[BostonCard]

There's a bit of a game theory being played.  The kicker can kick the PK so that it is essentially unstoppable by the goaltender, but the better the placement/pace of the kick (and thus the more unstoppable the ball), the higher the risk of a miss.  So within the parameter of the best kick you can make while maximizing the chance that the kick is on goal, then if the goaltender guesses correctly, it is probably stoppable.  But for that to be the case, the goalie has to make the commitment early, which makes them vulnerable to a weak kick that just goes to the other side.  But of course, at the far extreme of that, a weak kick (or a Panenka: origin here) can potentially be reacted to by the goalie if she doesn't guess.

The best bet is probably to kick it with as much pace and placement as the kicker feels they can reliably administer, and risk the keeper guessing correctly and being able to stop it (Meyer got a hand on one PK where she guessed right, but it was a solid kick that still got through).  From the keeper, yeah, you probably have to guess.

There are some interesting articles if you google "Game Theory Penalty Kicks"

BC

[BostonCard]

There's a bit of a game theory being played.  The kicker can kick the PK so that it is essentially unstoppable by the goaltender, but the better the placement/pace of the kick (and thus the more unstoppable the ball), the higher the risk of a miss.  So within the parameter of the best kick you can make while maximizing the chance that the kick is on goal, then if the goaltender guesses correctly, it is probably stoppable.  But for that to be the case, the goalie has to make the commitment early, which makes them vulnerable to a weak kick that just goes to the other side.  But of course, at the far extreme of that, a weak kick (or a Panenka: origin here) can potentially be reacted to by the goalie if she doesn't guess.

The best bet is probably to kick it with as much pace and placement as the kicker feels they can reliably administer, and risk the keeper guessing correctly and being able to stop it (Meyer got a hand on one PK where she guessed right, but it was a solid kick that still got through).  From the keeper, yeah, you probably have to guess.

There are some interesting articles if you google "Game Theory Penalty Kicks"

BC