Question Number: 16546

Law 10 - Method of Scoring 9/4/2007

RE: HS Varsity High School

Steve Simon of Tully, NY United States asks...

This question is a follow up to question 13808

My son takes a corner kick, fast hard strike curling toward the goal waist high (though he will not swear it was on a line to actually go in, so assume not), defender can only put a leg up and ball ticks into his own goal. Does player taking corner kick get statistical credit for anything, goal or assist, or nothing?

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

The only statistic that referees concern themselves about is the score of the game. Coaches worry about giving credits for goals and assists.

That being said, the gamesheet in some leagues has a spot to indicate who scored each goal. In that case, an own goal is credited to the last attacker who touched the ball - even if he had nothing to do with the goal except putting a corner kick into the general vacinity of the goal.

Answer provided by Referee Steve Montanino

Traditionally an own goal is assessed to the defender who caused the ball to enter the goal. A deflection is not an own goal, unless the ball would have gone wide of the goal and the deflection caused it to enter the goal.

If it's truly an own goal then no attacker recevies credit for the goal. Otherwise, if its merely a deflection, the credit should go to the last attacker to touch the ball.