- North Carolina Tar Heels women's soccer
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North Carolina Tar Heels
women's soccer
University University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Conference ACC Founded [[{{{founded}}}]] Location Chapel Hill, NC Head Coach Anson Dorrance (29th year) Stadium Fetzer Field
(Capacity: 6,000)Nickname Tar Heels Colors Carolina Blue and White 
HomeAwayNCAA Tournament Champions 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2008, 2009 NCAA Tournament Runner Up 1985, 1998, 2001 NCAA Semifinal Appearances 1995, 2002 NCAA Tournament Appearances 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 [1] Conference Tournament Champions 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 Conference Regular Season Champions 1987, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 
North Carolina Tar Heels celebrate winning the 2006 Women's College Cup.
The North Carolina Tar Heels women's soccer team represent the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the Atlantic Coast Conference of NCAA Division I soccer.[2] The team has won 20 of the 22 Atlantic Coast Conference championships, and 20 of the 28 NCAA national championships.
Contents
History
The UNC women's soccer team began as a club team established by students looking for high level competition. In 1977, they petitioned the UNC Athletic Director, Bill Cobey, to take the club to the varsity level. Cobey asked Anson Dorrance, then the UNC men's soccer coach to assess the club's ability to transition to varsity status. Dorrance was impressed by the team, then coached by Mike Byers to recommend the school form a women's soccer team. Cobey agreed and hired Dorrance as head coach, with Byers as an assistant, for the 1978 season. That year, the Tar Heels played an essentially club schedule, including games against high school teams. However, in 1979, the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women, at the prompting of Dorrance and University of Colorado coach, Chris Lidstone, established a national women's soccer program.[3] At the time, UNC had the only varsity women's soccer team in the Southeast and this allowed Dorrance to recruit the top talent in the region. In 1981, he recruited one of the most talented freshman squads in the history of women's soccer. Eight of those recruits won starting positions and took the team to the first, and only, AIAW national championship. This group would set the tone for Tar Heels soccer for down through its history. As Dorrance recalls it, "These were the true pioneers. They were given nothing. They were accustomed to taking things and so they weren't as genteel as the sort of young ladies we can recruit now. . . They were the sort of girls who would go downtown, burn it to the ground, . . . But then, they were on time for every single practice and in practice they worked themselves until they were bleeding and throwing up. They had a tremendous commitment to victory and to personal athletic excellence. And for that I admired them because they were a tremendous group. And even though, off the field, I think they all hated each other. But once the game began, there was a collective fury that just intimidated everyone they played against."[4] Building on that competitive drive, the Tar Heels went on to win the first three NCAA championships, and dominate the sport for years to come.
All-Time Record
Year Head Coach Overall ACC ACC Tournament NCAA Tournament 1979 Anson Dorrance 10-2-0 - - - 1980 21-5-0 - - AIAW Semifinals 1981 23-0-0 - - AIAW Champions 1982 19-2-0 - - Champions 1983 19-1-0 - - Champions 1984 24-0-1 - - Champions 1985 18-2-1 - - Runner Up 1986 24-0-1 - - Champions 1987 23-0-1 3-0-0 - Champions 1988 18-0-3 1-0-1 Runner Up Champions 1989 24-0-1 4-0-0 Champions Champions 1990 20-1-1 4-0-0 Champions Champions 1991 24-0-0 4-0-0 Champions Champions 1992 25-0-0 4-0-0 Champions Champions 1993 23-0-0 4-0-0 Champions Champions 1994 25-1-1 5-1-0 Champions Champions 1995 25-1-0 7-0-0 Champions Semifinals 1996 25-1-0 7-0-0 Champions Champions 1997 27-0-1 7-0-0 Champions Champions 1998 25-1-0 7-0-0 Champions Runner Up 1999 24-2-0 7-0-0 Champions Champions 2000 21-3-0 4-3-0 Champions Champions 2001 24-1-0 7-0-0 Champions Runner Up 2002 21-2-4 4-1-2 Champions Semifinals 2003 27-0-0 7-0-0 Champions Champions 2004 20-1-2 9-0-0 Runner Up Third Round 2005 23-1-1 9-1-0 Champions Quarterfinals 2006 27-1-0 10-0-0 Champions Champions 2007 19-5-1 9-1-0 Champions Third Round 2008 25-1-2 9-0-1 Champions Champions 2009 23-3-1 9-3-0 Champions Champions 2010 19-3-2 9-3-0 Semifinalists Third Round Individual honors
National Coach of the Year:
- Anson Dorrance - 1982, 1986, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2006
ACC Coach of the Year:
- Anson Dorrance - 1982, 1986, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2006
- Shannon Higgins - 1989
- Kristine Lilly - 1991
- Mia Hamm - 1992, 1993
- Tisha Venturini - 1994
- Cindy Parlow - 1997, 1998
- Cat Reddick - 2003
ACC Player of the Year:
- Mia Hamm - 1990, 1992, 1993
- Cindy Parlow - 1998
ACC Offensive Player of the Year:
- Heather O'Reilly - 2005
- Yael Averbuch - 2006
ACC Rookie of the Year:
- Tisha Venturini - 1991
- Cindy Parlow - 1995
- Laurie Schway - 1996
- Lindsay Tarpley - 2002
NCAA Tournament MVP:
- April Heinrichs - 1984 (last year overall MVP named)
Offensive Player of the NCAA Tournament:
- April Heinrichs - 1985, 1986
- Kristine Lilly - 1989, 1990
- Mia Hamm - 1992, 1993
- Tisha Venturini - 1994
- Debbie Keller - 1996
- Robin Confer - 1997
- Susan Bush - 1999
- Meredith Florance - 2000
- Heather O’Reilly - 2003, 2006
Defensive Player of the Tournament:
- Suzy Cobb - 1983
- Carla Overbeck - 1988
- Tracy Bates - 1989
- Tisha Venturini - 1991
- Staci Wilson - 1994
- Nel Fettig - 1996
- Siri Mullinix - 1997
- Lorrie Fair - 1999
- Cat Reddick - 2000, 2003
- Robin Gayle - 2006
First Team All America Selection: As of 2006, North Carolina had 62 players gain first-team All American recognition. The next two schools with the greatest number of All Americans were tied with twenty-two each.[5]
References
- ^ "2009 North Carolina Women's Soccer Media Guide." "tarheelblue.com." Retrieved on May 20, 2010.
- ^ "2007 North Carolina Women's Soccer Media Guide." tarheelblue.com. Retrieved on March 23, 2009.
- ^ EXPLAINING VARIATION IN THE SEX COMPOSITION OF COACHES FOR WOMEN’S INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETIC TEAMS
- ^ Interview with Anson Dorrance, June 11, 1991
- ^ "Official 2006 NCAA Men's and Women's Soccer Records Book." ncaa.org. Retrieved on March 23, 2008.
Categories:- North Carolina Tar Heels women's soccer
- North Carolina soccer teams
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