University of North Carolina Athletics
Tar Heels Play Host to Duke Friday
September 28, 2000 | Women's Soccer
Sept. 28, 2000
#4 North Carolina (10-1, ACC 1-1) vs. #11 Duke (8-1, ACC 2-0)
Friday, September 29, 2000, 7 p.m., Fetzer Field, Chapel Hill, N.C.
THE BASIC FACTS: The fourth-ranked University of North Carolina women's soccer team will play host to 11th-ranked Duke Friday at 7 p.m. at Fetzer Field in a key Atlantic Coast Conference game for both teams. The Tar Heels (10-1, ACC 1-1) have won their past four games, all by shutout, since a 2-1 loss at Clemson September 13. The Blue Devils (8-1, ACC 2-0) got off to their best start in school history, winning eight in a row to start the season before falling to William & Mary 2-1 last Sunday in Durham. Duke currently shares the ACC lead with Clemson with records of 2-0. Carolina is currently tied for fourth in the league standings with Virginia at 1-1. Friday's game marks a five-match end-of-the-regular-season run for the Tar Heels, all against ACC foes. After the game with Duke, Carolina will play at N.C. State October 11, at Florida State October 17, at Wake Forest October 27 and at home against Maryland on October 29.
THE TAR HEELS IN THIS WEEK'S POLLS: The Tar Heels are ranked fourth this week by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)/adidas, fourth by the American Soccer Writers (ASW), fourth by Soccer America, fourth by Soccer Buzz and fourth by Soccer Times.
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'S FLORANCE RANKS SEVENTH NATIONALLY IN SCORING, EIGHTH IN GOALS SCORED: North Carolina senior forward Meredith Florance of Dallas, Texas is currently ranked seventh nationally in points per game and eighth in the nation in goals per game. Floriance has totaled 31 points in 11 games this season, an average of 2.82 points per contest. She has scored 13 goals in 11 games, an average of 1.18 goals per outing.
TWO TAR HEELS AMONGST TOP 10 NATIONALLY IN ASSISTS PER GAME: Two UNC players rank among the nation's Top 10 players in assists per game this week. Junior midfielder Jena Kluegel of Mahtomedi, Minn. ranks in the #3 spot. She has produced 13 assists in 11 games, an average of 1.18 assists per game. Freshman striker Alyssa Ramsey of Cornelius, N.C., currently is tied for ninth in the national standings in assists per game. Ramsey has nine assists in 10 games, an average of 0.90 per contest.
DEPLATCHETT RANKED AMONG NATION'S TOP GOALKEEPERS: Junior goalkeeper Kristin DePlatchett of Harborcreek, Pa. ranks 14th this week nationally in goals against average. DePlatchett has a GAA of 0.44, the best season average of her three-year career. She has allowed only three goals this year in 611 minutes of play while appearing in 10 Tar Heel games.
CAROLINA RANKED SECOND IN THE NATION IN OFFENSE: Carolina's scoring offense has been very dynamic so far this season. The Tar Heels are currently tied in the NCAA Division I statistics for second in scoring offense. Both UNC and Furman are scoring 4.91 goals per game. The national leader is Nebraska at 5.10 goals per contest. The Tar Heels are also tied with Furman for the 11th best winning percentage in Division I at .909. There are currently nine unbeaten and untied teams in the nation--Clemson, Nebraska, Arizona State, Georgia Southern, Notre Dame, Rhode Island, Wofford, Brown and Princeton. California is 10th in winning percentage at .944. The Golden Bears are 8-0-1 this season.
MORE INDIVIDUAL KUDOS: Meredith Florance's four goals against South Carolina on September 8 equal the most scored by any player in a single game so far this season. Florance also had nine points in that game, equaling the fourth 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 31
Alyssa Ramsey 2nd 23
Kim Patrick 4th 18
Jena Kluegel 7th 15
Susan Bush 8th 14
Goals Rank Goals
Meredith Florance 1st 13
Alyssa Ramsey Tied 2nd 7
Kim Patrick Tied 2nd 7
Susan Bush Tied 4th 6
Assists Rank Assists
Jena Kluegel 1st 13
Alyssa Ramsey 2nd 9
Anne Remy Tied 3rd 8
Kalli Kamholz 5th 6
Meredith Florance Tied 6th 5
Catherine Reddick Tied 8th 5
Maggie Tomecka Tied 8th 5
Scoring Average Rank Avg.
Meredith Florance 1st 2.82
Alyssa Ramsey 2nd 2.30
Kim Patrick 5th 1.64
Susan Bush 6th 1.56
Goals Per Game Rank Avg.
Meredith Florance 1st 1.18
Alyssa Ramsey 2nd 0.70
Susan Bush Tied 3rd 0.67
Kim Patrick 6th 0.66
Assists Per Game Rank Avg.
Jena Kluegel 1st 1.18
Alyssa Ramsey 2nd 0.90
Anne Remy 4th 0.73
Kalli Kahmolz 5th 0.55
Meredith Florance Tied 8th 0.45
Catherine Reddick Tied 8th 0.45
Maggie Tomecka Tied 8th 0.45
Goals Against Average Rank GAA
Kristin DePlatchett 1st 0.44
Save Percentage Rank Pct.
Kristin DePlatchett 1st .864
Saves Rank Avg.
Kristin DePlatchett 8th 1.9
TAR HEELS IN THE ACC TEAM STATS: North Carolina leads the ACC in scoring offense at 4.91 goals per game. The Tar Heels are second in the league in scoring defense at 0.73 goals per game and second in shutouts per game at 0.45.
ACC INDIVIDUAL SUPERLATIVES: The Tar Heels' nine goals against Texas on August 25 and against South Carolina on September 8 are 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 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.
DORRANCE COACHED 500TH GAME AS HEAD COACH EARLIER THIS SEASON: North Carolina's game with Tennessee September 3 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 476 victories, 20 losses and 11 ties.
CAROLINA GARNERS 200TH FETZER FIELD WIN AGAINST TENNESSEE: The Tar Heels had a chance to win their 200th game in history at Fetzer Field September 3 against Tennessee and they accomplished that very feat. As the Tar Heels have swept home games this year against Virginia, Tennessee, South Carolina and Oregon last, the all-time home record for North Carolina improved to 202-7-2. 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 507 games all-time, 211 at home and 296 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:
Sept. 1 Virginia 7 p.m.
Sept. 3 Tennessee 1 p.m.
Sept. 8 South Carolina 7 p.m.
Sept. 10 Oregon 3 p.m.
Sept. 22 William & Mary 5 p.m.
Sept. 24 TCU 1 p.m.
Sept. 29 Duke 7 p.m.
Oct. 29 Maryland 1 p.m.
Nov. 2-5 ACC Tournament TBA
Nov. 8-Dec. 3 NCAA Tournament 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 pair of seniors were elected as co-captains of the 2000 University of North Carolina women's soccer team. Carolina's co-captains this year are senior defender Julia Marslender of Raleigh, N.C. and senior forward Meredith Florance of Dallas, Texas.
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.
SCHWOY STILL REHABILITATING: UNC preseason All-America midfielder Laurie Schwoy will be missing from the lineup this weekend as she is still rehabilitating from off-season surgery. Schwoy, who missed the entire 1999 season with hamstring problems, had off season surgery on both legs to correct the hamstring issue which doctors believe may have been a congenital condition. It is hoped that Schwoy will be able to join the Tar Heels later in the season. Other than Schwoy the Tar Heels enter this weekend healthy.
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.
TAR HEELS PICKED TO CLAIM 2000 ACC TITLE: The North Carolina women's soccer team, which won a record sixteenth national championship last year, was unanimously picked as the top team in the ACC in 2000 by the eight league coaches. The Tar Heels, who have captured the last five ACC regular-season titles and the last eleven ACC Tournament titles, received all eight first-place votes in the ACC Preseason Coaches Poll for a total of 64 points. North Carolina was followed by the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, who recorded 48 points to finish in second place. Wake Forest edged out both the Virginia Cavaliers, who finished third with 46 points, and the Clemson Tigers, who were picked to finish fourth with 44 points. The Maryland Terrapins finished fifth in the poll with 35 points, and the Duke Blue Devils ranked sixth with 23 points. With 16 points, Florida State finished seventh in the poll, and NC State rounded out the poll with 12 points.
Preseason Women's Soccer Coaches Poll
1. North Carolina 64
2. Wake Forest 48
3. Virginia 46
4. Clemson 44
5. Maryland 35
6. Duke 23
7. Florida State 16
8. NC State 12
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. Borgman 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 12th 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 Duke game with 121 career points. Shannon Higgins (1986-89) ranks 11th in career scoring at UNC with 129 points. Florance is now tied for 11th in career goals at UNC with 46 with Carrie Serwetnyk, who had 46 goals in her career from 1984-87. Stephanie Zeh (1981-82) ranks 10th in career goals with 55. 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 has moved into 26th place in career assists at Carolina with 30. Florance is now tied for 27th place in career assists with 29, Anne Remy is tied for 29th place in career assists with 28 and Jena Kluegel is tied for 31st place in career assists with 27.
TAR HEELS ON FIRE AFTER HALFTIME: North Carolina has outscored its opponents 54-8 this season. However, after halftime this year the Tar Heels have been especially amazing. UNC has outscored its opponents after halftime by a margin of 34-4.
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 this year. 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.Carolina has played 12 of its 24 games so far in the 1999 season at the friendly confines of Fetzer Field. UNC averaged 3,196 fans per game this 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 this 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. So far this season the Tar Heels are averaging 2,940 fans per game for four home games.
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 476-20-11, a winning percentage of .950, all under Dorrance's brilliant coaching leadership.
THE LIKELY STARTING LINEUP: Carolina's starting lineup for Friday's game against Duke is likely to be as follows. It includes four seniors, four juniors, two sophomores and one freshman.
Forwards
#32 Alyssa Ramsey Freshman
#20 Susan Bush Sophomore
#28 Meredith Florance Senior
Midfielders
#18 Raven McDonald Senior
#9 Jena Kluegel Junior
#29 Leslie Gaston Sophomore
#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 five 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 and losing at #4 Clemson 2-1 on September 13.
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 DUKE: Carolina has an all-time record of 27-1 against Duke. The Tar Heels have won the past nine matches in a row in the series. Duke's sole victory came on October 19, 1994 when the Blue Devils defeated the Tar Heels 3-2 here at Fetzer Field.
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 507 games in its illustrious soccer history, Carolina has outscored its opponents by 2,021 goals. Going into Friday's game against Duke, UNC has scored 2,244 goals in its history while allowing 223, a margin of 2,021 goals. Carolina has averaged scoring 4.43 goals per game in those 507 previous games. Its opponents have scored 0.44 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 342-8-9, a winning percentage of .965. 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 202-7-2 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 358 games for a total of 31,495 minutes and 52 seconds. UNC has trailed in only 35 of those 358 games for a total of 823:33 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 22 overtime games in its illustrious 21-year women's soccer history. The Tar Heels are 12-2-8 in those games, including a 3-0 mark in 1999. 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.
BRANAM TO MISS SEVEN GAMES BECAUSE OF THE OLYMPICS: UNC starting goalkeeper Jenni Branam is lost to the Tar Heels for seven games when she serves as the alternate goalkeeper for the U.S. Olympic women's soccer team competing this month in Sydney. Branam will reported to the U.S. team following Carolina's game with South Carolina on September 8. She misses playing in the Oregon, Clemson, Penn State, SMU, William & Mary, TCU and Duke games. She will return for Carolina's game at NC State on October 11. Junior Kristin DePlatchett will start in Branam's absence with junior Katie Simmons and senior Jamie Kinney as the backups to DePlatchett.
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.
FOUR TAR HEELS ON SOCCER AMERICA PRE-SEASON ALL-AMERICA SQUEAD: Defending champion North Carolina tops the list with four players, while NCAA semifinalist Santa Clara has three players on the Soccer America pre-season All-America Team for 2000. There are two Olympians--Santa Clara's Danielle Slaton (USA) and Oakland's Anita Rapp (Norway)--and three Women's World Cup '99 players -- Rapp, Nebraska's Karina LeBlanc (Canada) and USC's Isabelle Harvey (Canada).
1ST TEAM PLAYER TEAM YEAR
Goalkeeper
Karina LeBlanc Nebraska Sr.
Defenders
Keisha Bell Florida Jr.
Danielle Borgman UNC Jr.
Danielle Slaton Santa Clara Jr.
Midfielders
Isabelle Harvey USC Sr.
Anne Makinen Notre Dame Sr.
Aly Wagner Santa Clara Soph.
Forwards
Susan Bush UNC Soph.
M.F. Monroe Connecticut Jr.
Abby Wambach Florida Jr.
Christie Welsh Penn State Soph.
2ND TEAM PLAYER TEAM YEAR
Goalkeeper
Jenni Branam UNC Soph.
Defenders
Anna Kraus Santa Clara Jr.
Sarah Powell Boston Coll. Sr.
Nandi Pryce UCLA Fr.
Midfielders
Meghan Anderson Nebraska Jr.
Aleisha Cramer BYU Fr.
Jena Kluegel UNC Jr.
Anita Rapp Oakland Sr.
Stacey Tullock Ariz. State Jr.
Forwards
Missy Gregg Dayton Soph.
Nikki Thole Missouri Sr.
