After receiving notice from the CIAC that the Staples varsity soccer team would be under probation for receiving 16 yellow cards in one season, Coach Dan Woog knew that changes needed to be made.

The probation stated that if the soccer team receives a total of 12 yellow cards or more, it will be disqualified from the state championship game and will be placed under probation for the next season as well.

According to Woog, many of these yellow cards came in last year’s FCIAC and CIAC tournament games. In addition, in that 23–game span, the team amassed a total of 16 yellow cards while the teams that they played had a combined total of 18 yellow cards and two red cards.

This year, the team has received one yellow card that Matteo Marzoli ’10 attained in the first game for unsportsmanlike conduct. As a result of attaining the first yellow card of the season, Marzoli was benched for the next two games.

“He has taken that lesson to heart, and is playing effective, sportsmanlike soccer now. He has not even come close to getting another card,” Woog said.

This year, the team has focused on reducing the number of these unnecessary penalties that the team constantly received last season.

“We told the team from last winter on that we would have to drastically cut down on unavoidable, stupid cards,” Woog said.

“We tried to not do stupid fouls, like not having good shin guards,” midfielder Steven Denowitz ’11 said.

According to Woog, many of the team’s “stupid cards” were from encroaching on a free kick, delaying of the game and questioning a referee’s call, all penalties that were easily fixed by the team.

“He [Woog] stresses the importance of not committing stupid fouls,” forward Greg Gudis ’11 said.

Woog stated the importance of not committing stupid fouls by bringing in the head referees in Connecticut. According to Woog, these referees spoke with the team on how to play smart and avoid yellow cards.

This probation, though relatively new in the rule book, signified the first time in the 51-year history of Staples soccer that the team has received this type of probation.

“Dan really drilled it into our heads [to play smarter],” Denowitz said.

The team altered its strategy as a means to address their one-year probation by CIAC. However, this change in game play did not mean a loss of aggressive play from the team.

“It’s not a question about playing less aggressively,” Woog said. “It’s about playing more intelligently.”

According to Gudis, however, he has continued to play aggressively as he considers himself a “nose–tackled player.”

“I haven’t really had a problem with yellow cards personally at Staples, but I’ve tried to refrain from talking negatively with the refs,” quad–captain Alan Reiter ’10 said.

Playing more intelligently, for Woog, means that the team would not avoid receiving all of the yellow cards from what he considered stupid cards.

“We said we would continue to play hard, tough soccer – and that we might get a card or two for that, as every team does – but we would NOT get stupid cards,” Woog said.

In addition, playing more intelligently resulted in the team setting up defensive walls, getting up quickly after fouls and not complaining about calls.

The team sees itself continuing this type of game play for the next season as it has played out effectively this year.

“I am sure that lesson [playing smart] will carry over to next year,” Woog said.

“I think in the beginning of the season we were a little more cautious about going hard into tackles but after a few games or so I think we moved on and realized that we have to keep playing as aggressive as always,” Reiter said. “Because of this I don’t think non–aggressiveness will be a problem in the future.”