Country United States Teams 32 | Dates November–December 1997 | |
Champions North Carolina Tar Heels
(14th title, 16th College Cup) Runners-up Connecticut Huskies
(3rd title match, 6th College Cup) Semi-finalists Notre Dame Fighting Irish
(4th College Cup)
Santa Clara Broncos
(5th College Cup) | ||
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.
Contents
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
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.