University of North Carolina Athletics
Women's Soccer Hosts Nike Carolina Classic This Weekend
September 8, 2000 | Women's Soccer
Sept. 8, 2000
Oregon (3-2) vs. Duke (3-0), 5:00 p.m., South Carolina (0-3) vs. North Carolina (4-0), 7:00 p.m. Friday, September 8, 2000, Fetzer Field, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, N.C.
Oregon vs. North Carolina, 1:00 p.m., South Carolina vs. Duke, 3:00 p.m. Sunday, September 10, 2000, Fetzer Field, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, N.C.
THE BASIC FACTS: The North Carolina Tar Heels will host their annual Nike Carolina Classic this weekend at Fetzer Field. This is the third successive year that the Tar Heels have played host ot the Nike Carolina Classic. The tournament started as the Champion Classic in 1991, was renamed the Hardee's Classic in 1992, the Hardees/adidas Classic in 1993, was discountinued in 1994 and 1995 and then resurfaced as the adidas/Eurosport Carolina Classic in 1996 and 1997. It has been the Nike Carolina Classic the past three years. This year's Classic features four games. On Friday, Duke, with a record of 3-0 and a national ranking of #17, will face Oregon (3-2) in the 5 p.m. game. #1-ranked North Carolina (4-0) will face South Carolina (0-3) on Friday at 7 p.m. in the second game. Sunday's action will find the Tar Heels playing the Ducks at 1 p.m. and Duke against USC in the 3 p.m. contest.
DORRANCE COACHES 500TH GAME AS HEAD COACH SUNDAY: North Carolina's game with Tennessee last Sunday-- 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 470 victories, 19 losses and 11 ties.
CAROLINA GARNERS 200TH FETZER FIELD WIN SUNDAY: The Tar Heels had a chance last weekend to win their 200th game in history at Fetzer Field Sunday against Tennessee and they accomplished that very feat. As the Tar Heels swept Virginia and Tennessee last weekend the all-time home record for North Carolina improved to 200-7-2. 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 500 games all-time, 209 at home and 291 on the road.
CAROLINA WOMEN'S SOCCER GAMES BROADCAST OVER THE INTERNET AT TARHEELBLUE.COM THIS YEAR: The Tar Heel Sports Network 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, 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 student who will graduate in the spring of 2000. Angell served as a baseball broadcaster with the THSN last spring. He is a Jacksonville, N.C. native.
2000 TAR HEEL CO-CAPTAINS: A pair of seniors were recently 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.
RAMSEY COPS ACC PLAYER OF THE WEEK MENTION: North Carolina freshman forward Alyssa Ramsey earned the first ACC Player of the Week honor last Monday after two stellar performances in games last 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.
CAROLINA'S ACC SUPERLATIVES: UNC freshman striker Alyssa Ramsey of Cornelius, N.C. leads the Atlantic Coast Conference this week in points with 16, goals with six, scoring average with 4.0 points per game and goals per game at 1.5. UNC junior midfielder Jena Kluegel tops the ACC charts in assists with seven and in assists per game with 1.75. This week Carolina has the top four players on the ACC charts in points, the top two in goals, the top three in assists, the top four in scoring average, the top two in goals per game and the top three in assists per game. Kluegel's four assists against Tennessee last Sunday are the most asdsists in any game this year by an ACC player. North Carolina's nine goals and 12 assists against Texas on August 25 are also top totals for the ACC this year. Carolina leads the conference in scoring with an average of 6.25 goals per game.
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 September. 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.
BRANAM TO MISS SIX GAMES BECAUSE OF THE OLYMPICS: UNC starting goalkeeper Jenni Branam will be lost to the Tar Heels for six games when she serves the alternate goalkeeper for the U.S. Olympic women's soccer team competing later this month in Sydney. Branam will report to the U.S. team following Carolina's game with Oregon on September 10. She will miss the Clemson, Penn State, SMU, William & Mary, TCU and Duke games. 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 PLACES 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 SQUAD: 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 North Carolina Jr.
Danielle Slaton Santa Clara Jr.
Midfielders
Isabelle Harvey USC Sr.
Anne Makinen Notre Dame Sr.
Aly Wagner Santa Clara Soph.
Forwards
Susan Bush North Carolina Soph.
Mary-Frances Monroe Connecticut Jr.
Abby Wambach Florida Jr.
Christie Welsh Penn State Soph.
2ND TEAM PLAYER TEAM YEAR
Goalkeeper
Jenni Branam North Carolina Soph.
Defenders
Anna Kraus Santa Clara Jr.
Sarah Powell Boston College Sr.
Nandi Pryce UCLA Fr.
Midfielders
Meghan Anderson Nebraska Jr.
Aleisha Cramer BYU Fr.
Jena Kluegel North Carolina Jr.
Anita Rapp Oakland Sr.
Stacey Tullock Arizona State Jr.
Forwards
Missy Gregg Dayton Soph.
Nikki Thole Missouri Sr.
TAR HEELS ARE TOPS IN SOCCER BUZZ POLL THIS WEEK: Just as in the preseason poll and the first regular season poll of the year Carolina stands atop the Soccer Buzz national rankings for the date of September 4, 2000.
Rank Team Record LW
1. North Carolina 4-0 1
2. Nebraska 4-0 2
3. Notre Dame 3-0 4
4. Santa Clara 2-0 5
5. Connecticut 1-0-1 6
6. Clemson 4-0 7
7. Stanford 2-0 8
8. UCLA 3-1 10
9. USC 3-0 12
10. Texas A&M 3-1 13
11. Penn State 2-1-1 2
12. Duke 3-0 21
13. Wake Forest 3-1 11
14. SMU 3-1 9
15. California 3-0 24
16. Virginia 1-1 16
17. Maryland 2-1 22
18. Kentucky 3-1 15
19. Hartford 1-1 17
20. Arizona State 3-0 NR
21. Boston College 2-1 20
22. William & Mary 3-1 25
23. Harvard 0-1 18
24. Washington 3-0 NR
25. Missouri 3-1 NR
Receiving Votes (alpha order): BYU (2-1), Florida (2-2), Georgia (3-1), Iowa (4-0), Marquette (3-0), Saint Louis (3-0)
CAROLINA ALSO ATOP SOCCER BUZZ SOUTHEAST REGION POLL THIS WEEK: Carolina's remains atop the poll for the competitive Southeast Region in this week's Soccer Buzz poll. The top four teams in the Southeast Region are all from the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Rank Team Record LW
1. North Carolina 4-0 1
2. Clemson 4-0 2
3. Duke 3-0 4
4. Wake Forest 3-1 3
5. Georgia 3-1 7
6. Florida 2-2 5
7. Furman 3-0 8
8. Florida State 3-2 6
9. Miami, Fl. 3-1 9
10. Charlotte 2-2 10
Receiving Votes: East Carolina (1-1), NC State (2-1)
UNC ON TOP OF ASW POLL:American Soccer Writers' NCAA D-1 Women's Soccer Top-25 for week of September 5, 2000. Penn State took the biggest fall of the week, dropping from the No. 5 slot to No. 11 after scratching out at 1-1 tie with Connecticut last week. Meanwhile, the University of Washington made a strong enough case for itself with two wins over ranked teams this week -- including a stunning 2-1 victory over Santa Clara and a solid 1-0 win over
righam Young last Tuesday -- to emerge at the No. 17 slot. It's the first appearance in the national poll for Washington this season. North Carolina continues its stint as the No. 1 team after earning all 25 first-place votes, followed by Notre Dame and Nebraska. The Tar Heels have so far been the only team to enjoy the top spot in the 2000 campaign.
ASW is a collection of professional journalists and writers from across the United States, representing each region and nearly 30 separate publications. It is the most successful attempt at an AP-style poll for NCAA women's soccer to date. The panel distributes weekly rankings each Monday during the regular season, which can also be found at http://www.soccerpoll.com/.
ASW 2000 Top-25, Week of September 5, 2000
RANK-TEAM-RECORD-PREVIOUS
---------------------------------------------
1. North Carolina (25) 4-0-0 1
2. Notre Dame 3-0-0 2
3. Nebraska 4-0-0 4
4. Santa Clara 2-1-0 3
5. Clemson 4-0-0 7
6. Connecticut 1-0-1 8
7. Texas A&M 3-1-0 11
8. Stanford 2-0-0 6
9. UCLA 3-1-0 13
10. Penn State 2-1-1 5
11. Hartford 1-1-0 9
12. USC 3-0-0 16
13. Wake Forest 3-1-0 10
14. Virginia 1-1-0 12
15. Duke 3-0-0 21
16. Maryland 2-1-0 24
17. Washington 2-0-0 nr
18. Missouri 2-2-0 nr
19. Florida 0-2-0 14
20. San Diego 4-1-0 20
21. William & Mary 3-1-0 19
22. Harvard 0-1-0 18
23. Southern Methodist 3-1-0 15
24. California 3-0-0 nr
25. Kentucky 3-1-0 22
Also Receiving Votes: Brigham Young (50), Arizona State (40), Portland (36), Boston College (21), Virginia (21), Marquette (15), Furman (9), Michigan (9), Florida State (8), St. Louis (7), Dartmouth (2), Ohio State (1), Tulsa (1), Princeton (1), North Texas(1).
TAR HEELS ARE #1 IN THIS WEEK'S SOCCER AMERICA POLL: College women: Soccer America Top 20 (Sept. 4), Sep 4, 2000, The following is the Soccer America Women's Top 20 covering games through Sunday, Sept. 3:
Rank/Team Last Record Week
1. North Carolina 4-0-0 1
2. Santa Clara 2-0-0 3
3. Notre Dame 3-0-0 4
4. Nebraska 4-0-0 5
5. Stanford 2-0-0 6
6. Clemson 4-0-0 7
7. Connecticut 1-0-1 8
8. UCLA 3-1-0 10
9. Texas A&M 3-1-0 12
10. Hartford 1-1-0 9
11. Penn State 2-1-1 2
12. USC 3-0-0 16
13. Missouri 3-1-0 NR
14. Wake Forest 3-1-0 11
15. Minnesota 2-1-0 NR
16. Virginia 1-1-0 15
17. Washington 3-0-0 NR
18. Duke 3-0-0 NR
19. Maryland 2-1-0 NR
20. Arizona State 3-0-0 NR
COACHES POLL PUTS CAROLINA IN CATBIRD'S SEAT: Carolina #1 in this Week's NSCAA Poll : Tar Heels score two wins to remain unbeaten. Sept. 5, 2000. NSCAA Women's Division I - National Rankings. September 4, 2000
Current Rank School Record Points
1 North Carolina 4-0-0 300
2 Santa Clara 2-0-0 280
3 Nebraska 4-0-0 274
4 Notre Dame 3-0-0 270
5 Clemson 4-0-0 247
6 Connecticut 1-0-1 228
7 Texas A&M 3-1-0 223
8 UCLA 3-1-0 215
9 Maryland 2-1-0 197
10 Stanford 2-0-0 186
11 Penn State 2-1-1 173
12 Missouri 3-1-0 147
13 Hartford 1-1-0 142
14 Wake Forest 3-1-0 141
15 Southern California 3-0-0 121
16 Kentucky 3-1-0 119
17 Duke 3-0-0 108
18 Virginia 1-1-0 107
19 Arizona State 3-0-0 66
20 Southen Methodist 3-1-0 56
21 Harvard 0-1-0 52
22 William & Mary 3-1-0 40
23 Marquette 3-0-0 38
24 Purdue 3-0-0 31
25 Cal-Berkeley 3-0-0 30
SOCCER TIMES POLL STATES TAR HEELS ARE STILL #1 THIS WEEK: Compiled by Gary Davidson, managing editor, www.SoccerTimes.com. Pre-season poll 2000. (First-place votes in parentheses)
# School Record Pts LW
1 North Carolina (12) 4-0-0 300 1
2 Notre Dame 3-0-0 280 2t
3 Nebraska 4-0-0 277 5
4 Clemson 4-0-0 251 7
5 Santa Clara 2-1-0 249 2t
6 Stanford 2-0-0 233 8
7 Connecticut 1-0-1 223 10
8 Texas A&M 3-1-0 214 11
8 UCLA 3-1-0 194 9
10 Penn State 2-1-1 198 4
11 Southern California 3-0-0 145 15
12 Virginia 1-1-0 138 17
13 Hartford 1-1-0 126 13
14 Maryland 2-1-0 120 24
15 Washington 4-0-0 103 nr
16 Duke 3-0-0 101 22
17 Wake Forest 3-1-0 97 12
18 Florida 2-2-0 80 6
19 William & Mary 3-1-0 67 14
20 Missouri 3-1-0 65 25t
21 Southern Methodist 3-1-0 63 19
22 Brigham Young 3-1-0 59 18
23 Arizona State 3-0-0 51 nr
24 Harvard 0-1-0 44 nr
25 California 3-0-0 40 nr
Key: Pts - Total points. LW - Last week's ranking. t - tie. Others receiving votes: Kentucky 37, Portland 29, San Diego 23, Minnesota 20, Florida State 13, Michigan 12, Marquette 9, James Madison 7, Boston College 6, Purdue 5, Syracuse 3. Voting panel: Becky Burleigh, Florida, Robbie Church, Vanderbilt, John Daly, William & Mary, Anson Dorrance, North Carolina, Jillian Ellis, UCLA, Pat Farmer, Penn State, Ray Leone, Clemson, Marcia McDermott, Northwestern, Chris Petrucelli, Texas, Jennifer Rockwood, Brigham Young, Len Tsantiris, Connecticut, Randy Waldrum, Notre Dame, John Walker, Nebraska. Voting method: On each ballot, 25 points awarded for first place, 24 for second place, 23 for third, etc., to 1 point for 25th place.
ALYSSA RAMSEY NAMED TO SOCCER AMERICA TEAM OF THE WEEK SEPTEMBER 5: Soccer America's Women's College Team of the Week, Sep 6, 2000. Soccer America's Women's College Team of the Week for games played on the weekend of Sept. 3.
G Julie Eibensteiner (Minnesota) (1)
11 saves to shut out Kentucky
D Dyana Russell (Missouri) (1)
Held Wake's Stacy Roeck to 2 shots in upset
D Jen Miller (Ohio State) (1)
Sets up winner against Florida State
M Mary Beth Bowie (Connecticut) (1)
Goal ties Penn State, hat trick vs. Providence
M Marit Foss (Jacksonville) (1)
6 assists vs. Alabama A&M ties NCAA record
M Carrie Kveton (North Texas) (1)
Converts 2 penalty kicks in OT upset of SMU
M Caroline Putz (Washington) (1)
Junior's 37th-minute strike upsets BYU
F Sarah-Gayle Swanson (UCLA) (1)
2 goals, 1 assist vs. Florida, winner vs. Georgia
F Sara Gustafson (Maryland) (1)
Hat trick stuns Penn State
F Heather Ragsdale (Texas A&M) (1)
3 goals and 3 assists vs. Hartford and Harvard
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.
JENA KLUEGEL NAMED TO SOCCER AMERICA TEAM OF THE WEEK AUGUST 30: College Women: Soccer America's Team of the Week. Aug 30, 2000. Games Aug. 25-27.
POSITION/PLAYER
G Megan Pickering (Pacific) (1)
10 saves to beat Fresno State, 4 in St. Mary's win
D Heather Dyche (Florida State) (1)
Free kick goal starts comeback win over Florida
D Sarah Powell (Boston College) (1)
Tough D in close Hartford loss, goal vs. Fairfield
M Jena Kluegel (North Carolina) (1)
71st-minute gamewinner against Texas A&M
M Rachel Kruze (West Virginia) (1)
Sparked wins over '99 playoff teams Syracuse, JMU
M Katie Tracy (Virginia) (1)
Captain's header beats William & Mary
M Tracye Burch (Evansville) (1)
Sets up 2 goals to beat '99 playoff foe Dayton
M Amber Jolley (Louisville) (1)
6 points vs. Tenn.-Martin to snap 17-game losing streak
F Keri Boyce (Kentucky) (1)
2 goals, including winner, vs. rival Vanderbilt
F Lindsay Brown (Clemson) (1)
Freshman's strike enough vs. UCLA, scores vs. ODU
F April Murphy (Florida State) (1)
Senior's late winner caps upset of Florida
* 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
SIX TAR HEELS NAMED TO 2000 U.S. OLYMPIC TEAM: U.S. Women's National Team head coach April Heinrichs named the 18 players who will represent the United States in the women's soccer competition of the 2000 Olympics Games in Australia. There were no major surprises among the selections as 15 members of the 1999 Women's World Cup championship team were chosen. The three players who will be competing in their first world championship event are 22-year-old goalkeeper Siri Mullinix, 22-year-old midfielder Nikki Serlenga, and defender Danielle Slaton, at 20 years of age, the youngest player on the squad. The team has an average age of 25.1 years. Of the 15 Women's World Cup veterans, 11 were on the team that won the Olympic gold medal in 1996 at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Ga., with a 2-1 victory over China, and 10 players that started that match will go to Australia. The U.S. women have compiled a record of 20-4-5 in 2000 as forty-two players participated in full international matches this year, making the selection process long and challenging. "Given the busy schedule this year and the opportunities we've had to train and play together, we were able to open the door of opportunity to many players," said Heinrichs. "What we found, and to no one's surprise, is that the cream rises to the top. I have the greatest confidence that these 18 players will compete with urgency necessary to meet our goals and expectations." The USA will enter the Olympics with the most experienced team in the tournament field, as 11 players will have played more than 100 times for their country. The Americans will need all that experience to navigate their way through a tremendously difficult first round that includes Norway, China and Nigeria. "I feel that all the matches we've played this year have prepared us for the difficult challenge in Australia," added Heinrichs. "We very much respect Norway, China and Nigeria, and understand that this is game full of adversity, but I'm confident that we have the team that can handle any challenge to again become the best team in the world." The U.S. women will play their first three Olympic matches at the 90,000-seat Melbourne Cricket Ground, facing Norway on Sept. 14, China on Sept. 17 and Nigeria on Sept. 20. The winner of the USA's group will play its semifinal in Canberra. The second place finisher in the group will play its semifinal in Sydney. The gold medal game will be played at the Sydney Football Stadium. Heinrichs also named four alternates in goalkeeper Jenni Branam, midfielder Michelle French, forward Christie Welsh and defender Nandi Pryce. Branam and French will travel to Australia and be on call if needed while Welsh and Pryce will stay with their college teams.
THREE TAR HEELS EARN PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA HONORS FROM SOCCER BUZZ: Soccer Buzz has announced its Elite 12 who make up our 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 18th 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 South Carolina game with 102 career points, just one point behind Angela Kelly (1991-94), who is in 17th place. Florance also now ranks 17th in career goals at UNC with 37, just one goal behind Kelly, who had 38 in her career. UNC seniors Florance and midfielder Raven McDonald are both on the Tar Heels' career chart in assists. Florance has 28 assists in her career to rank in a tie for 27th place. McDonald is tied for 29th place with 27 career assists.
TAR HEELS ON FIRE AFTER HALFTIME: North Carolina has outscored its opponents 25-5 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 21-2.
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.
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 470-19-11, a winning percentage of .951, all under Dorrance's brilliant coaching leadership.
THE LIKELY STARTING LINEUP: Carolina's starting lineup for Friday's game against South Carolina is likely to be as follows. It includes four seniors, three juniors, three 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
#1 Jenni Branam Sophomore
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 two teams ranked in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Top 25, defeating #11 Texas A&M 4-1 on August 27 and #16 Virginia 6-1 on September 1.
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 THIS WEEKEND'S OPPONENTS: Carolina has never faced either South Carolina or Oregon in the sport of women's soccer prior to this weekend's games in the Nike Carolina Classic.
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 has an all-time NCAA Tournament record of 61-3-0. That is a winning percentage of .953. The Tar Heels' 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 500 games in its illustrious soccer history, Carolina has outscored its opponents by 1,995 goals. Going into Friday's game against South Carolina, UNC has scored 2,215 goals in its history while allowing 220, a margin of 1,995 goals. Carolina has averaged scoring 4.44 goals per game in those 500 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 336-7-9, a winning percentage of .968. 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 200-7-2 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 351 games for a total of 31,865 minutes and 52 seconds. UNC has trailed in only 34 of those 351 games for a total of 808 minutes and four seconds.
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.
