(2) INCREASED COMPETITION WORKLOADS WHEN GAMES ARE PLAYED WITH FOUR OR MORE COMPARED TO THREE DAYS OF REST IN NCAA DIVISION 1 FEMALE SOCCER PLAYERS

Recovery is an important component to any well-designed training program; however, competition schedules are rigid and do not allow for additional rest should an athlete need it.

Purpose: Examine the influence of different rest periods between competitions on various workload metrics in collegiate female soccer players.

Methods: Global positioning system (GPS) data obtained by the coaching staff of a Midwestern NCAA Division I women’s soccer program was retrospectively examined. Players wore the GPS integrated with heart rate (HR) analysis during all games through the 2023 season. Data from all 18 regular season matches were separated into games played with three (3DAY; n=8) or four or more (4+DAY; n=10) days of rest, then separated into first and second half. During each game, data was collected continuously on all players regardless of whether they were playing at that time, though only data from players who averaged more than 20 minutes of playing time over the course of the season was included. Data consisted of total number of sprints, sprinting distance, percent of time spent running above (HSR) and below (LSR) 15 km·hr^-1, percent of time spent above (HR-HIGH) and below (HR-LOW) 80% HR reserve, total distance and training load (TL). All variables were made relative to the total playing time for each individual player, which exaggerated time proportions in HR-HIGH and HR-LOW due to continuous data collection. Data were analyzed using a 2x2 (rest x half) repeated measures Analysis of Variance with least significant difference pairwise comparisons (α ≤ 0.05).

Results: No rest x half interactions were observed for any variables, however, main effects for rest were observed for the number of sprints (F= 10.69; p = 0.007) and HSR (F= 21.49; p = 0.001), while a non-significant main effect was shown for TL (F= 3.33; p = 0.093). Pairwise comparisons indicate all variables were greater following 4+DAY relative to 3DAY (Table 1). Main effects for half were observed for the number of sprints (F= 6.68; p = 0.024), LSR (F= 6.92; p = 0.022), HSR (F= 7.33; p = 0.019), HR-LOW (F= 40.46; p < 0.001), HR-HIGH (F= 5.83; p = 0.033) and total distance (F= 9.00; p = 0.011). The number of sprints, LSR, HSR, HR-HIGH, and total distance were reduced in the second half, while HR-LOW was increased (Table 1).

Conclusion: Data indicate players increase high intensity external workloads with at least one more day of rest and may also be capable of greater training loads with more rest. Moreover, external workloads decrease over the course of a game, with increased time spent in lower intensity HR zones. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Practitioners should continue to identify and recommend strategies that may aid in the recovery between games, while also seeking strategies that may be used to combat the decline in performance over the course of a game.

Acknowledgements:

We would like to thank the Players and Coaches from the Soccer Program for their support with this project.