1997 NCAA Division I women's soccer tournament

The 1997 NCAA Division I women's soccer tournament (also known as the 1997 NCAA Women's College Cup) was the 16th annual single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of NCAA Division I women's collegiate soccer. The semifinals and championship game were played at the UNCG Soccer Stadium in Greensboro, North Carolina during December 1997.[1]

1997 NCAA women's soccer tournament
Women's College Cup (semifinals & final)
Tournament details
CountryUnited States
DatesNovember–December 1997
Teams32
Final positions
ChampionsNorth Carolina Tar Heels
(14th title, 16th College Cup)
Runner-upConnecticut Huskies
(3rd title match, 6th College Cup)
Semifinalists
Tournament statistics
Matches played31
Goals scored115 (3.71 per match)
Attendance40,572 (1,309 per match)
Top goal scorer(s)Sara Whalen, UConn (5)
Best playerRobin Confer, UNC (Offensive)
Siri Mullinix, UNC (Defensive)
← 1996
1998 →

All statistics correct as of 5/29/2015.

North Carolina defeated Connecticut in the final, 2–0, to win their fourteenth national title. Coached by Anson Dorrance, the Tar Heels finished the season 27–0–1.

The most outstanding offensive player was Robin Confer from North Carolina, and the most outstanding defensive player was Siri Mullinix, also from North Carolina. Confer and Mullinix, along with twelve other players, were named to the All-tournament team.

The tournament's leading scorer, with 5 goals, was Sara Whalen from Connecticut.

Qualification

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All Division I women's soccer programs were eligible to qualify for the tournament. The tournament field remained at 32 teams although it would expand again, to 48, in 1998.

Play-in games

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November 11
   
  Fairfield (MAAC, 17-3) 2
  Central Conn. State (NEC, 13-6) 1
November 11
   
  UNC Greensboro (Southern, 17-5) 5
  South Alabama (Big South, 18-2-1) 0
November 11
   
  Cincinnati (C-USA, 15-4-3) (OT) 2
  Georgia State (TAAC, 18-3-2) 1

Teams

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North Carolina Regional
Seed School Conference Berth Type Record
Florida SEC Automatic 19-2-1
George Mason CAA At-large 13-5-4
Harvard Ivy League Automatic 10-2-2
Maryland ACC At-large 12-8-3
Massachusetts Atlantic 10 Automatic 17-4
North Carolina ACC Automatic 22-0-1
Vanderbilt SEC At-large 14-7
Wake Forest ACC At-large 11-7-2
Santa Clara Regional
Seed School Conference Berth Type Record
BYU WAC At-large 19-3
Clemson ACC At-large 13-6
Duke ACC At-large 14-5-1
Georgia SEC At-large 15-5-1
Milwaukee Midwestern Collegiate Automatic 13-2-4
Minnesota Big Ten At-large 17-2-2
Santa Clara West Coast At-large 17-2-1
UNC Greensboro Southern Automatic 18-5
Connecticut Regional
Seed School Conference Berth Type Record
Colgate Patriot Automatic 13-3-3
Connecticut Big East At-large 19-3
Fairfield MAAC Automatic 18-3
Hartford America East Automatic 18-1-1
James Madison CAA At-large 13-6-2
Penn State Big Ten At-large 15-6-1
Virginia ACC At-large 13-4-2
William & Mary CAA Automatic 18-4
Notre Dame Regional
Seed School Conference Berth Type Record
Cincinnati Conference USA Automatic 16-4-3
Michigan Big Ten Automatic 18-3-1
Nebraska Big 12 At-large 17-3
Notre Dame Big East Automatic 20-0-1
Portland West Coast Automatic 14-4
SMU WAC Automatic 16-4-1
Texas A&M Big 12 Automatic 18-2
UCLA Pac-10 Automatic 17-2

Bracket

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First round Second round Third Round Semifinals
(Women's College Cup)
UNCG Soccer Stadium
Greensboro, North Carolina
Championship
(Women's College Cup)
UNCG Soccer Stadium
Greensboro, North Carolina
               
North Carolina 6
Wake Forest 0
North Carolina 5
Florida 0
Florida 3
Vanderbilt 2
North Carolina 1
Harvard 0
Harvard 2
UMass 0
Harvard (3OT) 2
George Mason 1
George Mason 2
Maryland 1
North Carolina 2
Santa Clara 1
UNC Greensboro (2OT) 3
Duke 1
UNC Greensboro 0
Clemson 5
Clemson 1
Georgia 0
Clemson 0
Santa Clara 3
Minnesota 2
Milwaukee 1
Minnesota 1
Santa Clara 5
Santa Clara 1
BYU 0
North Carolina 2
Connecticut 0
Connecticut 3
Fairfield 0
Connecticut (2OT) 2
Hartford 1
Hartford 4
Colgate 0
Connecticut 4
William & Mary 0
William & Mary (2OT) 3
Penn State 2
William & Mary 1
Virginia 0
Virginia 3
James Madison 1
Connecticut 2
Notre Dame 1
UCLA 1
Portland 0
UCLA 3
SMU 2
SMU 1
Texas A&M 0
UCLA 0
Notre Dame 8
Nebraska 5
Michigan 1
Nebraska 0
Notre Dame 6
Notre Dame 7
Cincinnati 1

All-tournament team

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Division I Women's Soccer Championship Results" (PDF). NCAA. NCAA.org. Retrieved May 29, 2015.