University of North Carolina Athletics
From Fetzer To Finley
November 10, 2003 | Women's Soccer
Nov. 10, 2003
By Dave Lohse
Associate Athletic Communications Director
When the North Carolina women's soccer team walked off the pitch at SAS Soccer Park around 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, November 9, there was both thrill and relief. While the Tar Heels had captured a 15th straight ACC championship, they had been tested to the limit by a ninth-ranked Florida State team which refused to play in awe of the Tar Heels.
Maybe that's because the Seminoles are coached by Patrick Baker, one of Anson Dorrance's best friends in the coaching business. Maybe it was because Baker's chief assistant, Robin Confer, was the National Player of the Year at Carolina in 1997. They knew how to prepare their team to take the best shots of UNC and still be standing at the end.
The end resulted in a 3-2 win and a great game for television as the match was televised up and down the East Coast. But it was far from easy even after UNC finished off a regular season and ACC Tournament with a flawless 21-0 ledger. The last time UNC had been so tested in an ACC Tournament final was 1988 when NC State eventually took home the trophy on a penalty kick shootout.
The whole week had not been easy in many aspects. In the quarterfinals, eighth-seeded NC State scored two goals early in the first half and UNC was facing a two-goal deficit for the first time since the 2002 NCAA semifinals. UNC roared back with six in a row but State had made a point. Carolina was the better team but opponents knew they could score.
In the semifinals, UNC had a particular resolve against Duke. It was Carolina that scored early only to commit a tragic error when Carmen Watley's pass back to goalkeeper Aly Winget ended up in the goal. Suddenly it was 1-1. But UNC took the lead again quickly, always something that is key after being deflated by an own goal.
The second half the Tar Heels were almost exploded out of a canon as they registered four goals, virtually all on plays that Dorrance would have drawn up on a dry eraser board. That night the heroes came from everywhere led by Alyssa Ramsey who set an ACC Tournament record for points in a game with seven, six of them after halftime.
Championship Sunday arrived chilly and windy, Chicago-style windy. The team going into the wind struggled mightily. In the first half that was Carolina and it greatly impeded it style of play. When the Tar Heels found themselves down 2-1 at the half it was the first deficit at intermission they had faced all year.
Fortunately for Carolina the equalizer came just over five minutes into the second half as Jordan Walker, Lindsay Tarpley and Kendall Fletcher hooked up on a goal that made it 2-2. That took a lot of pressure off.
For over 35 minutes after that Carolina made run after run downfield but could not make the final pass or crack a good Florida State defense.
ut the game changed on one unfortunate play by Florida State standards. A pass into the penalty area resulted in a hand ball, a cruel fate which leads to a penalty kick from 12 yards away with only the goalie in between.
Up stepped Catherine Reddick, a player Dorrance has said has the strongest leg he has ever seen in women's soccer at any level. Reddick shoots the ball so hard that it is very difficult to save, maybe even impossible. That is as long as Reddick puts it on the frame of the goal. With the velocity she generates it is not uncommon for the ball to sail high or crack off a crossbar, shaking it in the process.
This time Reddick was true as her howitzer went into the upper right corner.
UNC celebrated another ACC championship. This time earned, hardly given.
