Physical demands and physiological responses of extra time matches in collegiate women’s soccer

ABSTRACT Purpose: In U.S. collegiate soccer, matches that end drawn after 90-min of regulation time (RT) proceed to two 10-min extra time (ET) periods. This study quantified the physical demands and heart rate (HR) responses of playing ET matches in women’s collegiate soccer matches and compared performances during ET to those of RT. Methods: 25 female collegiate players (age = 18-22y) played 10 ET and 11 RT matches. Total and high-intensity distances, energy expended and HR were determined using GPS, accelerometry and HR monitoring. Players were categorized a full-time (FULL) or part-time (PART) players based on the minutes played during RT. Results: For both groups, physical performance measures showed only small changes over the course of the match and were generally maintained during both ET periods. During ET, performances of FULL players were similar to PART players. Also, performances of FULL during the RT portion of ET matches were similar to those during RT of competitive non-ET matches. Conclusions: These results suggest that female collegiate players maintain physical performance through RT and during an extra 20 min of ET. The ET periodscan increase total match workload by 20–25%. This increase should be considered when addressing short- and long-term periodization strategies.