Soccer stat rules: what counts as a goal, assist, shot, shot on target and save

If you keep the book for a youth team, the same questions come up every weekend. Was that a goal or an own goal? Does a deflected pass count as an assist? Was that shot on target? This guide splits the answers into two kinds:

1. Rules. These come from the Laws of the Game, which The IFAB publishes. The Laws decide whether a goal is scored and who wins.
2. Conventions. These are the habits stat-keepers use for assists, shots, shots on target and saves. The IFAB Laws of the Game do not define any of these stats. Leagues and stat-keepers set them. The NCAA rules book publishes a detailed version, and we quote it below as one example, not as a rule for youth games.

What counts as a goal (Law 10)

A goal counts when the whole ball crosses the goal line between the posts and under the bar. The scoring team also can't have committed an offence.

The Laws of the Game 2026/27 (in effect from 1 July 2026) define a goal in Law 10.1:

"A goal is scored when the whole of the ball passes over the goal line, between the goalposts and under the crossbar, provided that no offence has been committed by the team scoring the goal."

What that means on the sideline:

• The whole ball has to cross the line. A ball sitting on the line, or partly over it, is not a goal yet.
• No offence by the scoring team. If the referee stops play for a foul, offside or handball by the attacking team, the goal doesn't count.
• The referee decides. Your scoresheet should follow the referee's call, even if the sideline saw it differently. Law 5.2 says: "The decisions of the referee regarding facts connected with play, including whether or not a goal is scored and the result of the match, are final."

Goals that don't count straight from certain restarts

Some restarts can go straight into the goal and count. Others can't. "Directly" means no other player touches the ball first.

• Goalkeeper's throw: "If the goalkeeper throws the ball directly into the opponents' goal, a goal kick is awarded." (Law 10.1)
• Indirect free kick: "if an indirect free kick is kicked directly into the opponents' goal, a goal kick is awarded" (Law 13.1)
• Throw-in: "A goal cannot be scored directly from a throw-in" (Law 15)
• Penalty kick: "A goal may be scored directly from a penalty kick." (Law 14)
• Goal kick and corner kick: a goal may be scored directly, "but only against the opposing team" (Laws 16 and 17)
• Hand or arm: a player is penalised if they score "directly from their hand/arm, even if accidental, including by the goalkeeper" (Law 12.1)

Own goals vs. credited goals

An own goal still counts for the other team on the scoreboard. Which player gets credit is a stat choice, not a rule. The Laws only ask whether a goal was scored and which team gets it. They don't say which player gets credit, and they don't define an "own goal."

One published convention (NCAA Rule 10.4.2) is that a goal a defender puts into their own net is not credited to any attacker:

"When a defender plays the ball into their team's goal, the goal is not credited to an individual opponent, but is recorded as an 'own goal.'" (NCAA 2026 and 2027 Soccer Rules, Rule 10.4.2)

Deflections are different. If your player's shot is deflected in by a defender, or fumbled in by the goalkeeper, the NCAA gives your player the goal "provided the momentum of the shot carried the ball into the goal" (Rule 10.4.3).

How this plays out in a youth game: your team gets the goal on the scoreboard either way. Whether a player gets it on their stat line depends on your league's or club's convention. The NCAA uses the "momentum of the shot" test above.

What counts as an assist in youth soccer (a convention, not a Law)

An assist is credit for the pass that sets up a goal. The Laws don't define it. The NCAA rules book publishes one convention:

• "An assist is awarded for a pass leading directly to a goal. Not more than two assists may be credited on any one scoring play." (Rule 10.5.1)
• "No assist is awarded when a player gains control from the defensive team and scores." (Rule 10.5.3)
• "No assist is awarded on a penalty-kick goal." (Rule 10.5.4)
• "A corner kick, throw-in or free kick leading to a goal each counts as a pass in awarding assists." (Rule 10.5.5)
• A rebound off the post or crossbar that a teammate scores before a defender touches it earns the shooter an assist (Rule 10.5.7).

Whatever approach you use, pick one, tell your stat-keepers, and stick to it all season.

What is a shot in soccer (a convention)

A shot is a try at scoring, aimed at the goal. The Laws don't define it either. The NCAA rules book gives a practical test:

"A shot is an attempt that is taken with the intent of scoring and is directed toward the goal." (Rule 10.3.1)

It lists five ways a shot can end: a goal, a save, blocked by another player, over the crossbar, or wide of the posts. It also says a cross ("a long kick from a wide position into the penalty area in front of the goal") is meant to set up a chance, so a cross is not a shot (Rule 10.3.2).

What is a shot on target in soccer (a convention)

The Laws don't define "shot on target," and the NCAA rules book doesn't use those words either. None of our sources defines it. If your team counts it, here is one working definition (ours, not from a rulebook):

• A shot on target is one that would have gone in if nobody had stopped it. That means it either goes in (a goal) or the goalkeeper saves it.
• Under that definition, shots that hit the post or crossbar and stay out, or go wide or high, are off target.
• Decide how to count shots blocked by a defender who isn't the goalkeeper. The NCAA rules book lists a block by another player as one of the ways a shot can end.

Write your choice down and keep it the same all season.

What counts as a save (a convention)

A save is when the goalkeeper stops a shot that was going in. The Laws don't define it. The NCAA rules book gives a clear convention:

"A save occurs when the goalkeeper stops a shot that otherwise would have gone into the goal. This includes catching, kicking, batting, parrying, or otherwise blocking the ball from going in. A goalkeeper who intercepts a cross is not credited with a save." (Rule 10.3.3)

In short: no shot on target, no save. Catching a cross, or a shot that was going wide, is good goalkeeping. Under this convention it isn't a save.

College (NCAA) differences worth knowing

College soccer in the US plays under its own NCAA rules book, not the IFAB Laws directly. A few NCAA scoring rules differ from the Laws:

• Stats are written into the NCAA rules. Rule 10 gives point values "for statistical purposes": "two points for a goal and one point for an assist" (Rule 10.2). The IFAB Laws have nothing like this.
• The goal wording is different. NCAA Rule 10.1.1 says a goal is scored "provided it has not been intentionally thrown, carried or propelled by hand or arm by a player of the attacking side, except as otherwise provided by these rules."
• Regular-season ties. "During the regular season, if no goals or an equal number of goals are scored, the game shall be considered a tie." (Rule 10.7.2)
• Shootouts and goalkeeper stats. When a penalty-kick tiebreaker decides a tied game, "each goalkeeper will be charged only with goals allowed before the penalty-kick procedure" (Rule 10.6.1).

MLS and NWSL

Both pro leagues point to the IFAB Laws, and both add their own competition rules.

MLS says outright that it plays under the IFAB Laws. Its competition guidelines open with: "Major League Soccer (MLS) adheres to the International Football Association Board's (IFAB) Laws of the Game." (MLS Competition Guidelines, 2026 season). One note: that page links to the 2025-26 edition of the Laws, not the current 2026/27 edition.

NWSL doesn't say this in one sentence, but its 2026 Competition Rules & Regulations (June 24 update) point to the IFAB in specific places. "Time will be kept per the International Football Association Board Laws of the Game," and the league implements the IFAB "additional permanent concussion substitutions protocol." Both leagues use referees from the Professional Referee Organization (PRO). PRO's Laws of the Game page says the Laws "are authorized on an annual basis by the International Football Association Board (IFAB)."

Neither league publishes its own definitions of assists, shots, shots on target or saves in the documents we read. Here are the few published items that matter to a stat-keeper:

• Minute of a goal. Both leagues use the same convention: "For statistical purposes, the minutes for goals, substitutions, yellow cards, etc., will be listed from the first minute until the 90th minute. A goal scored at 15 minutes 10 seconds will be listed as having been scored in the 16th minute." Stoppage-time events are written with a "+", e.g. "45'+3'" (MLS) or "45+3" (NWSL).
• Standings points. Both award "three points for a win, one point for a tie" and zero for a loss. This is a competition rule. The IFAB Laws only say who wins or draws (Law 10.2).
• Tied playoff games. In MLS, Wild Card and Round One games tied after 90 minutes go straight to a shootout ("no extra time will be played"). Later rounds play "two 15-minute extra time periods" and then a shootout if needed. In the NWSL, a tied playoff game plays "two 15-minute extra time periods will be played in their entirety, followed by a penalty shoot-out, if necessary."

FAQ

Does an own goal count for the player who was attacking?

The goal counts for the team. Under one published convention, the NCAA rules book's, no attacker is credited: it records it as an "own goal" and does not credit it "to an individual opponent" (Rule 10.4.2). The IFAB Laws don't address player credit at all.

What counts as an assist in youth soccer?

We found no official youth-soccer rule that defines an assist. The IFAB Laws don't define one. One published convention is the NCAA's: an assist is "a pass leading directly to a goal," with no assist on penalty-kick goals or when the scorer won the ball from the defending team.

What is a shot on target in soccer?

Neither the Laws of the Game nor the NCAA rules book defines it. One working definition is a shot that would have gone in if not stopped: either a goal or a goalkeeper save. Under that definition, shots that hit the woodwork and stay out, or go wide or high, are off target. Pick a definition and keep it all season.

Is it a goal if the ball is on the line?

No. Under Law 10.1 of the Laws of the Game 2026/27, a goal is scored only when "the whole of the ball passes over the goal line, between the goalposts and under the crossbar," and only if the scoring team committed no offence.

Who has the final say on whether a goal counts?

The referee. Law 5.2 of the Laws of the Game 2026/27 says the referee's decisions "regarding facts connected with play, including whether or not a goal is scored and the result of the match, are final."

Do MLS and NWSL use the same rules as youth soccer?

MLS says it "adheres to the International Football Association Board's (IFAB) Laws of the Game," the same set of Laws published for the game at every level. NWSL's 2026 rules reference the IFAB Laws for timekeeping and IFAB protocols. Both leagues add their own competition rules, such as standings points and playoff formats.

Sources

PlayHub OS lets one person on the sideline tap goals, assists, shots, shots on target and saves by shirt number, and families who follow the team see them live.