Section 7: Violations & Penalties
Cautions and Sending-Offs (IFAB Law 12)
- Yellow card cautionable offenses: unsporting behavior, dissent, persistent infringement, delaying restart, failure to respect required distance, entering/leaving without permission
- Two yellow cards in same match = automatic red card (sent off)
- Direct red card offenses: serious foul play, violent conduct, spitting, denying obvious goal-scoring opportunity (DOGSO), offensive language
- Sent-off player cannot be replaced; team plays short for remainder of match
Violent Behavior II Review (New for 2026-27)
Per the 2026 and 2027 NCAA Soccer Rules Book rule changes, the determination of whether an ejection meets the criteria for Violent Behavior II, Fighting, or Referee Assault is no longer made by the on-field referee in the moment. The referee's role is now limited to issuing the red card and filing an incident report; a post-game review by NCAA Soccer Officiating staff examines that report together with video evidence to classify the ejection and assign the applicable suspension.
Yellow-Card Accumulation Charged to Head Coach (New for 2026-27)
Per the 2026 and 2027 NCAA Soccer Rules Book rule changes, all yellow cards issued to a team's coaching staff (bench personnel) are now charged to the head coach for accumulation purposes, rather than tracked individually per staff member.
NCAA Suspension Framework
- Player ejected (red card) is suspended for the team's next regularly-scheduled match (one-game minimum)
- Two ejections in a season: extended suspension review
- Yellow-card accumulation: typically tracked across the season; conferences set thresholds for accumulation suspensions
- NCAA Sportsmanship Committee reviews egregious incidents independently of on-field discipline
Penalties Awarded
Direct free kicks, indirect free kicks, and penalty kicks per IFAB Law 12-14. Penalty kick from 12 yd / 11 m mark; goalkeeper must be on the goal line at the moment of release.