GoHeels Exclusive: Dorrance Dedication Day

By Pat James, GoHeels.com

Perhaps if it was someone else, Anson Dorrance wouldn't have been as cheerful.

But that Taylor Otto, his redshirt junior captain, doused him with ice water after the North Carolina women's soccer team's 3-0 win over rival Notre Dame last Sunday, Dorrance kept his cool. Still, that didn't mean he wasn't freezing, even amid the 90-plus degree heat.

"It's so uncomfortable that you want to turn around and strangle the person that poured it all over you," he said minutes later, his shirt still drenched. "Then you turn around and it's your captain who had a great game, so obviously, I restrained myself. But it's shocking. Trust me, ice down your back is shocking."

So is having something – anything – named after you.

Between having the field at the new UNC Soccer & Lacrosse Stadium dedicated to him during a pregame ceremony and the moment Otto poured water all over him, Dorrance expressed that sentiment several times on Sunday. Never did he think that the field he's roamed over 43 years of service to Carolina's soccer programs would bear his name. But now it does.

Dorrance Field couldn't be named anything else. All his current and former players would agree. And while the 22-time national champion might need more time to completely process his latest honor, its significance is not lost on him.

"We know all the cliches," Dorrance said. "We're in the 'Southern Part of Heaven.' So, to have a piece of heaven named after you is just extraordinary. I feel on top of cloud nine."

Because of what he's meant to them, multiple former players attended Sunday's festivities. But while only one spoke during the dedication ceremony, her message encompassed much of what they've all said over the years.

U.S. Women's National Team legend and current volunteer assistant coach Heather O'Reilly praised Dorrance for his ability to inspire. She also talked about how much he cares for his players. That's something she quickly realized when she enrolled at UNC in 2003, shortly after breaking her leg.

"It was the first time I ever sort of had a crisis of confidence," O'Reilly said. "And to be honest, I never thought I was going to be the same player that I was ever again. Anson took care of me. He put his arm around me and told me that they've got me, and I'll remember that support forever and ever. And it goes so much farther than soccer."

Bridgette Andrzejewski certainly understands that.

Among the seniors who pulled down a tarp to unveil the "Dorrance Field" signage under the press box during the dedication ceremony, she gave the Tar Heels the lead for good with her goal in the 28th minute of Sunday's game. As Dorrance noted, she was also the first player to score in the UNC Soccer & Lacrosse Stadium.

Andrzejewski said she was "lucky" to score both goals. That, however, didn't make them any less meaningful given the impact that Dorrance – who she described as "like a grandfather to me" – has had on her.

"I've gotten really close with him, not just as a coach," she said. "People always say this and it's true: He's really impacted my character. As much as I've succeeded because of his coaching and the players around me, I've really succeeded in my character development. I can give that one to him, for sure."

Although Dorrance said he didn't put any pressure on his players to win Sunday's game, Lotte Wubben-Moy implored her teammates beforehand to play for their head coach. The junior defender said that shows how much respect they have for him.

Even before she met him, Wubben-Moy held Dorrance in high regard, and the chance to play under his tutelage played a significant role in her decision to leave England for Chapel Hill.

"Who doesn't know Anson Dorrance?" she said. "Whenever I go back home, people question UNC, but they don't question Anson Dorrance when I say his name. So, I think that speaks to his reputation."

Speaking to the crowd during the dedication ceremony, Dorrance shared a couple of stories about his children, Michelle, Natalie and Donovan. The first revolved around the one time, back when he was the men's and women's coach, that both teams lost on the same day. He was still caught up in both losses when he sat down to play Snakes and Ladders with Michelle that evening. Before he knew it, he'd won. And his eldest child suddenly burst into tears.

"Daddy, I just wanted you to win something today," she told him.

Dorrance said he's told his wife, M'Liss, that he wants those words printed on his gravestone.

The other story hit closer to home on Sunday. In his eighth and final season as the head coach of the national team, Dorrance said he was offered the opportunity to coach the team full-time. He never really entertained that idea; he had no interest in leaving UNC, the home he'd never had.

But when he later called M'Liss and told her of his decision to resign from his position with the national team and dedicate himself to coaching at Carolina, she shared the news with Natalie. And once again, there were tears.

"Mom, does this mean daddy is not going to be famous anymore?" she said.

Whenever he's received any sort of honor since then, Dorrance has called or texted Natalie to remind her that he's still relevant. So, after thanking UNC Board of Trustees chairman Richard Stevens, Interim Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz and longtime friend and assistant coach Bill Palladino, among several others, he looked toward Natalie, then turned and pointed at the "Dorrance Field" signage and said:

"Hey, Natalie. Still famous."

Scoreboard Slider

University of North Carolina Athletics

Players Mentioned

Bridgette Andrzejewski

Taylor Otto

Lotte Wubben-Moy

Related Videos