Some endings just don't do the story justice.
The No. 3 Penn State women's soccer team has twice been beaten on penalty kicks this year. The first time it happened was against Michigan in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament; the second time the Nittany Lions saw their season end at the hands of No. 1 Portland in the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament.
The ending just does not give the Lions a fair finale to their best season ever.
At one point, Penn State was ranked No. 1 in the nation. At one point, it won 19 straight games before finally dropping to Michigan.
What's even crazier is that losing on penalty kicks counts as a tie for a team's record. Penn State has the distinction of finishing the season undefeated but without a national title.
When asked her thoughts about ending the game on penalty kicks, Penn State women's soccer coach Paula Wilkins answered bluntly.
"What do you think my answer to that is?" she said. "Soccer hasn't found a better way to do it yet."
There has to be a better way to end a tied postseason game. Right now, if tied in regulation, games go to one 10-minute overtime period. If the score is still tied after that, another 10-minute period is used. If that doesn't produce a winner, five different players on each team take a penalty kick against the opposing goalkeeper. Whoever hits the most penalty kicks wins.
But that really isn't fair.
Many coaches even say ending a game on penalty kicks is absurd.
"It's a horrible way to end a game," North Carolina women's soccer coach Anson Dorrance said.
He has every right to say that. His team fell to Florida State on penalty kicks in the Elite Eight after thoroughly dominating the game. The Tar Heels had 31 shots to Florida State's seven. North Carolina had 10 corner kicks to the Seminoles' one.
"I don't think the true dominant team is represented. In fact, generally in my experience, the team that dominates the game normally loses on penalty kicks," Dorrance said. "There's no justice in a penalty kicks' result. It reflects nothing."
What a penalty kick result reflects doesn't even come close to the actual game played.
Soccer is a team game, played with 11 players. In a penalty kick situation, the shooters and the goalkeepers are the only players on the field. That's a disservice to everyone else that played.
But then reality strikes. Nobody has thought of a better way.
"I don't know that there is a fair way to end a tie in a championship game in soccer," Ohio State women's soccer coach Lori Walker said.
Overtime could be extended until one team scores, but that suggestion just presents more problems. In cases like the Final Four, other games follow the first. And the fact that an unlimited overtime would subject athletes to an incredible amount of playing time just favors penalty kicks even more.
"How long do you let the players run around and not have a deciding factor?" Walker said.
So what do you do? Is there a resolution that could be quick, fair and still maintain the integrity of the game?
Dorrance thinks he knows the answer.
Here's how Dorrance's scenario would work: if the game is tied after regulation, an overtime period would begin, but each team could only play nine players. Every five minutes, each team would have to remove one player until a team scored.
Essentially, a game could end with a one-on-one matchup of two prolific goal scorers. Penn State's Tiffany Weimer (32 goals) against Portland's Christine Sinclair (39) would definitely find its way to ESPN Classic.
"Think about the movies that could be made off spectacular finishes," Dorrance said. "My mind just goes bonkers with all the different options."
The idea may be slightly unrealistic, but it sure would make for a great finish. And even better, substitutions would be allowed so every player could still participate.
That would do a little bit more justice than penalty kicks, especially in cases like North Carolina and Penn State faced this year.
"It's not a great way to end your season or career," Wilkins said of the current system.
No, it certainly isn't.
