The fine line between dirty and physical

There was a line on the soccer field Thursday night when Saline hosted Chelsea in a soccer match between two very good teams. That line wasn’t in front of the goal or cutting across the middle of the field. It was an imaginary line between physical soccer and dirty play.
And from where I was standing that line wasn’t crossed by either team.
There were more than a few instances where fans from both sides would stand and yell about a physical play. Bodies were certainly flying and the game was stopped a couple times because of injuries. No one will deny that this was a physical soccer game.
And so was the Chelsea-Dexter game earlier in the year. That’s what happens in games between rivals and in games matching two good teams. Playing physical is part of the game and more often than not in girls’ soccer, the more physical team wins the game.
"We never teach to play dirty, but we also know that physical play especially in high school soccer is what it’s about," said Saline coach Dana Restrick. "You have to play physical to win games. And unfortunately in soccer, if you play physical and misjudge something it can end up in a foul. That may look dirty, but it’s never the intent of any of our players."
The Hornets challenged every ball and if a Chelsea player got in the way, so be it. If a knee was kicked or a shoulder bumped or a head banged, so be it. And as long as they were going for the ball, it’s all part of the game in soccer.
There are no helmets or shoulder pads or goalie masks in soccer. But it’s a very physical sport.
"We lost to Brighton (earlier in the season) because we were not physical enough," Restrick says. "Since then, one of our goals has been to become a more physical team. We want to challenge everything and work for every ball that we can get. In the end it’s either going to be us or them."
When it came to being physical, Saline was the clear winner last Thursday. And it’s no surprise they were the winner on the scoreboard as well. Restrick said her team’s physical play was the difference in the victory over Chelsea – the same way it was a difference in the team’s loss to Brighton.
"Our physical play and our willingness to do whatever it takes is what makes our team special," she said.
Chelsea coach Dave Pieske did raise his voice a few times looking for a foul or even a card. One time, the referee even apologized for missing a hard challenge by a Saline player that sent a Bulldog flying through the air.
"I thought it was a very physical game, but not a dirty game," Pieske said. "I thought the referee may have missed one or two instances that could have been a foul. But I’m sure some people could have thought the same thing about us."
Each team received a yellow card during the game.
"I consider it to be physical play as opposed to dirty if there is intent to play the ball," Pieske said. "Dirty play is when someone is being physical when the ball is not around. I thought Saline played a physical game and came in hard on every ball and if they hit us in the process, oh well."
Pieske said he felt Dexter played a similar style when the two teams battled to a scoreless tie earlier in the year.
"They were physical too, but I didn’t see any play that I thought was dirty," he said. "We also have a number of players who aren’t afraid to play that style. We want our players to challenge every ball."
Just like Saline did on Thursday night.
The Hornets wear the badge of physical and aggressive with pride – as they should.
"This is who we are, it’s our MO," Restrick said. "We played a physical game against Northville and unfortunately lost 1-0, but we showed up and played hard and aggressive and played well. Our top goal is to want it more than the other team."