University of North Carolina Athletics
Heels, Wolfpack To Vie In ACC Women's Soccer Tournament Thursday
November 1, 2000 | Women's Soccer
Nov. 1, 2000
2000 Atlantic Coast Conference Women's Soccer Tournament Quarterfinal Round
#3 Seed North Carolina vs. #6 Seed NC State
Thursday, November 2, 2000, 1 p.m., Koskinen Stadium, Durham, N.C.
THE BASIC FACTS: The third-seeded University of North Carolina women's soccer team will begin its quest for its 12th successive Atlantic Coast Conference championship Thursday when the Tar Heels meet arch-rival NC State, the tournament's #6 seed, in the quarterfinals at 1 p.m. The tournament is being played this year at Koskinen Stadium on the Duke University campus in Durham, N.C. UNC finished the conference season with a 4-3 record and was in a four-way tie for second place with Wake Forest, Virginia and Duke. The Tar Heels earned the #3 seed in the tiebreaking procedure. NC State finished the conference season 2-3-2 and is the tournament's #6 seed.
The #3 seed is the lowest the Tar Heels have ever been seeded in the 13-year history of the tournament. In fact, this is only the third time in the 13-year history of the tournament that the Tar Heels have not been the #1 seed. UNC was the #2 seed in both the 1988 and the 1994 tournaments. In 1988, Carolina and top-seeded NC State played to a 1-1 tie in the championship match and the Wolfpack went on to win the title on penalty kicks. In 1994, the Tar Heels defeated top-seeded Duke 4-2 in the championship game. Carolina was the #1 seed in the other 10 tournaments held so far (1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998 and 1999) and in each of those 10 seasons Carolina won the ACC championship.
The other quarterfinal games on Thursday will find #2 seed Wake Forest playing #7 seed Florida State at 3 p.m., #4 seed Virginia tussling with #5 seed Duke at 6 p.m. and #1 seed Clemson meeting #8 seed Maryland at 8 p.m.
Friday's semifinal round will have the UNC/NCSU winner meeting the WFU/FSU winner at 6 p.m. and the Duke/UVA winner playing the Clemson/Maryland winner at 8 p.m.
The tournament championship game will be played on Sunday, October 5 at 1 p.m. That game will be televised by Home Team Sports, Fox Sports South and the Sunshine Network.
WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT CAROLINA WOMEN'S SOCCER?: If these game notes don't include everything you want to know about University of North Carolina women's soccer, check out these other options for the information you desire.
Peruse the Official University of North Carolina Athletic Department Home Page on the World Wide Web. You can access it by going to the following URL on the Internet: http://tarheelblue.com.
THE TAR HEELS IN THIS WEEK'S NATIONAL POLLS: The Tar Heels are ranked sixth this week by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)/adidas, seventh by the American Soccer Writers (ASW), seventh by Soccer Times, 10th by Soccer Buzz and 12th by Soccer America.
IN A NUTSHELL, THE UNC LEDGER SINCE 1979...:
Overall Record: 479-22-11 (.946)
ACC Regular-Season Record: 68-4-1 (.938)
ACC Tournament Record: 29-0-1 (.983)
AIAW Tournament Record: 5-2-0 (.714)
NCAA Tournament Record: 61-3-0 (.953)
11 ACC Tournament Championships
11 ACC Regular-Season Championships
15 NCAA Tournament Championships
1 AIAW Tournament Championship
18 NCAA Tournament Appearances
2 AIAW Tournament Appearances
20 Successive National Tournament
Semifinal Appearances
Goals Scored in Program History: 2,265
Goals Allowed in Program History: 228
All-Time Record in Chapel Hill: 204-7-2 (.962)
All-Time Record Outside from Chapel Hill (Neutral Sites and Road Games): 275-15-9 (.935)
CAROLINA IN THE REGIONAL RANKINGS: The Tar Heels are ranked second this week in the Southeast Region by Soccer Buzz and by the NSCAA/adidas.
UNC WOMEN'S SOCCER IN THE ACC TOURNAMENT: North Carolina has won 28 successive Atlantic Coast Conference Women's Soccer Tournament games heading into Thursday's quarterfinal game against NC State. UNC is 29-0-1 all-time in ACC Tournament games and have won 28 in a row since tying the Wolfpack 1-1 in the 1988 tournament championship game on October 30, 1988 in Raleigh. The two teams were tied 1-1 after two overtime periods and then the Wolfpack won the ACC championship on penalty kicks.
Overall, Carolina has won 12 ACC women's soccer championships and 11 ACC Tournament titles. Carolina won the ACC championship in 1987 when the title was decided in the ACC Championship Weekend at Raleigh. In that round-robin tournament Carolina went 3-0 and was declared the ACC champion.
The actual ACC Tournament began a year later and NC State won the initial title in 1988. Carolina has won the past 11 championships in a row beginning in 1989.
THE ACC LOSSES: Obviously this was a record setting year for the Tar Heels in some unwanted ways. UNC's 4-3 ACC record was obviously its worst from a percentage basis. Prior to this season Carolina had lost only one regular season ACC game and also had tied one game. The loss was to Duke in 1994 and the tie was with NC State in 1988.
THE OVERALL LOSSES: Getting all this negative stuff out of the way early in this week's release, Carolina enters ACC Tournament play with a 13-3 record. That is the most losses for a Carolina women's soccer team since the 1980 team lost five games while finishing 21-5 overall. That team played in the first ever Association for Intercollegiate Athletic for Women (AIAW) National Tournament, finishing in fourth place. That tournament was held at Colorado Springs, Colo.
FINALLY, THE BACK TO BACK LOSSES: When UNC lost back-to-back games last month to Florida State and Wake Forest, it marked the first time UNC had lost in successive games since 1982. During that year the Tar Heels lost on October 16 to Missouri-St. Louis 2-1 and then they fell to Cortland State 2-1 the following day as well. Both games were played at the UCF Invitational in Orlando, Fla.
Later that same year Carolina returned to the same stadium in Orlando, Fla. for the first ever NCAA Tournament final four in women's soccer, beating Missouri-St. Louis and UCF to win the title.
BUSH LOST FOR THE SEASON: The Tar Heels received a crushing blow when sophomore forward Susan Bush, the team's third-leading scorer, tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee during practice on Wednesday, October 25, 2000.
ush, a member of the U.S National Team and the Offensive Most Valuable Player of the 1999 NCAA Final Four, will undergo surgery on her right knee on Thursday, November 2. She will be facing a six-month rehabilitation process but should return for UNC's 2001 season when she will be a junior.
UNC'S FLORANCE RANKS SECOND NATIONALLY IN POINTS PER GAME, SECOND IN GOALS PER GAME: North Carolina senior forward Meredith Florance of Dallas, Texas is currently ranked second nationally in points per game and second in the nation in goals per game.
Florance has scored 19 goals and passed for five assists in totaling 43 points in 16 games this season, an average of 2.69 points per contest.
She has scored 19 goals in 16 games, an average of 1.19 goals per outing.
FOUR TAR HEELS AMONGST TOP 20 NATIONALLY IN ASSISTS PER GAME: Four UNC players rank among the nation's Top 20 players in assists per game this week.
Junior midfielder Jena Kluegel of Mahtomedi, Minn., ranks in the #2 spot. She has produced 16 assists in 16 games, an average of 1.00 assists per game.
Freshman striker Alyssa Ramsey of Cornelius, N.C., currently is tied for 10th in the national standings in assists per game. Ramsey has 11 assists in 15 games, an average of 0.73 per contest.
Junior midfielder Anne Remy (Norman, Okla.) and senior defender Kalli Kamholz (Indian Harbor Beach, Fla.) are both tied for 20th nationally in assists per game. Both have 10 assists in 16 games, an average of 0.63 assists per contest.
DEPLATCHETT RANKED SEVENTH AMONG NATION'S GOALKEEPERS: Junior goalkeeper Kristin DePlatchett of Harborcreek, Pa. ranks seventh this week nationally in goals against average. DePlatchett has a GAA of 0.49. She has allowed only five goals this year in 926 minutes of play while appearing in 15 Tar Heel games.
CAROLINA RANKED FIRST IN THE NATION IN OFFENSE: Carolina's offense has been very dynamic so far this season. In fact, the Tar Heels are currently ranked #1 in the NCAA Division I statistics in scoring offense. UNC is scoring 4.44 goals per game. Nebraska ranks second in scoring offense at 4.16 goals per game.
THE WINNING PERCENTAGE: The Tar Heels are tied with Portland for the 16th best winning percentage in Division I at .813.
MORE INDIVIDUAL KUDOS: Meredith Florance's four goals against South Carolina on September 8 equal the second most scored by any player in a single game so far this season. Florance also had nine points in that game, equaling the sixth best total in a game this season.
Jena Kluegel and Anne Remy both are tied for the fourth highest assist total in a game this season. Kluegel had four assists against Tennessee on September 3 and Remy had four assists in UNC's win over South Carolina on September 8.
CAROLINA INDIVIDUAL IN THE ACC STATS: Several Carolina players head ACC individual statistical categories this week. Following are a list of the category, player, rank in the league and totals.
Total Points Rank Points
Meredith Florance 1st 43
Alyssa Ramsey 3rd 31
Susan Bush 6th 22
Kim Patrick 7th 21
Jena Kluegel Tied 8th 20
Goals Rank Goals
Meredith Florance 1st 19
Alyssa Ramsey 4th 10
Susan Bush 5th 9
Kim Patrick Tied 8th 8
Assists Rank Assists
Jena Kluegel 1st 16
Alyssa Ramsey 2nd 11
Kalli Kamholz Tied 3rd 10
Anne Remy Tied 3rd 10
Maggie Tomecka 7th 7
Meredith Florance Tied 9th 5
Kim Patrick Tied 9th 5
Catherine Reddick Tied 9th 5
Scoring Average Rank Avg.
Meredith Florance 1st 2.69
Alyssa Ramsey 3rd 2.07
Susan Bush 4th 1.83
Kim Patrick 7th 1.31
Jena Kluegel Tied 8th 1.25
Goals Per Game Rank Avg.
Meredith Florance 1st 1.19
Alyssa Ramsey 2nd 0.83
Susan Bush 3rd 0.75
Kim Patrick Tied 7th 0.50
Assists Per Game Rank Avg.
Jena Kluegel 1st 1.00
Alyssa Ramsey 2nd 0.73
Anne Remy Tied 3rd 0.63
Kalli Kahmolz Tied 3rd 0.63
Maggie Tomecka 7th 0.44
Goals Against Average Rank GAA
Kristin DePlatchett 1st 0.49
Save Percentage Rank Pct.
Kristin DePlatchett 2nd .843
Saves Rank Avg.
Kristin DePlatchett 8th 1.8
TAR HEELS IN THE ACC TEAM STATS: North Carolina leads the ACC in scoring offense at 4.44 goals per game. The Tar Heels are third in the league in scoring defense at 0.80 goals allowed per game and third in shutouts per game at 0.44.
ACC INDIVIDUAL SUPERLATIVES: The Tar Heels' nine goals against Texas on August 25 and against South Carolina on September 8 equal the best totals in the ACC this year. The Heels also have the top two team assist totals with 15 versus USC and 12 versus the Longhorns. The 15 assists against South Carolina established a new school record for assists in a game.
Meredith Florance has the top individual point total with nine versus USC and she shares the top goal total with four versus the Gamecocks. Jena Kluegel and Anne Remy both have four assists in a game this year, the top ACC individual game total, with Kluegel getting her four against Tennessee and Remy four against South Carolina.
CAROLINA PLAYS 300TH NON-HOME GAME IN SCHOOL HISTORY THURSDAY: Thursday's game against NC State will mark the 300th game in UNC history that the Tar Heels have played on either the opponents' home field or on a neutral field. In the 299 previous games Carolina has a 275-15-9 record, a winning percentage of .935.
DORRANCE COACHED 500TH GAME AS HEAD COACH EARLIER THIS SEASON: North Carolina's game with Tennessee on September 3, 2000 marked the 500th game in the UNC women's soccer program's history, all under the tutelage of head coach Anson Dorrance.
Now in its 22nd year as a varsity team, UNC heads into this weekend with an all-time record of 479 victories, 22 losses and 11 ties.
CAROLINA GARNERS 200TH FETZER FIELD WIN AGAINST TENNESSEE: The Tar Heels had a chance to win their 200th game in Fetzer Field history September 3, 2000 against Tennessee and they accomplished that very feat.
As the Tar Heels have swept home games this year against Virginia, Tennessee, South Carolina, Oregon, Duke and Maryland, the all-time home record for North Carolina improved to 204-7-2.
During its 22-year history, Carolina has played far more games on the road than at home. At the conclusion of play last Sunday, UNC had played 512 games all-time, 213 at home and 299 on the road.
CAROLINA WOMEN'S SOCCER GAMES BROADCAST OVER THE INTERNET AT TARHEELBLUE.COM THIS YEAR: Tar Heel Sports Marketing is offering broadcasts of University of North Carolina women's soccer this fall for the first time. Games are broadcast on the internet at tarheelblue.com. Please log on to tarheelblue.com approximately 10 minutes before each game to catch the pre-game show.
Following is the list of all the games to be broadcast during the 2000 season:
Date Opponent Broadcast Time
Sept. 1 Virginia 6:50 p.m.
Sept. 3 Tennessee 12:50 p.m.
Sept. 8 South Carolina 6:50 p.m.
Sept. 10 Oregon 12:50 p.m.
Sept. 22 William & Mary 4:50 p.m.
Sept. 24 TCU 12:50 p.m.
Sept. 29 Duke 6:50 p.m.
Oct. 29 Maryland 12:50 p.m.
Nov. 2 NC State 12:50 p.m.
Nov. 5 ACC Championship (TBA) 12:50 p.m.
Nov. 8 NCAA 1st Rd. (TBA) TBA
Nov. 12 NCAA 2nd Rd. (TBA) 12:50 p.m.
Nov. 18 NCAA 3rd Rd. (TBA) TBA
Nov. 24 NCAA Quarterfinals (TBA) TBA
This schedule is subject to change.
"We're extremely excited to be broadcasting the premier soccer program in the country and one of the most exciting things about this endeavor is the fact that fans of Carolina soccer will be able to listen to the games nationwide via the internet." Gary Sobba, general manager of Tar Heel Sports Marketing. "Working with a coach like Anson Dorrance and a program like UNC women's soccer is a thrill for Tar Heel Sports Marketing and we look forward to a very positive association."
Stephen Gates, a 1998 UNC journalism graduate from Greensboro, N.C., will be the play-by-play announcer. Gates also serves as the football sideline reporter for the Tar Heel Sports Network after doing the scoreboard show for football and men's basketball on the Network last year. Gates has served as the voice of UNC baseball on the THSN since 1997 and of women's basketball since 1997-98.
Color analysis will be provided by Jones Angell, a UNC senior. Angell served as a baseball broadcaster with the THSN last spring. He is a Jacksonville, N.C. native.
RAMSEY ON FIRE: Alyssa Ramsey's first six games as a Tar Heel were nothing short of phenomenal. Compare Ramsey's statistics in the first six games of her career with those of some former UNC stars.
Goals and Assists in first six games at UNC.
Alyssa Ramsey-7 goals, 6 assists, 20 pts.
April Heinrichs-7 goals, 1 assist, 15 pts.
Kristine Lilly-7 goals, 1 assist, 15 pts.
Mia Hamm-6 goals, 0 assists, 12 pts.
Cindy Parlow-4 goals, 4 assists, 12 pts.
2000 TAR HEEL CO-CAPTAINS: A trio of seniors were elected as tri-captains of the 2000 University of North Carolina women's soccer team. Carolina's tri-captains this year are senior defender Julia Marslender of Raleigh, N.C., senior forward Meredith Florance of Dallas, Texas, and senior midfielder Laurie Schwoy of Baltimore, Md.
FLORANCE NAMED ACC PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Meredith Florance, a senior forward for the North Carolina Tar Heels, earned the second ACC Player of the Week honor of the 2000 season on September 11. A native of Dallas, Texas, Florance scored an ACC single-game-high four goals and tallied one assist in a 9-1 win over South Carolina on Friday, Sept. 8. Against Oregon on Sunday, Sept. 10, Florance scored one goal in a 6-0 shutout. Florance started in each of the Tar Heels' first six games, scoring a league-high nine goals and adding five assists. At that point of the year, Florance had a career total of 113 points, tying her for 13th place among North Carolina career leaders.
RAMSEY COPS ACC PLAYER OF THE WEEK MENTION: North Carolina freshman forward Alyssa Ramsey earned the first ACC Player of the Week honor September 4 after two stellar performances in games the previous weekend. Ramsey scored one goal and passed for three assists against No. 16 Virginia on Friday, Sept. 1 to help lead the top-ranked Tar Heels to their first conference win of the season. Ramsey also scored a pair of goals in a 6-1 win over Tennessee on Sunday, Sept. 3.
MCDONALD NAMED ACC CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK: North Carolina senior midfielder Raven McDonald was named ACC Co-Player of the Week September 25 with Clemson's Lindsay Browne. Both players tallied five points in two games last week for their respective teams.
McDonald, a midfielder from Benson, N.C., had one assist in a 4-0 shutout over William & Mary on Friday, Sept. 22 in the Tar Heels' first game of the Duke adidas Classic. Against TCU on Sunday, Sept. 24, McDonald scored two goals in a 6-0 shutout, helping the Tar Heels win the tournament title. McDonald has started all 11 games for the Tar Heels, contributing nine points this season.
BUSH NAMED ACC PLAYER OF THE WEEK: North Carolina sophomore firward Susan Bush earned ACC Player of the Week honors after a near-perfect game against ACC-rival Duke on Friday, Sept. 29.
ush, a native of Houston, Texas, was a factor in five of the Tar Heels' six goals as No. 4 North Carolina rolled past No. 11 Duke, 6-1. Bush scored three goals--including the game-winner--for the first hat trick of her career. The sophomore from the Lone Star State managed her three goals while taking only four shots in the game. She also added two assists in the game to help Carolina improve to 11-1-0 for the season and 2-1-0 in league play.
At the time, Bush had played in 10 games for the Tar Heels this season, scoring nine goals and making four assists for 22 total points. She also scored four game-winning goals during the season in games against Texas, Tennessee, William & Mary and Duke.
BALL RED-SHIRTING DURING 2000: North Carolina has decided to red-shirt sophomore forward Elizabeth Ball during the 2000 season. Ball is the only player on this year's team taking a predetermined red-shirt season. With the plethora of options Carolina has at the attacking positions, it was felt it was in the best interest of both Ball and the program to let her sit and retain an extra year of eligibility. She continues to practice with the team.
JENA KLUEGEL NAMED TO SOCCER AMERICA TEAM OF THE WEEK AUGUST 29:
M Jena Kluegel (North Carolina) (1)
71st-minute gamewinner against Texas A&M
* In parentheses are the number of selections to the Team of the Week.
ALYSSA RAMSEY NAMED TO SOCCER AMERICA TEAM OF THE WEEK SEPTEMBER 5:
F Alyssa Ramsey (North Carolina) (1)
Goal, 3 assists in UVa rout, 2 goals vs. Tennessee
* In parentheses are the number of selections to the Team of the Week during the 2000 season.
RAVEN McDONALD NAMED TO SOCCER AMERICA TEAM OF THE WEEK SEPTEMBER 19:
M Raven McDonald (North Carolina) (1)
37th-minute header beats Penn State
* In parentheses are the number of selections to the Team of the Week.
SUSAN BUSH NAMED TO SOCCER AMERICA TEAM OF THE WEEK SEPTEMBER 19:
F Susan Bush (North Carolina) (1)
Hat trick and 2 assists in 6-1 Duke rout
* In parentheses are the number of selections to the Team of the Week.
THREE TAR HEELS EARN PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA HONORS FROM SOCCER BUZZ: Soccer Buzz has announced its Elite 12 who make up its Preseason All-America team. This preseason honor is limited to the Top 12 players heading into the Fall 2000 season.
Preseason #1 North Carolina heads the list with three players making the team. Returning All-Americas Danielle Borgman and Laurie Schwoy are joined by sophomore Susan Bush, expected to be much improved after an injury plagued freshman campaign.
Santa Clara grabbed two spots with recently named Olympic Team Member, Danielle Slaton, being joined by Broncos teammate Aly Wagner. 1999 National Freshman of the Year, Christie Welsh of Penn State, earned a spot on the team and was joined at the forward slots by Florida junior Abby Wambach and scoring sensation Katy Robertson of George Mason.
orgman and Slaton were joined by BYU's Staci Reynolds in the back while Dartmouth senior Kristin Luckenbill inked the goalkeeping position.
Stacey Tullock of Arizona State filled a midfield slot and Notre Dame's Anne Makinen rounded out the team. Makinen was named the 2000 Soccer Buzz Preseason Player of the Year after scoring 13 goals and 12 assists in 1999 to earn her third straight All-America honor. Makinen becomes the first international player to earn Player of the Year honors (pre or postseason).
CAROLINA PLAYERS ON THE CAREER SCORING CHARTS: Senior forward Meredith Florance (Dallas, Texas) has moved into 11th place in career scoring at the University of North Carolina. She became the 19th player in Tar Heel history to eclipse 100 points in her career when she totaled four points in UNC's September 3 win over Tennessee.
Florance enters the NC State game with 133 career points. Stephanie Zeh (1981-82) ranks 10th in career scoring at UNC with 135 points. Florance is now 11th in career goals at UNC with 52. Stephanie Zeh (1981-82) ranks 10th in career goals with 55.
Laurie Schwoy is now in 13th place in career scoring at UNC with 120 points. Shannon Higgins ranks 11th in UNC career scoring with 129 points from 1986-89. Schwoy is now tied for 13th at Carolina career goals with 42. She is tied with Wendy Gebauer (1985-88) who also scored 42 goals in her career.
With 29 goals in her career, Raven McDonald has now moved into a tie for 23rd place in career goals scored at UNC. She is tied with Danielle Egan (1991-94). Jo Boobas (1983-86) ranks 22nd in UNC career goal scoring with 31. McDonald is now in 28th place in career points at Carolina with 88. She is one point behind Jo Boobas (1983-86) who is in 27th place with 89 points.
Sophomore forward Kim Patrick is now tied for 27th place in career goals at UNC. Patrick has scored 26 times in her two seasons and she is tied with Marcia McDermott (1983-86) and Ann Klas (1980-81).
Laurie Schwoy has 36 assists in her career at Carolina. She ranks 20th in UNC career assists. Lorrie Fair (1996-99) and Janet Rayfield (1979-82) are tied for 18th on the chart with 37 assists.
The Tar Heels currently have 30 assists and they are all tied for 26th place in UNC career assists. Those three are Jena Kluegel, Anne Remy and Raven McDonald. Meredith Florance is tied for 29th place in career assists with former UNC great Sarah Dacey (1993-96). Both Dacey and Florance have logged 29 assists in their careers. Kalli Kamholz is tied for 32nd place in career assists with 27. She is ted with both Jo Boobas (1983-86) and Angela Kelly (1991-94).
TAR HEELS SET NEW NCAA WOMEN'S ATTENDANCE RECORD: The University of North Carolina established a new record for women's soccer per game attendance during the 1999 season. The Tar Heels averaged 3,196 fans per game during 12 home games during the 1999 season. The total home attendance was also a record with 38,350 fans attending Carolina games at Fetzer Field last year.
During the 2000 season the Tar Heels are now poised to eclipse that record mark once again as the Tar Heels are averaging 3,239 fans per game in their six home games so far.
North Carolina has now led the nation in average per game home attendance every year from 1995 through 1999 with averages of 2,201 in 1995, 2,343 in 1996, 2,401 in 1997, 3,046 in 1998 and 3,196 in 1999.
UNC averaged 3,196 fans per game last season, topped by a crowd of 5,055 for the NCAA Tournament third round game against William & Mary. That was an attendance record for any NCAA Women's Soccer Tournament game at the first, second, third or quarterfinal round level. Carolina's total home attendance for last year was 38,350.
The Carolina-Notre Dame crowd of 6,024 on September 13, 1998 was the second largest for a UNC game in the history of Fetzer Field and the largest crowd for a regular-season game. The largest crowd was a throng of 7,212 fans which saw UNC play Notre Dame on December 1, 1995 in the NCAA semifinals.
In 1995, Carolina led the nation in average home attendance with 2,201 per game and was second nationally in total home attendance with a total of 19,809 fans. The University of Portland led the nation that year in total home attendance.
In 1996, the Tar Heels led the nation in both average (2,343) and total (23,432) home attendance.
During the 1997 season, UNC was #1 nationally in average home attendance and #1 in total home attendance. The Tar Heels drew 21,607 fans in nine home games, an average of 2,401 per contest.
In 1998, Carolina played before 24,366 fans in eight home games at Fetzer Field, an average of 3,046 per contest.
THE DORRANCE LEDGER: Tar Heel head coach Anson Dorrance was named as the head coach of the Carolina women's soccer program for the fall of 1979 when the Tar Heel program was founded by the UNC Department of Athletics. In the 22 years of the program's existence, UNC has posted a record 479-22-11, a winning percentage of .946, all under Dorrance's brilliant coaching leadership.
THE LIKELY STARTING LINEUP: Carolina's starting lineup for the game against NC State is likely to be as follows:
Forwards
#32 Alyssa Ramsey Freshman
#5 Kim Patrick Sophomore
#28 Meredith Florance Senior
Midfielders
#18 Raven McDonald Senior
#9 Jena Kluegel Junior
#25 Maggie Tomecka Freshman
#11 Anne Remy Junior
Defenders
#30 Danielle Borgman Junior
#4 Julia Marslender Senior
#10 Kalli Kamholz Senior
Goalkeeper
#0 Kristin DePlatchett Junior
CAROLINA'S RIGOROUS SCHEDULE: As is always the case, the 1999 Tar Heel schedule reads like a who's who of the nation's Top 25 teams. Carolina has already played seven teams ranked in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Top 25, defeating #11 Texas A&M 4-1 on August 27, #16 Virginia 6-1 on September 1, #8 Penn State 1-0 on September 15, #18 SMU 2-0 on September 17, #11 Duke 6-1 on September 29 and losing at #4 Clemson 2-1 on September 13 and at #23 Florida State 3-2 in overtime on October 17.
THE TAR HEELS IN THE 1990S: Carolina had the best winning percentage and the most total wins in the decade of the 1990s in collegiate women's soccer.
Since the beginning of the 1990 campaign, UNC has a record of 243-7-3. The Tar Heels also have a winning percentage of .968 in the decade.
CAROLINA VERSUS NC STATE: Carolina has an all-time record of 27-0-2 against NC State. The Tar Heels have won the past 19 matches in a row in the series.
CAROLINA'S RETIRED NUMBERS: The following women's soccer jersey numbers have been retired by the University of North Carolina Athletic Council: #2 - April Heinrichs, 1983-86, #3 - Shannon Higgins, 1986-89, #8 - Debbie Keller, 1993-96, #13 - Tisha Venturini, 1991-94, #15 - Kristine Lilly, 1989-92, #19 - Mia Hamm, 1989-93.
CAROLINA IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT: Carolina's only three losses in NCAA Tournament play were at the hands of George Mason 2-0 in the 1985 championship match at Fairfax, Va., to Notre Dame 1-0 in a 1995 semifinal match at Chapel Hill, N.C. and to Florida 1-0 in the 1998 championship match at Greensboro, N.C.
UNC has won 15 of the previous 18 NCAA championships. The Tar Heels also won one of the two AIAW national championships which were decided before the NCAA began sponsorship of a championship in women's soccer.
GOALS, GOALS, GOALS: In 512 games in its illustrious soccer history, Carolina has outscored its opponents by 2,037 goals. UNC has scored 2,265 goals in its history while allowing 228, a margin of 2,037 goals. Carolina has averaged scoring 4.42 goals per game in those 512 previous games. Its opponents have scored 0.45 goals per game in the Tar Heels' 20-year history.
THE LAST 15 SEASONS OF CAROLINA SOCCER--ABSOLUTELY AMAZING: In the last 15 years of women's soccer at Carolina, beginning with the 1986 season opener, UNC is 345-10-9, a winning percentage of .960. Over the last 14 years, UNC has had a 92-game winning streak (1990-94), a 101-game unbeaten streak (1990-93) and a 103-game unbeaten streak (1986-90).
THE HOME RECORD: Carolina has an all-time home record of 204-7-2 in games in Chapel Hill. That's a winning percentage of .962.
Carolina's only three home losses since the 1980 season have been to Duke in 1994, to Notre Dame in 1995 and to Penn State in 1999. UNC also tied George Mason at home in 1985 and Central Florida in 1986. Carolina also lost two games at home in 1979 to the McLean Grasshoppers and two in 1980 at home to Virginia Select.
PUNCHING THE CLOCK: Over the past 15 years, the Tar Heels have played 363 games for a total of 31,968 minutes and 54 seconds. UNC has trailed in only 39 of those 363 games for a total of 843:42 minutes.
AND NOW THERE WERE FOUR: Only four opponents in Carolina's 20-year women's soccer history have beaten UNC more than once. By beating Carolina 2-1 in overtime October 4, 1996, Notre Dame became the fourth opponent to join that select company. The only teams to turn the trick have been Virginia Select (3-0 versus Carolina), the McLean Grasshoppers (2-0 versus UNC), Notre Dame (2-6-2 versus the Heels) and Connecticut (2-13 versus North Carolina). Notre Dame is the only collegiate opponent to beat UNC in two consecutive meetings in UNC history.
CAROLINA IN OVERTIME: UNC has played 23 overtime games in its illustrious 22-year women's soccer history. The Tar Heels are 12-3-8 in those games.
Carolina has played five overtime games in its NCAA Tournament history, going 5-0 in those games. UNC is 2-0-1 in the ACC Tournament in overtime during its history.
TAR HEELS HAVE NATION'S SECOND BEST RECRUITING CLASS, SO SAYS SOCCER BUZZ: Fast forward a couple of years to the 2002-2003 college sports season and find yourself watching North Carolina battle UCLA for an NCAA championship. You think--basketball, right? Maybe. Switch channels and find Clemson taking on Stanford for the national title. You think--baseball, right? Maybe. Switch channels again and find Penn State and Notre Dame going at it for #1 in the land. You think--football, right? Almost.
Any of these teams could be paired up in a national championship game in football....uh, futbol...uh, soccer. Yea, soccer. As the 2000 college soccer season is now upon us, the nation's best youth is headed to all levels of college programs including over 270 Division 1 women's programs led by the above schools, all hauling in Top 10 recruiting classes.
Trying to duplicate the success of its men's program, the UCLA women's soccer team has inked the nation's best group of newcomers according to online soccer source, Soccer Buzz. The Bruins late signing of US National Team defender, Nandi Pryce (Casselberry, FL), pushed its class above top signings for 1999 past national Champion North Carolina and PAC 10 rival Stanford. Joining Pryce at UCLA is a trio of fellow US Youth Team players--Kathryn Lee (Stockton, CA), Jessica Stamp (Klein, TX) and Sarah-Gayle Swanson (Denver, CO.) "I'm extremely excited with the players that have committed to play here," UCLA Head Coach Jillian Ellis said. "Overall this class gives us tremendous depth and versatility."
The Tar Heels may have brought in three of the top five high school seniors, missing a second consecutive #1 recruiting class only to the size of UCLA's talented class. UNC will remain a championship contender as three experienced national teamers head to Chapel Hill. Alyssa Ramsey (Charlotte, NC), Catherine Reddick (Birmingham, AL) and Magdalena Tomecka (Shrewsbury, MA) give the Heels balance at striker, midfield and back.
While UCLA earned the #1 recruit ranking in 2000, the Bruins barely finished tops in the PAC 10 as Stanford and California had Top 5 classes and Arizona State, USC and Washington all pulled in Top 25 groups.
Hoping to bounce into the nation's elite group of soccer teams are Texas, Boston College and Florida State. All three schools brought in their best ever group of recruits and landed in Soccer Buzz' National Top 25 Recruit Rankings. Expressing similar comments as others finding their way into the national rankings for the first time, Texas Coach Chris Petrucelli said, "This is a class we can build around for the next several years."
Keeping pace with the increasing parity of women's college soccer, perennial powers Penn State (#6), Santa Clara (#7), Clemson (#8) and Notre Dame (#9) all notched top talent. Aside from the PAC 10's strength with seven schools in the rankings, other conferences faring well with several schools represented in the Top 50 are the ACC (8), Big East (6) and SEC (5). Continuing its climb among the nation's best, BYU signed midfielder Aleisha Cramer (Lakewood, CO), considered by most to be the nation's top high school player in 1999-2000.
CAROLINA'S PLACE THREE ON 2000 HERMANN TROPHY FINALISTS LIST: Here are the finalists for the 2000 Herman Trophy award for the women's player of the year: Heather Aldama, Santa Clara, Jenni Branam, North Carolina, Susan Bush, North Carolina, Missy Gregg, Dayton, Isabelle Harvey, Southern California, Karina LeBlanc, Nebraska, Anne Makinen, Notre Dame, Mary-Frances Monroe, Connecticut, Laurie Schwoy, North Carolina, Danielle Slaton, Santa Clara, Nikki Thole, Missouri, Nicky Thrasher, Texas A&M, Aly Wagner, Santa Clara, Abby Wambach, Florida, Christie Welsh, Penn State.
