high school and college.

 

PKs are far from luck.

PKs are nerve, and holding it well enough to execute a good shot. If you take a good enough penalty, no goalie is going to stop it.

Some people can do it, and some people can't, but it's very far from luck.

 

No, in many ways a suck-dog way to determine a champion is to keep players playing until they can't run anymore, where you're waiting for a mistake instead of a moment of brilliance to win it.

 

This.

 

I've covered a couple state championship HS soccer games that went to PKs. Not saying it's the best way to determine a champ, but it damn sure was exciting.

 

As a hockey fan... No chance in hell I want a final decided by penalty shots, penalty kicks, or an derivative thereof.

That's what overtime is for. And, yes, games are then decided on lucky bounces as often as they are decided by great plays. At least they're decided by playing the game.

 

How bout if basketball OT was decided by a 3-point competition...If that was the case, Creighton would've beaten Mason yesterday.

 

Threadjack...for whatever reason, some AP stories come into our system very slightly garbled in a strange way. Instead of each apostrophe, there's a hard return, so a new graf on each one. It's easy to tell on contractions, but I nearly missed one yesterday on Creighton's P'Allen Stinnett.

Also, "P'Allen" has jumped to the top of the list of potential names for Unborn Baby Circus.

 

Same goes with free-throws, field-goals, and home runs hit in HR derby. They shouldn't be deciding championships.

And that's how games, or championships, are often decided. A team capitalizes on the other team's mistake.

As far as "players running until they can't run anymore," both teams also had numerous subs who probably didn't play a minute. I suspect they still had fresh legs.

The top two soccer championships in this country (NCAA men's, MLS) both were decided in PKs, which, as Moddy said, is still one mighty suck-dog way to determine a national champion. And it's also a mighty suck-dog way to dtermine the best soccer team in the world, if it comes down to that next summer.