The NCAA News - News Features

Division I

Tar Heels poised to repeat, but Old Dominion, Virginia ready to challenge

OVERVIEW: Defending champion North Carolina rules the roost, having avenged its only loss through 16 games with a 4-2 win at third-ranked Old Dominion October 26. Old Dominion won the earlier game, 4-3 in overtime, in Chapel Hill. The Heels' success comes as no surprise. They lost only all-NCAA tournament performer Kim Schroll from last year's team, which also featured Nancy Pelligreen, Kate Barber, Susannah Schott, Jana Withrow, and Christy Utter -- each an all-tournament selection. Pelligreen (16 goals, eight assists), Cindy Werley (15, nine), Schott (15, two) and Joy Driscoll (five, 20) lead an offense that has outscored its opponents by an average of more than three goals. Goalkeeper Withrow and the defense have allowed 0.97 goals per game. The Heels play a murderous schedule, which may force them to meet teams such as Maryland, Virginia and Old Dominion as many as four times. "We try not to put a face on our opposition," coach Karen Shelton-Scroggs said. "We try to play the toughest schedule we can so that it doesn't matter which team we are playing, they're all good. We try to concentrate on our own execution".... The announced crowd of 2,765 at Old Dominion's loss to North Carolina broke the Virginia school's regular-season attendance record of 1,976, also set against North Carolina, in 1993. Things got no better for Old Dominion the next day, when Virginia shut out the Lady Monarchs, 4-0, and handed them their fourth loss in nine games .... While the seven-time champions have faltered, in-state rival Virginia has beaten up on everyone but North Carolina. If not for two shutout losses to the Tar Heels, the Cavaliers would be undefeated. Excluding those contests, Virginia has won by an average score of 5-1 .... Second-ranked Iowa has lost only one game, a 2-1 setback at Maryland in late September. Diane DeMiro's 16 goals and six assists lead Iowa. Kristen Holmes leads in assists with 12 and also has nine goals .... Connecticut's only loss was a 2-0 decision to Old Dominion. The Huskies won their first 10 games and solidified their claim to Northeast supremacy with a 2-1 win over previously fifth-ranked Massachusetts October 26 .... 1995 runner-up Maryland, which lost by one goal to North Carolina in the teams' second meeting this year, also is a threat, as is Boston University, which has an opportunity to play for a title in its home city.

FIELD: Twelve teams will be selected, with at least one team coming from each of five regions.

DATES AND SITES: First- and second-round games will be played November 16-17 on campuses of competing institutions. The semifinals and championship will be November 23-24 at Boston College.

INFORMATION/RESULTS: The fax-on-demand telephone number is 770/399-3060 (passcode 1915); request numbers are 1321 for bracket/schedule, 5083 for semifinal results and 5084 for championship-game results. Game scores and pairings also will be available on the World Wide Web at www.ncaa.org. Championship results will be published in the December 2 issue of The NCAA News.

CHAMPIONSHIP NOTES: No team has repeated as champion since Old Dominion won in 1990 through 1992.