{"id":221562,"date":"2017-02-27T14:15:24","date_gmt":"2017-02-27T19:15:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/?p=221562"},"modified":"2024-10-29T15:14:48","modified_gmt":"2024-10-29T19:14:48","slug":"womens-soccer-team-on-the-right-track-with-gps-sensors-221562","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/womens-soccer-team-on-the-right-track-with-gps-sensors-221562\/","title":{"rendered":"GPS sensors give women\u2019s soccer team analytic edge"},"content":{"rendered":"

Kim Stagg \u201917 endured a rigorous workout in the women\u2019s soccer <\/a><\/strong>season finale last November.<\/p>\n

The midfielder from Winter Springs, Florida ran 10.05 miles, burned 2,006 calories, and completed 63 sprints in a 2-2 tie with Emory University. She ran at an average speed of 3.2 miles per hour. And she left cleat marks over 90 percent of Fauver Stadium.<\/p>\n

\"soccer
Kim Stagg ’17 on the field during the Flower City Classic. (University photo \/ Athletics Communications)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cShe was everywhere,\u201d Yellowjackets coach Thomas (Sike) Dardaganis says.<\/p>\n

Dardaganis knows this because he has the heat map and data to prove it. His program was one of the first in the nation (and remains the only one at Rochester) to use Polar Team Pro, a GPS-based performance tracking system for team sports. Each player straps a sensor under her jersey, close to her heart. The sensor tracks movement, monitors heart rate, and acts as an accelerometer, tracking how many times an athlete runs at full speed.<\/p>\n

\"illustration<\/a><\/p>\n

Unlocking big data<\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

A Newscenter series on how Rochester is using data science to change how we research, how we learn, and how we understand our world.<\/h3>\n

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The information is logged in an iPad carried by a team manager during practices and games. Once the iPad is loaded onto a docking station, the sensors start charging, and the data for each player is uploaded for review.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom an analytic standpoint, it\u2019s fantastic,\u201d says Dardaganis, in his sixth year as head coach after serving 14 as a assistant coach for the team.<\/p>\n

Dardaganis didn\u2019t need data to realize Stagg was a force against Emory\u2014\u201cI could have known that just by watching,\u201d he says. But the analytics are the ultimate fact-checker.<\/p>\n

\u201cOften, players ask, \u2018How can I get more playing time?\u2019 It\u2019s valuable to use the data as a reference point, like noting, \u2018if you increase your sprints per game, you\u2019ll be more effective since our game is now more than ever about being explosive.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Rochester signed on with Polar two years ago, Polar sent a specialist to measure Fauver Stadium\u2019s dimensions and create a GPS map tailored to that field. The rewards were immediate.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had lost a few players to [knee] injuries, and our practices weren\u2019t matching our games in terms of intensity,\u201d Dardaganis says. \u201cMaybe we were being cautious. Polar looked at our data and said, \u2018Coach, we know you\u2019re worried about injuries, but one of the practice days was not matching the game-day exertion. If it doesn\u2019t, then the game is completely foreign to the athletes.\u2019 So I said, \u2018Great. We need one practice a week that matches the data we see on game day.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Each University women’s soccer player receives a GPS sensor with their corresponding jersey number. (University photo \/ Jim Mandelaro)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

During preseason drills, Dardaganis and his staff measure each player\u2019s resting and maximum heart rate. If a player exceeds the maximum during a game, it\u2019s time to give that player a rest.<\/p>\n

Stagg, a public health major, says using data from Polar \u201cmade me realize how much running I actually did in a game, and why I would be so tired after games.\u201d<\/p>\n

In-game fatigue can be dangerous.<\/p>\n

\u201cStudies show you\u2019re most susceptible to an injury when you\u2019re tired,\u201d Dardaganis says. \u201cOur team manager is tracking everything on the iPad during the game, and it shows then a player is fatigued because their space on the iPad turns red.\u201d<\/p>\n

The heart rate monitor and accelerometer consist of five zones, from resting to full speed. Playing it straight down the middle isn\u2019t always a good thing.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur first year with Polar, we noticed many of our players were in Zone 3,\u201d he says. \u201cWe thought, \u2018That\u2019s good. They\u2019re moving around.\u2019 But Polar said, \u2018Watch out for your midfielders who are spending so much time in Zone 3. They\u2019re just jogging.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s where the data proved so valuable, Dardaganis says.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re always in Zone 3, you\u2019re never going to lose your defender,\u201d Dardaganis says, \u201cbecause she can stay with you in a jog.\u201d<\/p>\n

When it comes to using data, no one can say Rochester\u2019s women\u2019s soccer team is being left behind.<\/p>\n

\u201cAthletes don\u2019t always communicate with coaches when they\u2019re sick or injured,\u201d Dardaganis says. \u201cHaving the data right there? Well, that\u2019s a great conversation starter.\u201d<\/p>\n