University of North Carolina Athletics
UNC Star Higgins Tapped For Soccer Hall Of Fame
June 25, 2002 | Women's Soccer
June 25, 2002
ONEONTA, N.Y. - Former North Carolina star Shannon Higgins-Cirovski, Vladislav "Bogie" Bogicevic and Adolph Bachmeier were selected Monday for induction into the National Soccer Hall of Fame.
The three, all midfielders, represent different eras in U.S. soccer history.
"Obviously we felt it was only a matter of time until Shannon was elected to the Soccer Hall of Fame. When she played here at UNC she had one of the great soccer minds I've ever been around in the college game," says UNC head soccer coach Anson Dorrance. "She was an exceptional tactical player. Even more impressively she left her mark all over the 1991 World Cup Championship team. She was one of the great architects of that team's success."
Higgins-Cirovski, the women's soccer coach at Maryland, was the playmaker for the 1991 FIFA World Champion U.S. national team. Her free kick set up the first goal in the 2-1 victory over Norway.
She is the third female player, all from the 1991 team, elected to the Hall of Fame and, at 34, the youngest player ever elected. She also played on four NCAA championship teams at UNC. In her final season, she won the Hermann Trophy, emblematic of the top player in women's collegiate soccer.
achmeier captained the U.S. team during the difficult building period of the 1960s and 1970s. Bogicevic was a star with the Cosmos of the North American Soccer League in the 1970s and 1980s. Higgins was the standout midfielder for the U.S. women's team in the 1980s and early 1990s.
achmeier played for the Chicago Kickers of the National Soccer League of Chicago and the Chicago Mustangs of the NASL. He also appeared in 22 matches for the U.S. national team, including the qualification matches for the 1966 and 1970 World Cups, serving as team captain in the latter. He also played in the 1963 Pan American Games and the 1964 Olympic qualifiers.
ogicevic, a Yugoslav international who joined the Cosmos in 1978, is coaching the Yugoslav national team and has served as an adviser to several international teams.
During his six years with the Cosmos, the team won championships in 1978, 1980 and 1982. He was selected to the NASL all-star team every year and led the league in assists from 1981-83.
Induction ceremonies are Oct. 14.
