The Fierce Battle on the Field: Analyzing Fouls and Cards In Division 1 College Soccer

Fierce tackles, insane collective levels of fitness, heated rivalries & sprinkles of questionable officiating helps college soccer bring intensity to the field like no other. Let's dive into the numbers and explore the intriguing world of fouls, yellow cards, and red cards In Division 1. There will be future posts for Division 2, Division 3, & a final post comparing all 3 divisions.

Understanding The Data:

To gain insights into the fouls and cards, we looked at the box scores from college soccer teams across the three divisions. The dataset includes team names and conferences, allowing us to analyze the differences within and between divisions. We'll focus on essential metrics such as fouls | fouls per game | yellow cards | fouls per yellow card | yellow cards per game | and red cards.

Division 1 Men's Soccer:

Home to some of the most renowned college soccer teams, the battle for dominance is fierce. Fouls and yellow cards have become ingrained into the tactical philosophies of coaches throughout the country. Certainly well timed fouls can make can stop a counter attacks and make a team incredibly difficult to play against for 90 minutes. A poorly timed foul can give give up a set piece and provide a goal-scoring that completely changes the momentum of the game, hence the phrase among coaches "They/we got college soccer'd".

Top 25 Teams With The Most Fouls Per Game

This list involves teams from a variety of conferences & surprisingly the Ivy League is well represented. Some additional context is helpful - Looking at the Premier League this year Leeds United averaged the most fouls committed per game with 12.3! Man City had the fewest with 9.1 per game. This means the range of fouls per game each team commits in the premier league is roughly 9 to 12 fouls. Therefore it's easy to conclude that the average number of total fouls committed per game in the Premier League is 24 or less.

As you can see in the chart to the left, there is average number of fouls per game in college soccer is likely to be significantly higher than the Premier League, especially when any of these teams play against each other, or even an opponent that sits outside of this list. It's worth noting there is a much bigger range of fouls committed per game by each team in college soccer given the quantity of teams competing. The range begins at 7.5 and quickly makes its way to 16.2 fouls per game, per team.

Top 25 Teams With The Most Total Fouls Committed During The 2022 Season

This list is self explanatory & as a policy I won't throw words down on a page when there are none needed.

It's worth noting here: Teams with fewer than 20 games likely did not make it to the NCAA Tournament & were eliminated in their conference tournament. That said, a team like Seton Hall was eliminated in their conference tournament & still received an at-large bid.

Either way, interesting to see programs like FGCU & Northeastern (nothing against them) make this list given the number of games/opportunities they had to commit that many fouls.

Most Fouls Among Non-NCAA Tournament Teams In Division 1 Men's Soccer

As we dive into the dataset, an interesting trend catches our attention regarding the fouls committed by different Division 1 college soccer teams. It's worth noting that some teams, like Lindenwood, have managed to accumulate a significant number of fouls despite playing fewer games compared to their counterparts. This raises some questions about the style of play and competitiveness within Division 1. Are we witnessing a more physical and assertive approach to soccer in this division? Could this indicate a heightened level of intensity and competition among only the teams on this list? Additionally, it leads us to eventually analyze the role of officiating and how it shapes the flow of the game and the frequency of fouls per division or per conference.

Top 25: Most Yellow Cards Received In 2022

As we delve into the data on the most yellow cards received in a college soccer season, right away you notice teams that have played fewer games but accumulated a significant number of yellow cards. A standout example is FGCU, which, despite participating in only 17 games, received 59 yellow cards. It raises questions about the style of play and the factors that contribute to a higher number of yellow cards. Are these yellow cards a result of professional fouls after constantly losing the ball in a dangerous area? Are they a result of being more aggressive & going in harder for 50/50 challenges throughout the game? Or could it be overzealous referee's ineffectively trying to control a game? Either way, it demonstrates a truly remarkable ability to rack up yellow cards.

Top 25: Fewest Fouls Committed Per Yellow Card Received

Examining the dataset, we encounter teams with impressive discipline, receiving yellow cards at a faster rate. Fla. Atlantic stands out as a prime example, with a very low fouls per yellow card ratio of 3.7, suggesting that they are put on notice by referees at an accelerated pace. Similarly, UCF, Howard, and UNC Asheville exhibit ratios of 3.2, 3.6, and 3.8, respectively, implying that they receive yellow cards relatively quickly in response to fouls committed. (FGCU is highlighted because they just keep popping up in all of these lists!) On the other end of the spectrum, teams like Grand Canyon and Coastal Carolina demonstrate higher ratios of 4.5, indicating a greater tolerance by referees before issuing yellow cards. The data suggests that these teams have a longer leash and may need to commit more fouls before receiving warnings. Teams with lower ratios face a quicker response from referees and need to exercise caution in their gameplay to avoid accumulating yellow cards. Conversely, teams with higher ratios benefit from a more lenient approach, allowing them more flexibility in their tackles. Understanding these refereeing patterns adds an additional layer of complexity to the game, highlighting the subjective nature of officiating and the importance of adaptability for teams. It also emphasizes the need for fair and consistent refereeing across all matches, ensuring a level playing field for all college soccer teams. It's also important to note that I'm not pointing fingers at referees...It's very possible the teams at the top of this list get stuck in for bone-crunching tackles & the yellow cards are deserved. Forcing the referee to establish a threshold and set the tone of a game early on isn't a bad thing.

Top 25: Most Fouls Committed Per Yellow Card Received

Among the dataset, certain teams stand out for their remarkably high fouls per yellow card ratio, suggesting a lenient approach from referees. Harvard, leading the pack, provides a glimpse into the nature of college soccer within the competitive Ivy League and raises the question "Is there a persistent infringement problem in the Ivy League"?

The rest of the programs highlighted in green are some of the best & most talented teams in the country. Excluding Harvard, 3 of the 6 teams highlighted compete in the ACC and Syracuse were just crowned National Champions. Are these players better coached with better discipline? Do they have a higher soccer IQ or game savvy that helps them to effectively explore the referee's established line for a yellow card? Are the tackles they put on their opponents simply more honest? Perhaps they sub a lot and the fouls committed are more evenly distributed throughout the team thus avoiding the same player being cautioned as a repeat offender? OR does an implicit bias exist?

NCAA Division 1 CONFERENCES: Most Fouls Committed Per Game

In analyzing the fouls committed in college soccer conferences, two key tables provide insights into the different dynamics among conferences. Table 1 highlights the conferences with the most fouls per game, with the Ivy League leading the pack at an average of 12.9 fouls per game. This showcases the physical nature of play within the conference. Meanwhile, Table 2 focuses on the conferences with the highest fouls per yellow card ratio, indicating the leniency of referees in issuing yellow cards. Once again, the Ivy League emerges at the top, with an average of 8.0 fouls per yellow card given. indicating that not only will there be roughly 26 fouls per game BUT 1.6 yellow cards given per game. This means that in a match with a whopping 26 fouls the referee will go to his/her pocket once OR MAYBE twice. Wild Stuff.