After Amazing 2003 Campaign Tar Heels Seek Similar Results in '04
August 19, 2004 | Women's Soccer
Aug. 19, 2004
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - North Carolina head coach Anson Dorrance knows that the 2003 season will be a tough act to follow. "Virtually impossible," as he says. When the Tar Heels went wire to wire to finish 27-0-0 and claim its first NCAA championship since 2000, UNC also became the first team in women's college soccer to finish unbeaten and untied in a season since North Carolina had done so in 1993. "To have that kind of separation from the rest of the nation in the age of parity in women's college soccer is a powerful testament to the quality of our 2003 team," says Dorrance, who will be in his 26th year as the Carolina head mentor in 2004. "Our closest margin in any tournament game was three goals. The only team I can think of that had a similar run was the 1993 team. "It was also very satisfying because for the first half of the season we had to play without assistant coach Bill Palladino and National Team defender Catherine Reddick because of their World Cup obligations. Heather O'Reilly, coming off a broken leg, was not herself until late in the season, but then she came on like gangbusters., Amy Steadman, another player with National Team experience, was lost at mid-season with a torn ACL. Starting defender Jessica Maxwell missed most of the ACC and NCAA Tournaments. So despite these challenges, we really had some remarkable achievements." Carolina certainly did not start last year as a dominant team. Three times in the first six matches of the season UNC had to scratch out overtime victories. But the close calls helped the team develop character and establish an identity. "Early on the separation between us and our opponents did not exist," says Dorrance. "But it is always exciting to see where you start a season and then where you end up." Dorrance and the Tar Heels always put a premium on player development and in that respect what he saw in 2003 was eminently satisfying. "The improvement in Kacey White from her freshman to sophomore years was stunning. So was the improvement we saw in Carmen Watley. It is a measure of the respect they earned that they both played for the U.S. Under-21 National Team this past summer." Carolina will go into the 2004 campaign minus five seniors who all started in 2003 and were standout players in their four years at UNC. Replacing them will not be an easy task for Dorrance and his staff. "First off, we lose a great leader in Jordan Walker," says Dorrance. "I don't know if there was a minute she was on the field that she did not give us 100 percent. She was a great captain for us in the mold of Carla Werden, April Heinrichs and Marcia McDermott. "Catherine Reddick had an MVP year as a senior, winning the Honda Award and the Hermann Trophy. Carmen Watley showed vast improvement and earned her first membership ever on a National Team squad. "Maggie Tomecka saved her best for last and was just spectacular as a senior. We never wanted to take her out of the game. And Alyssa Ramsey developed into more of a playmaker on the front line as a senior. This gave us the kind of balance we needed on our front line and made us virtually impossible to stop over 90 minutes of play." Nevertheless, the Tar Heels will return plenty of firepower with 23 letter winners in the fold as Carolina prepares for the season opener at Nebraska on August 27. The forward line should be potent again led by 2003 National Player of the Year Lindsay Tarpley, 2003 National Freshman of the Year Heather O'Reilly and senior Anne Morrell who will most likely return to the starting lineup where she excelled as a freshman and sophomore. Tarpley and O'Reilly both played on the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team where they continued to hone their skills on the international level. A year ago, Tarpley was virtually unstoppable as she led the nation in scoring with 73 total points and in assists with 27. She also led UNC with 23 goals and she shared the team lead in game-winning goals with five. A consensus first-team All-America selection, Tarpley was named National Player of the Year last year by Soccer America, Soccer Times, Soccer Post and Soccer Buzz. She was the first player since Mia Hamm in 1993 to win ACC Player of the Year honors, lead the ACC in scoring and be named the Most Valuable Player of the ACC Tournament. "I don't think you could write a better script for a player than what has happened for Lindsay Tarpley," says Dorrance. "She has a chance to be one of the top players of her generation coming out of Kalamazoo, Mich. It is the equivalent of finding a world class ice hockey player in Mexico. She is a tactical genius and her agility goes a long way in separating her athletically from her peers." Tarpley will be joined on the front line by fellow Olympian O'Reilly, the consensus choice as the National Freshman of the Year in 2003. O'Reilly had broken her leg in June 2003 and that injury likely cost her a spot on the 2003 U.S. World Cup Team. Her recovery from the injury clearly affected her game at Carolina and after the first 15 games of the season she had scored only three goals. But beginning with UNC's 6-1 win over Clemson on October 17, O'Reilly really turned things on. In the last 12 games of the campaign the freshman phenom totaled 13 goals, including eight goals in six NCAA Tournament games. She finished the season as UNC's third-leading scorer with 43 points and she was second on the team behind Tarpley in goals with 16. "Heather O'Reilly brings such unbridled energy to the game," Dorrance explains. "When she takes the field, it is like lighting a fuse. She just takes off like she is shot out of a cannon. She makes a truly remarkable personal investment in her game. And the scary thing is that she will continue to develop as a goal scorer." After Morrell started her first two seasons at Carolina, she came off the bench last year but that made her no less valuable. She had a great season statistically with eight goals and seven assists. Behind this trio, Dorrance will have many options off the bench. Senior Mary McDowell can play up front and she is also a potential starter in the midfield for UNC. Freshman Jaime Gilbert comes to Carolina as the 11th-ranked recruit in the country according to Soccer America. Junior Leea Murphy has seen significant minutes over the past two years and sophomore Jennifer Perkins was one of Carolina's most improved players during spring practice and will definitely see more playing time. Senior Leigh Blomgren, a key reserve in recent years, underwent off-season surgery and will not be able to play in 2004 for Carolina. The Tar Heels have a lot of different starting options in the midfield unit led by returning All-America and first-team All-ACC players Lori Chalupny and Kacey White. "Lori Chalupny is the future of the United States in the midfield. I think she has the chance to be the country's best midfielder in 2004," says Dorrance. Chalupny was the fourth-leading scorer for UNC last year with 11 goals and 12 assists for 34 points. She shared the team lead with five game-winning goals. She was a consensus first-team All-America selection. White showed tremendous improvement last season and finished with six goals and 16 assists on the season. "If Kacey White continues to improve at the same rate you will see an exquisite flank midfield personality," says Dorrance. The other players in the starting mix in the midfield include seniors Mary McDowell and Anne Felts as well as sophomores Elizabeth Guess and Amy Steadman. Dorrance also expects incoming freshman Julie Yates from Winston-Salem, N.C., to see significant playing time in the midfield. McDowell was a key player off the bench for the Tar Heels in their 2003 championship season and she finished the year with four goals and 12 assists. Her versatility is a key element in the Tar Heel attack as she can play just as easily in the forward line or in the midfield. Guess was the chief backup for UNC at the holding midfield position in 2003 and she is now ready to take over the starting position there. Guess also showed a strong offensive presence as a freshman with seven goals and two assists. Felts is a warrior with three years of experience and Steadman seeks to come back from a torn ACL which cut her freshman season short after only 14 games played. Defensively, Carolina will be led by three returning starters, a group which includes junior goalkeeper Aly Winget, junior defender Kendall Fletcher and sophomore defender Jessica Maxwell, who has spent much of 2004 competing for the U.S. Under-19 National Team. Winget came into her own last season and she finished the year ranked second nationally in goals against average at 0.43. "Aly Winget is coming off a brilliant sophomore campaign where she showed great consistency," says Dorrance. "She needs to shore up her discipline but her height and her courage separate her from the average goalie. She is willing to take amazing physical risks." "Kendall Fletcher's greatest emergence has been in her role as a field general. She will be our leader on the field this season. She is a great organizer and verbal leader," Dorrance expounds. "Jessica Maxwell is one of the best defenders in the game. All she needs to continue to do is play with the brilliance she did before she got hurt last season." The remaining starter on defense will come from a group including senior Sara Randolph, sophomore Amy Steadman and a pair of freshmen -- Robyn Gayle and Katie Brooks. Randolph is a three-year veteran with starting experience in both the midfield and on defense. Steadman could be shifted from the midfield to defense if the Tar Heels need her services there. Gayle is a veteran of the Canadian Under-19 National Team who could step in right away and Brooks is a phenomenal athlete who will also be playing lacrosse at Carolina. Sophomore Elizabeth Lancaster will be counted on to be the chief backup to Winget in the goal for UNC just as she was last season.
