College soccer 101: A beginner's guide to rules and terminology for the men's and women's games

With the fall sports season underway, The Chronicle is here with a breakdown of every sport, including key rules, terminology, tournament formats and more. Here is information on both men's and women's soccer.

Overview

"The Beautiful Game" is broken up into two 45-minute halves and played with teams of 11. Each team must score on its opponent’s goal without using arms or hands (with the exception of a goalkeeper in front of each net). Typical soccer matches are low-scoring yet fast-paced and feature various tactics to attempt to get the ball into an opponent's net.

Terminology

Dribbling: A skill where a player moves the ball upfield using controlled touches to keep possession while advancing past defenders.

Tackle: When a defensive player attempts to dispossess an opposing player by challenging for the ball. There are sliding tackles and standing tackles.

Header: When a player strikes the ball using their head, usually to direct a pass, clear the ball or attempt to score.

Possession: The act of maintaining control of the ball during play. Teams with high possession stats are often able to manage the game better than teams without.

Bicycle kick: When a player jumps into the air, flips backward and kicks the ball overhead while in midair, sending it behind them.

Formation: The arrangement of the players on the field. Some common formations are 4-4-2, with four defenders, four midfielders and two forwards; 4-3-3, with a back four, three midfielders and three forwards; and 4-2-3-1, with four defenders, two defensive midfielders, three attacking midfielders that also run the wings and a single striker.

Positions

There are 11 players on the field per team at any given time. The players are generally organized in four different categories depending on their role: goalkeeper, defenders, midfielders and forwards. These positions can also be referred to numerically.

Goalkeeper (1): This is the only player allowed to use their hands, and they can do so only within the penalty box. Their primary job is to stop the opposing team from scoring by blocking shots on goal. The keeper is considered the last line of defense and a key communicator in organizing the defense, as well as the starting point for a team’s attack.

Defenders:

• Center back (4,5): Positioned centrally in the defensive line, center backs aim to block opposing attackers and clear the ball from the defensive third of the field.
• Full back (2,3): On the left and right sides of the center backs, full backs help defend against wide attacks and often assist in building offensive plays down the wings.

Midfielders:

• Central midfielder (6, 8, 10): This is a versatile role. Center mids help with both defense and attack, distributing passes and controlling the tempo of the game. 
• Defensive midfielder (6): Playing just ahead of the defense, their role is to break up opposition attacks and distribute the ball for teammates to start their own team’s offense.
• Attacking midfielder (8,10): Positioned just behind the forwards, attacking mids create scoring opportunities by delivering key passes or taking shots on goal themselves. They also track back on defense for support.

Forwards:

• Striker (9): As the player closest to the opponent’s goal, strikers — also called center forwards in some systems — are the primary goal scorers. They utilize their strong finishing abilities and often play off the defenders to slip the ball in the back of the net.
• Wide forward (7,11): Wide forwards, or wingers, play on either side of the striker, and are typically very fast and skilled dribblers. They advance the ball up the sidelines and deliver crosses into the box for strikers. They can also cut in to take shots on goal.

Rules and penalties

Free kick: A free kick is awarded to a team when some foul is performed by its opponent. The referee will place the ball at the spot the violation occurred, and the kicking team has the opportunity to freely kick the ball from that position without any defenders within 10 yards of the ball. 

Direct free kick: A direct free kick is a type of free kick where the kicking team is able to score a goal directly from the kick with no player touching the ball between the kick and when it passes the goal line. Direct free kicks are awarded for any physical contact that is ruled a foul.

Indirect free kick: An indirect free kick is a free kick where some non-kicking player from either team must touch the ball before it enters the goal for the goal to count. In other words, if an indirect free kick is shot into the net with no players touching the ball between the kick and when it crosses the goal line, the non-kicking team gains possession of the ball and no goal is awarded. 

Penalty kick: During a penalty kick — given when an attacking player is fouled inside the penalty box — a referee places the ball on a dot in the center of the box 12 yards from the goal line. A player on the team awarded a penalty kick gets a free shot on net against the violating team's goalkeeper.

Corner kick: A corner kick is awarded when a ball passes out of bounds across a team’s end line, last touched by the defending team. During a corner kick, the attacking team gets the opportunity to freely kick the ball from the corner of the field next to the corresponding corner flag.

Goal kick: A goal kick is awarded when a ball passes out of bounds across a team’s end line with the ball last touched by the attacking team. During a goal kick, a player from the defending team may freely kick the ball from  within the six-yard box in front of their own net.

Throw-in: A throw-in is awarded when a ball goes out of bounds on the sideline. The team who did not last touch the ball before it exited play is able to freely throw the ball from the point where the ball exited. During a throw-in, the thrower is required to throw the ball with both feet touching the ground and with both hands on the ball as it is thrown directly over their head.

Offside: An offside occurs when a ball is passed to a player who is behind the defending team’s last defender when the pass was kicked. In other words, if a player is standing closer to their opponent’s end line than every player on the opposing team (not including the goalkeeper), it is illegal to pass the ball to them. Exceptions to offside include when a player is standing within their own half when the ball is played and when the pass is a throw-in. Attacking players can always pass the ball backwards without threat of offside, and players can be deemed offsides if they receive the ball in an offside position after a teammate’s shot is saved.

Handball: A handball is a violation which occurs when a player touches the ball with any part of their arm or hand while the ball is in play. Exceptions to handballs include goalkeepers within their 18-yard box who are allowed to touch the ball with any part of their body. A direct free kick is awarded to the opposing team at the spot of the violation when the handball occurs outside of a team’s own penalty box. Any handball by a team within its own penalty box results in a penalty kick. 

Substitutions: A substitution occurs when a player on a team’s bench comes into the game for some player on the field. In college soccer, a team is only allowed to sub at six specific points in the game, but the team can sub up to all 11 of their players during this moment. Additionally, a player who is subbed out of the game is not allowed to reenter the game during the half in which they were subbed out. The only time that a subbed-out player may reenter the game is when they are subbed out in the first half and reenter in the second half.

Cards: Cards are given to players or coaches who commit serious violations during the match. Yellow cards are the less severe of the two types of cards and are given when a player or coach commits some moderate violation such as a hard foul or arguing excessively with the referee. A red card is a more extreme violation awarded to players and coaches and results in that player or coach being ejected from the game. The accumulation of two yellow cards by the same person will also result in a red card being given out. If a player is ejected from the game due to a red card, their team may not substitute another player to take their place and must play the remainder of the game with one fewer player on the field.

Season format

Men’s soccer:

As of the 2024 season, there are 212 Division I men’s soccer teams. Fifteen schools make up the ACC, with the new additions of Stanford, Cal, and SMU. In the regular season, Duke plays 16 matches: eight conference and eight non-conference.

ACC tournament: Each team gets a shot in the conference tournament, with all 15 schools securing automatic bids. The top-seeded squad gets a first round bye, and the tournament proceeds in single-elimination bracket-style fashion with the first round, then quarters, semis, and a championship match. This final is slated for Nov. 17 at WakeMed Soccer Park. 

NCAA tournament: Out of the 212 member schools, 48 will fight for a chance at the Men’s College Cup in December. Twenty-two are automatic bids, the rest are at-large. Sixteen of these schools will receive a first round bye based on seeding. The tournament will proceed in single-elimination bracket-style fashion with a first, second and third round, quarterfinals, and ultimately the College Cup consisting of both the semis and the finals. The semifinals and championship match are set for Dec. 13 and Dec. 16, respectively. 

Women’s soccer:

As of the 2024 season, there are 347 Division I women’s soccer teams. Seventeen schools make up the ACC, with the new additions of Stanford, Cal, and SMU. In the regular season, Duke plays 17 matches: ten conference and eight non-conference.

ACC tournament: In stark contrast to the men’s soccer format, only the best six squads in the conference qualify for tournament play. The top two teams get a first round bye, and the tournament proceeds in single-elimination bracket-style fashion with the first round, semis and a championship match. The championship will be played on Nov. 10 at WakeMed Soccer Park. 

NCAA tournament: Out of the 347 member schools, the Women’s College Cup fields 64 teams. Thirty-one are automatic bids, the rest are at-large. There are no first round byes. The tournament will proceed in single-elimination bracket-style fashion with a first, second and third round, quarterfinals, and ultimately the College Cup consisting of both the semis and the finals. The semifinals and championship match are set for Dec. 6 and Dec. 9, respectively. 

Coaching staff and recent trends

Men’s soccer:

Duke is led by head coach John Kerr, who entered his 16th year in 2024. During his tenure, he has kept the Devils solidly over the .500 line, boasting a respectable 149-103-37 record in 15 seasons. Recently, Duke has seen fairly consistent regular-season success but markedly less postseason success. Following 2021’s run to the ACC championship, the Blue Devils have failed to reach the same peaks. They’ve ducked out to Clemson in both ACC quarterfinals matchups since 2021, and haven’t made it past the national quarterfinals in that span. However, this year’s roster boasts talented returners like Ulfur Bjornsson and Kamran Acito, coupled with proven transfers such as Wessel Speel and Adam Luckhurst. The potential is certainly there for a deep run this season. 

Women’s soccer:

Head coach Robbie Church — who enters his final season with Duke — has been at the helm of the program since 2001, transforming the program into the powerhouse it is considered to be today. He has led the Blue Devils to a 293-147-66 record in his 23 years as head coach, heading several deep tournament runs. The squad saw great success in 2021 and 2022, reaching the NCAA quarterfinals in both years and securing top-10 national seeding. Last year was an uncharacteristic struggle for Duke, though, as a 2-5-3 conference record saw it excluded from both the ACC and NCAA tournaments. The Blue Devils will hope to return to their winning ways this season, and certainly are capable of making waves in the postseason with a veteran and talented roster.