Recreational turf received frequent vehicular and foot traffic resulting in soil compaction and wear. Goosegrass (Eleusine indica) is a major weed problem in heavily trafficked areas of bermudagrass sport fields and golf courses across a range of soils. It is not known if goosegrass infestation in trafficked areas is due to a reduction in the growth of bermudagrass caused by compaction, or wear, compared with goosegrass which grows well under traffic. Because compaction and wear occur concurrently in trafficked areas, procedures are needed to examine their separate effects. The objective of this study was to determinate if soil compaction differentially reduces bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon) growth, compared with goosegrass. Soil compaction was examined in a greenhouse study for its effects on turfgrass and goosegrass growth using a Margate series soil (siliceous, hyperthermic Mollic Psammaquent). Soil was compacted by dropping a 13.5 kg weight from a height of 42.0 cm onto the soil surface, before planting grasses. Pots were cylindrical 19.5 cm inside diameter by 22.6 height. Goosegrass seedlings and bermudagrass stolons were transplanted in separate pots representing four compaction treatments: none (0 drops, 0.90 gr/cm3 bulk density); low (3 drops, 1.17 gr/cm3); medium (10 drops, 1.26 gr/cm3); and high (42 drops, 1.35 gr/cm3). There were four replicates. Shoot and root growth were determinated as dry weight of washed samples harvested 43 days after transplanting. Bermudagrass shoot and root weight showed no significant effect of compaction treatment; however, goosegrass shoot and root dry weight decreased linearly (P<0.0001) with soil compaction level. The result was inconsistent with the hypothesis that compaction causes differential growth of goosegrass compared with bermudagrass in trafficked turf areas.