Razlike v golih, obrambah, izključitvah in kartonih med zmagovalci in poraženci glede na kategorijo in spol pri mladih rokometaših

The objectives of the present study were: (i) to compare handball game-related statistics by match result (winning and losing teams) based on category [Under 18 (U18) and Under 16 (U16) years old] and sex (males and females), and (ii) to determine whether there are differences in handball game-related statistics based on category (U18 and U16) and sex (males and females). One thousand eight hundred seventy-three matches were analysed, (1034 male, 839 female) from the categories (U18 and U16) played in the 2022/23 and 2023/24 Icelandic League for both sexes were analysed. The dependent variable in the study was the match outcome (winning/losing teams), while the independent variables were the game-related statistics (goals, saves, two-minute exclusions, yellow and red cards), with category (U18 and U16) and sex (male and female) used as grouping variables. Basic statistical descriptors (mean and standard deviation) were calculated for each game-related statistic by match outcome (winning and losing teams) and by category and sex. Since normality was not met for any of the analyzed variables, the nonparametric Mann-Whitney U test was applied. The number of goals and saves differentiated winning and losing teams, both for the overall sample and based on category and sex