University of North Carolina Athletics
Quotes From The National Championship Press Conference
December 7, 2003 | Women's Soccer
Dec. 7, 2003
Recap| Box Score| Notes| Photo Gallery
Opening statement from Head Coach Anson Dorrance:
"First of all, I would like to congratulate Lenny Tsantiris and the University of Connecticut Huskies on their great season. It was a pleasure for me to coach against someone who is about my age for a change. I think they had a good game plan. Like few teams we have played this year, they were able to get behind us and for awhile, made our defense look very disorganized. But obviously, with our athleticism, it was tough for them to stay with us for 90 minutes. I am certainly very proud to be sitting here with this great collection of athletes and having won this Championship."
Sophomore Lori Chalupny on playing strong right from the start of the game:
"We were confident in our preparation...Connecticut is a great team...The score didn't dictate the way they played."
Senior Catherine Reddick on the 6-0 score:
"Yes, I am surprised. You never think that the score will be like it was in an NCAA Championship game. [Connecticut] played a great tournament. They're a great team. I think we put so much pressure on them that, toward the end of the game, they just couldn't hold on anymore. It is a testament to this team that we kept putting pressure on them. But the score doesn't deserve to be 6-0."
Dorrance on whether the game proved that there is no such thing as parity in women's college soccer:
"No, I think there is parity. But, when you talk about parity, the way people customarily use it, it's leveling it out at the top. Parity has taken an unseeded team like Connecticut and put them in a position to play for the national championship. Even though parity makes it tough on us, I think it makes it tougher on everyone else. A perfect example is Connecticut shooting through this year's tournament field. We're seeding 16 and for an unseeded team to be playing in the final, I think that's a wonderful example of parity...of parity through the entire NCAA bracket, not just through the season."
Dorrance on no shots on goal and what that says about parity:
"We read something in the paper that our defense was absolutely abominable. So, I think our defenders really stepped up in trying to close the door. Let me share some things that I did think were exceptional about Connecticut. They did get behind us on occasion. On transition, they were one of the best teams we played. We exert great pressure on the ball and during different stretches of the game, Connecticut was able to possess the ball under withering pressure, so I congratulate Lenny and his athletes."
Dorrance on comparing this year's team to previous years' teams:
"This team is an elite team that played the game at a pace few teams can match. The mobility on this team is also world-class. This is a college soccer team, but the mobility is [on an] international level. They're also relentless. Those two things separate them from other teams I've coached."
Chalupny on motivation for winning this game:
"We wanted to win this game more than anything for our seniors. We wanted to put them out on top."
Dorrance on pre-game warm-ups and Lori Chalupny:
"The warm-up wasn't that good today. We were a bit loose....But Lori Chalupny was ready to play. It was like she was shot out of a cannon...She was like a one woman army for us....It was Chalupny that was making things happen early."
Reddick on her emotions after today's win:
"I think most of my emotion is joy. These girls deserve [this win]. It makes me smile when we're hoisting up a trophy at the end."
