2006 NCAA Championship Review 2006 CAROLINA POSTSEASON The University of North Carolina entered the HONOR ROLL PART 1 2006 Honda Broderick Cup Finalist 2006 season in the unaccustomed position of Heather O’Reilly, Sr., F being ranked no higher than third in any of the 2006 Honda Soccer Award Winner four major national polls. For a program which Heather O’Reilly, Sr., F had won 18 national championships between 2006 Soccer America Player of the Year Heather O’Reilly, Sr., F 1981 and 2005, these kinds of preseason rank - 2006 Soccer Buzz Player of the Year ings were not the norm. Carolina began the Yael Averbuch, So., MF season third in two polls, fourth in another and 2006 Honda Soccer Award Finalists Heather O’Reilly, Sr., F sixth in the Soccer Buzz poll. Yael Averbuch, So., MF But the poll rankings seem warranted. The 2006 Hermann Trophy Finalists departed 2005 senior class had included five All- Heather O’Reilly, Sr., F Americas in its ranks, including three current Yael Averbuch, So., MF U.S. full national team members. Coach Anson 2006 Soccer Buzz Player of the Year Finalists Heather O’Reilly, Sr., F Dorrance knew that he would have to rely on a Yael Averbuch, So., MF large contingent of freshmen in order to be a 2006 Soccer Buzz Freshmen of the Year Finalists competitive team, much less a dominant entity. Tobin Heath, Fr., MF Nikki Washington, Fr., MF When the Tar Heels began the season with its Top Drawer Soccer Player of the Season first loss in a season opener since 1983, for a Yael Averbuch, So., MF very small window of time there was the belief ACC Offensive Player of the Year that the preseason rankings were deserved. But Yael Averbuch, So., MF All-ACC First Team that season-opening night in College Station, Heather O’Reilly, Sr., F Texas was the first major defining moment of Yael Averbuch, So., MF what would eventually become a 27-1 season, a All-ACC Second Team campaign which culminated with a 19th national Tobin Heath, Fr., MF Jessica Maxwell, Jr., D championship. Nikki Washington, Fr., MF Before an NCAA regular season record crowd All-ACC Freshman Team of 8,204 fans, Texas A&M (preseason No. 9) Whitney Engen, Fr., F Tobin Heath, Fr., MF scored in the 108th minute to vanquish the Tar Nikki Washington, Fr., MF Heels 1-0. Two days later, the Tar Heels trav - ACC Tournament MVP eled to Dallas without star striker Heather Elizabeth Guess, Sr., F O’Reilly, who was playing that day with the U.S. ACC All-Tournament Team Elizabeth Guess, Sr., F National Team, and beat an NCAA Tournament Whitney Engen, Fr., F bound SMU team 3-0. That would be the first of Jessica Maxwell, Sr., D 27 successive wins for Carolina, but even for a Yael Averbuch, So., MF program of UNC’s tradition, it’s unlikely that Heather O’Reilly, Sr., F Robyn Gayle, Jr., MF many people thought the Heels would traverse ACC Coach of the Year the remainder of the 2006 campaign unscathed. Anson Dorrance The 27 wins not only led to an NCAA champi - NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Offensive Player onship but they also tied the Tar Heels’ 1997 and Heather O’Reilly, Sr., F NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Defensive Player 2003 teams as the winningest teams in NCAA Robyn Gayle, Jr., D history in terms of total wins. UNC had won College Cup All-Tournament Team NCAA championships in those years by going Yael Averbuch, So., MF 27-0-1 in 1997 and 27-0 in 2003. Kristi Eveland, Fr., D Robyn Gayle, Jr., D When the polls came out the following week Tobin Heath, Fr., MF Carolina had fallen to as far as No. 9 in the Casey Nogueira, Fr., F Soccer America poll. And thus would begin the Heather O’Reilly, Sr, F Tar Heel ascent to a championship. 2007 NCAA Today’s Top VIII Award Heather O’Reilly, Sr., F One of the big surprises was that despite los - ACC Weaver-James-Corrigan Honorary Award ing those five starters to graduation, it was Heather O’Reilly, Sr., F becoming quickly apparent that returning starters CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Team Yael Averbuch, So., MF from the ‘05 squad were being pushed for play - Anna Rodenbough, So., GK ing time by members of the large freshman Heather O’Reilly, Sr., F class. With every passing match, Carolina was CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Team becoming more experienced while at the same Heather O’Reilly, Sr., F, 1st Team Anna Rodenbough, So., GK, 2nd Team time developing significant depth. Yael Averbuch, So., MF, 3rd Team CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Women’s Soccer Academic All-America of the Year Heather O’Reilly, Sr., F CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America of the Year Second Runnerup Heather O’Reilly, Sr., F NSCAA/adidas Women’s Soccer South Region Scholar- Athlete Team Heather O’Reilly, Sr., F NSCAA/adidas Women’s Soccer Scholar Athlete of the Year Heather O’Reilly, Sr., F Marty Glickman Outstanding Jewish Scholastic Athlete of the Year Yael Averbuch, So., MF All-ACC Academic Yael Averbuch, So., MF Whitney Engen, Fr., F Kristi Eveland, Fr., D Ali Hawkins, Fr., MF Tobin Heath, Fr., MF Heather O’Reilly, Sr., F Anna Rodenbough, So., GK 2007 UNC WOMEN’S SOCCER • PAGE 8 2006 NCAA Championship Review After a midweek win over UNC Greensboro, 2006 CAROLINA POSTSEASON 2006 SCHEDULE & RESULTS (27-1, ACC 10-0) HONOR ROLL PART 2 Carolina traveled to New Haven, Conn. to play three Date Opponent Final Score NSCAA All-America Team - First Team days later in the East Coast Invitational. In that Heather O’Reilly, Sr., F Aug. 25 at No. 9 Texas A&M L 0-1 (2 OT) Yael Averbuch, So., MF September 1 night game against UConn, the Tar Aug. 27 at SMU W 3-0 NSCAA All-America Team - Second Team Heels were thoroughly outplayed in the first half and Aug. 29 UNC GREENSBORO W 1-0 Jessica Maxwell, Jr., D trailed 2-0 at intermission. Carolina was just 45 min - Soccer America MVPs (All-America Team) utes from suffering a second loss just four matches EAST COAST INVITATIONAL Heather O’Reilly, Sr., F Yael Averbuch, So., MF into the season. But in the second half of that game (NEW HAVEN, CONN.) Soccer America Freshman All-America Team - First Team Carolina outshot the Huskies 16-1 and behind goals Sept. 1 vs. No. 18 Connecticut W 3-2 Casey Nogueira, Fr., F by Sterling Smith, Ali Hawkins and Libby Guess ral - Sept. 3 at No. 23 Yale W 4-0 Tobin Heath, Fr., MF lied for a 3-2 win. Two days later the Tar Heels beat NIKE PORTLAND INVITATIONAL (PORTLAND, ORE.) Kristi Eveland, Fr., D Sept. 8 vs. Washington W 4-0 host Yale 4-0 with Yael Averbuch setting an NCAA Soccer America Freshman All-America Team - Second Sept. 10 at No. 9 Portland W 1-0 Team women’s soccer record for fastest goal by scoring DUKE ADIDAS CLASSIC (DURHAM, N.C.) Nikki Washington, Fr., MF four seconds into the match. Whitney Engen, Fr., F Sept. 15 vs. Marquette W 2-0 Soccer Buzz All-America Team - First Team UNC went cross country the following weekend and Sept. 17 vs. Florida W 1-0 Heather O’Reilly, Sr., F beat defending NCAA champion Portland 1-0 on its Yael Averbuch, So., MF home field behind the first goal of Casey Nogueira’s Sept. 21 No. 2 FLORIDA STATE W 2-1 Jessica Maxwell, Jr., D career. At the Duke adidas Classic a week later, Sept. 24 MIAMI W 6-1 Soccer Buzz All-America Team - Second Team Tobin Heath, Fr., MF Carolina blanked a pair of NCAA Tournament bound Sept. 28 at Clemson W 2-0 Soccer Buzz All-America Team - Fourth Team teams, Marquette and Florida, to finish the non-con - Oct. 1 MARYLAND W 3-0 Robyn Gayle, Jr., D ference slate at 8-1. Oct. 5 at No. 16 Virginia W 2-0 Soccer Buzz Freshman All-America Team - First Team Oct. 8 at No. 24 Duke W 3-0 North Carolina went 10-0 in the ACC regular sea - Tobin Heath, Fr., MF Oct. 12 No. 19 BOSTON COLLEGE W 3-1 Nikki Washington, Fr., MF son, allowing only four goals in the process. On Oct. 15 VIRGINIA TECH W 1-0 Soccer Buzz Freshman All-America Team - Second Team September 21, Florida State came to Fetzer Field Kristi Eveland, Fr., D Oct. 19 at NC State W 4-1 Whitney Engen, Fr, F ranked No. 1 by Soccer America for a nationally-tele - Oct. 27 No. 20 WAKE FOREST W 4-0 Top Drawer Soccer Team of the Season - First Team vised match on Fox Soccer Channel. It was the first Heather O’Reilly, Sr., F time since 1991 that a No. 1-ranked team played the ACC CHAMPIONSHIP (CARY, N.C.) Yael Averbuch, So., MF Heels at Fetzer. In a thriller, Heather O’Reilly’s two Nov. 1 NC State W 3-0 Top Drawer Soccer Team of the Season - Third Team Nov. 3 No. 25 Clemson W 3-0 Kristi Eveland, Fr., D goals, the second in the 84th minute, gave North Nov. 5 No. 6 Florida State W 2-1 (OT) Top Drawer Soccer All-Rookie Team - First Team Carolina a 2-1 win. Kristi Eveland, Fr., D Carolina successfully defended its ACC Tournament NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP (CHAPEL HILL, N.C.) Nov.