I agree with you. But I think baseball has the same issue. The only difference is that it uses 4 umps instead of 1 referee. Having only 1 referee covering an area (Soccer=69,300 to 86,400 square feet) that's more than 2/3rds the size of an MLB baseball diamond (Wrigley = 108,000 sq. ft), and where the location of the action can occur on opposite ends of the field...well...it seems to be asking a smidge much. NHL refs have their faults, as does the NFL, but both seem to have a greater attempt to "get it right"...especially when it comes to scoring.