Women's Soccer Championships
November 7, 2002 | Women's Soccer
1987, '88, '89, '90, '91 | 1992, '93, '94, '96, '97 | 1999, 2000
1981 Women's Soccer Championship
The University of North Carolina won its first national championship with a dominating 23-0 season that culminated in a 1-0 victory over Central Florida in the tournaments final weekend, where the Heels went three games in three days without giving up a single goal. The 1981 women's soccer championship was sponsored by the AIAW, and featured a 12 team National Tournament.
The tournament's final game saw UNC outshoot the Golden Knights of Central Florida 30-8. Despite the large shooting disparity the game stayed close, as Carolina only managed one goal on the day. The decisive score came when Diane Beatty knocked one home off of a Kathy Kelly corner kick with 19:36 left on the clock before halftime. The goal lifted the Heels to their first national title and capped a weekend of impressive soccer by from Carolina.
The team kicked off their dominating three day performance by defeating Massachusetts 6-0, one of 17 shutouts goalkeepers Marianne Johnson and Beth Huber would collect on the year. The two combined to yield only eight goals over Carolina's 23 game season. The day after the Massachusetts game the Heels faced Connecticut in the national semifinals. The game would be another shutout, with Carolina claiming victory by a score of 5-0 to advance to their finals shutout of Central Florida.
Winning three games in three days by a combined score of 12-0 was just one example of the many astounding things the 1981 team did that year. The Tar Heels asserted their dominance throughout the season, averaging 7.48 goals per contest. For the season Carolina scored a total of 172 goals, a mark which still stands as the school record.
On the season Carolina would score multiple goals in every game that they played, with the exception of the AIAW final against Central Florida. Central Florida would also be the only team to come within a point of Carolina on the year, their next closest decisions being a 2-0 victory at Connecticut during the regular season. The potent Carolina offense was led by 36-goal scorer Stephanie Zeh, a single season plateau that no other Tar Heel has ever reached. Zeh managed to find the back of the net in 14 of Carolina's 23 contests. But Zeh was not alone, getting 30 scores from teammate Janet Rayfield and 18 from Wendy Greenberg.
1982 Women's Soccer Championship
1982 was exciting in that it was the first year the NCAA served as the governing body for women's soccer, and North Carolina celebrated the fact by winning their second national championship in a row. Just like the year before, the Tar Heels faced and defeated the University of Central Florida for the championship, this time held in Orlando, Florida.
UNC defeated the Golden Knights by a score of 2-0, with reserve Betsy Johnson coming off the bench to score on a rebound late in the first half to break the scoreless tie. The goal would be all the Heels would need on the day, but Carolina later added an insurance goal from Amy Machin, whose 22 goals and 59 points led the Tar Heels on the season.
To get to the finals, the Tar Heels had to avenge one of their two losses on the season. On October 16th at the University of Central Florida Invitational the Heels dropped a game 1-2 against Missouri-St. Louis. But in the NCAA semifinals the Tar Heels would not be denied, reversing the score from the two teams earlier contest to claim a 2-1 win of their own.
Prior to the first game against Missouri-St. Louis the Tar Heels were cruising through their schedule, with early season victories over Virginia, Duke and Boston College helping Carolina to win its own Tar Heel invitational. In all, Carolina ripped off 10 consecutive wins to start the 1982 season, running their winning streak to 33 games counting the previous year's 23-0 mark. The streak ended with the Missouri-St, Louis loss. Carolina's only two losses on the year would end up being back to back, after a loss the next night to Cortland State.
Following the two losses in the UCF Invitational in Orlando Carolina began another impressive streak, finishing the year with nine consecutive victories. During the nine game span the Tar Heels allowed only one goal and outscored their opponents 51-1. The last two wins, in the NCAA semifinal and final, would come in Orlando, redemption for the two losses in the same city that proved to be the only losses the Heels would suffer during their 19-2 championship season.
1983 Women's Soccer Championship
Carolina would claim its third consecutive national championship in 1983 with a convincing victory in the NCAA finals over George Mason. In addition to being an impressive 19-1 championship season, 1983 will also be remembered as the first year for Carolina standout April Heinrichs.
The freshman would lead the Heels in scoring, tallying 18 goals and amassing 47 total points to pace the Carolina offense. Amy Machin would join Heinrichs at the forefront of the Carolina offense, netting 19 goals of her own. Heinrichs opened the scoring in the final against George Mason, adding a second goal later in the game as the Heels rolled past the Patriots 4-0. Carolina would wind up defeating George Mason three times on the year, giving up only one goal in the 270 minutes that they played against the Patriots.
The NCAA tournament began at home for the Heels, as Carolina defeated California 5-2 on their home field to advance yet again to the NCAA semifinals. There they would defeat Massachusetts 2-0.
As impressive as the end of the season was, the year began in quite inauspicious fashion, with Carolina on the losing end of a 1-3 decision at Connecticut in the Heels season opener. But the game would be the only one the Heels would lose, as they bounced back in their second game by defeating Boston College, beginning a streak of 19 consecutive wins on their way to the title.
During the season Heinrichs collected five assists in a game against Warren Wilson, a standard that has never been bested by any Tar Heel before or since. The Heels defense would also be strong for UNC all year, anchored by All America selection Suzy Cobb, who was named NCAA tournament Most Valuable Player. Heinrichs and Cobb would be joined by five Carolina teammates as All-NCAA Tournament selections.
1984 Women's Soccer Championship
In 1984 the University of North Carolina women's soccer team had one of the most dominant years in the history of soccer's most powerful programs. When the Tar Heels defeated the University of Connecticut 2-0 on Fetzer Field to win the NCAA championship, it capped a season that saw the Heels spend every week of the season as the nation's number one team on their way to an undefeated record.
The title game was the first NCAA championship decided on Fetzer Field, the home of the Tar Heels and a stadium originally built in 1935. In front of 3,500 fans April Heinrichs found the back of the net late in the second half, scoring what would ultimately be the championship game winning goal for the second consecutive year. Carolina would add another goal from Joan Dunlap-Seivold and complete the shutout behind keeper Beth Huber for a 2-0 victory and the Heels third consecutive NCAA title.
The Tar Heels chances of winning an NCAA title on their home field were almost dashed before even reaching the championship game thanks to a more than game California team. After taking care of Central Florida 4-1 in the quarterfinals, the Heels faced the Golden Bears in the semifinals the second time the two programs had faced off in the two school's collective histories.
The first had been the previous year, when UNC eliminated Cal from the NCAA's in the quarterfinal round 5-2. This time the score would be much closer, with Carolina taking the victory 2-1 in overtime via an Amy Machin score, in what happened to be the first overtime win in Carolina soccer history.
The Heels offense was once again paced by All-American April Heinrichs, who was named the Intercollegiate Soccer Association of America National Player of the Year. The ISAA gave Heinrichs the award after tallying 23 goals and 13 assists on the season. Joan Dunlap-Seivold was second on the squad with a total of 21 goals to go along with 13 assists of her own.
For all the Heels did on offense, their defense was equally spectacular. The Heels allowed only one goal through the first 17 games of the season, an ultimately meaningless score during a 6-1 win over Virginia. The only game on the season that Carolina would walk away from without a victory was a 1-1 tie at George Mason. The tie ended a 36 game winning streak for the Heels. For the regular season the Heels would get shutouts in 18 of 22 games, 21 of which they won on their way to a 24-0-1 record.
1986 Women's Soccer Championship
The 1986 season provided North Carolina with a challenge that they had never before had to face, the task of reclaiming the title of National Champion after losing in the national championship game the previous year to host George Mason. A hungry Carolina team did just that, with seniors April Heinrichs and Marcia McDermott making sure their Carolina careers ended in triumph.
The Heels avenged both of their losses from the previous year, first beating Massachusetts, the team that had ended UNC's 57 game winning streak. The 4-0 victory came in the season opener, and was followed a few weeks later by a 4-2 defeat of George Mason that gave Carolina some redemption for the loss in the previous year's championship. But that size of that win would pale in comparison to the next Tar Heel victory over George Mason.
After ripping through UC Santa Barbara 8-0 in the NCAA quarterfinals the Heels once again met up with rival George Mason in the semi's. Wendy Gebauer scored twice, but the game stayed tight and eventually went to overtime. In the extra session Carolina's standout senior stepped up and made sure George Mason would not knock the Tar Heels out again. Once again named National Player of the Year, April Heinrichs found the back of the net 5:50 into overtime to send UNC to the final.
Tracey Bates opened the scoring in the championship final against Colorado College. Heinrichs would later score the third time in her four-year career in which she had a goal in the NCAA final. The two goals would be the only ones scored on the day, as the Heels defeated Colorado College and reclaimed their status at the top of the mountain.
On the season North Carolina went 24-0-1, the tie coming in a 1-1 stalemate against Central Florida in the second game of the season. From there Carolina would fight their way to 23 consecutive wins, beginning an unbeaten streak that would continue for over 100 games and span the rest of the 80's.
1986 marked the end of the exceptional career of April Heinrichs, who amassed 225 points in her career. She scored 87 goals and was named a first team All-America forward her final three years. She was NCAA all tournament all four years and ranks second in points and third in career goals all time at North Carolina.