Nearly fifty thousand student-athletes compete for an NCAA Men’s and Women’s soccer program at the Division I, II, or III level. Many of these programs have began adopting sports science, or the application of scientific principle and technique, to optimize sports performance. It is unclear who is tasked with carrying this responsibility out at the NCAA level and how. The purpose of this dissertation is to examine these responsibilities and demonstrate application of sports science to NCAA men’s and women’s soccer. The first study aims to evaluate the perceptions of sports science applications and the sports scientist role in NCAA soccer using an exploratory survey study design consisting of questions about demographics, program capabilities and practices of training load monitoring, training and practice planning, and training load monitoring feedback. Respondents (n = 187) consisted of sport coaches (n = 128), strength and conditioning coaches (n = 45) and sports scientists (n = 13). Traning load monitoring tools most commonly included questionnaires and session rating of perceived exertion (sRPE). The head coach was identified to most typically be responsible for training planning. To communicate training load information throughout a program, verbal, informal communication (62.6%) was the most commonly employed communication channel. Future resources and trainings about training load monitoring and management may be most beneficial if directed towards coaches provided their responsibilities in managing training loads at the NCAA level. Study two considered how training loads are managed within a program and is intended to identify the distribution of training loads throughout the in-season NCAA men’s and women’s soccer microcycle. Soccer field players from an NCAA Division I program wore GPS and accelerometer monitors throughout the Fall 2021 season for all training sessions and matches. Players were categorized into bench, substitute, and starter while days throughout each microcycle were classified according to the number of days before match day. Linear mixed effect models were used to examine the effects of player role and day of microcycle on external training loads. Match day elicited the greatest training loads during the microcycle. The day prior to the match (MD-1) elicited the lowest. Starters accumulated the greatest training loads for all measures except total sprint distance. Total playerload and medium- and high-intensity accelerations and decelerations were significantly greater amongst the men compared to the women. Provided that most training load is developed on match day by starters, presenting substitutes and bench players with supplemental training load could better prepare these players for starter match demands. The final study measured physical performance fatigue and its effects on soccer performance indicators. A Division I Women’s soccer program was evaluated using GPS to aquire physical performance measures while technical performance measures were aquired from a match analysis platform for all matches (n = 23) and halves. To evaluate reductions in team performance between halves, paired sample t-tests were used. Little indication of physical performance fatigue between halves was observed. Total distance and HIR distance were similar between halves. Greater player utilization was observed from the first- to second-half. Technical performance decrement was observed as the team allowed opponents more shots (mean diff: -1.87, p < 0.001), experienced a reduced possession percentage (mean diff: 4.20, p < 0.04), and reduced passing accuracy (mean diff: 2.95, p < 0.05). Together, these results demonstrate that physical performance fatigue was relatively limited from the first- to second-half despite curtailed technical performance which may reflect the increased use of substitutions within a match, reducing technical skill across the program while maintaining physical fitness.
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