# 2003 USL W-League season

The 2003 W-League Season was the 9th season of the USL W-League, the second-highest division of women's soccer in the United States. The Boston Renegades were the defending champions. The Hampton Roads Piranhas were crowned champions after defeating the Chicago Cobras in the Championship game.

## Changes from the 2002 season
### Format changes

The league went to the standard FIFA match points format: 3 points for a win (down from the previous 4), 1 for a draw, 0 for a loss, and eliminated bonus points for 3 or more goals scored.

### Name changes

One team changed their name in the off-season:
| Team Name | Metro Area | Previous Name |
| Vancouver Whitecaps Women | Vancouver area | Vancouver Breakers |

### Expansion teams

One team joined the league ahead of the start of the season:
| Team Name | Metro Area | Location | Previous Affiliation |
| Columbus Lady Shooting Stars | Columbus area | Columbus, OH | Expansion |

### Teams leaving

Two teams left to join the WPSL:
* Maryland Pride
* Rhode Island Rays
Eight teams folded after the 2002 season:
* Albuquerque Crush
* Jacksonville Jade
* Kansas City Mystics
* Kentucky Fillies
* Memphis Mercury
* Oklahoma Outrage
* Tampa Bay Xtreme
* Texas Odyssey

## Standings

Blue indicates division title clinched Green indicates playoff berth clinched

### Central Conference
#### Atlantic Division

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Hampton Roads Piranhas | 12 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 5 | +28 | 36 |
| 2 | Charlotte Lady Eagles | 12 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 35 | 11 | +24 | 27 |
| 3 | Northern Virginia Majestics | 12 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 16 | 21 | −5 | 15 |
| 4 | Asheville Splash | 12 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 14 | 24 | −10 | 9 |
| 5 | Greensboro Twisters | 12 | 2 | 10 | 0 | 8 | 34 | −26 | 6 |

#### Midwest Division

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Chicago Cobras | 12 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 33 | 8 | +25 | 31 |
| 2 | Northern Kentucky TC Stars | 12 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 16 | 21 | −5 | 17 |
| 3 | Columbus Lady Shooting Stars | 12 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 11 | 15 | −4 | 15 |
| 4 | Cincinnati Ladyhawks | 12 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 12 | 17 | −5 | 13 |
| 5 | Windy City Bluez | 12 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 18 | 29 | −11 | 10 |

### Eastern Conference
#### Northeast Division

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | New Jersey Lady Stallions | 14 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 36 | 11 | +25 | 33 |
| 2 | Long Island Lady Riders | 14 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 35 | 21 | +14 | 27 |
| 3 | New Jersey Wildcats | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 29 | 20 | +9 | 21 |
| 4 | New York Magic | 14 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 33 | 25 | +8 | 21 |
| 5 | South Jersey Banshees* | 14 | 1 | 13 | 0 | 8 | 48 | −40 | 0 |
* ↑ South Jersey had 3 points deducted for violations.

#### Northern Division

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Boston Renegades | 14 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 60 | 5 | +55 | 40 |
| 2 | Ottawa Fury Women | 14 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 61 | 9 | +52 | 34 |
| 3 | Toronto Inferno | 14 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 32 | 31 | +1 | 19 |
| 4 | New Hampshire Lady Phantoms | 14 | 3 | 11 | 0 | 21 | 53 | −32 | 9 |
| 5 | Rochester Ravens | 14 | 0 | 13 | 1 | 4 | 96 | −92 | 1 |

### Western Conference

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Vancouver Whitecaps Women | 12 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 51 | 10 | +41 | 31 |
| 2 | Seattle Sounders Women | 12 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 35 | 8 | +27 | 25 |
| 3 | Denver Lady Cougars | 12 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 36 | 24 | +12 | 20 |
| 4 | Arizona Heatwave | 12 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 21 | 24 | −3 | 18 |
| 5 | Fort Collins Force | 12 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 16 | 39 | −23 | 10 |
| 6 | Mile High Mustangs | 12 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 5 | 62 | −57 | 1 |

## Playoffs
### Format

Four teams from both the Central and Eastern Conferences and two from the Western Conference qualified for the playoffs. All playoff matchups were in single-leg elimination tournament format with the higher seeded team hosting until the national semifinals. Seeding was determined by league record, with the Boston Renegades seeded first with 39 points. The host of the national semifinals was determined by bids at the 2002 USL Annual General Meeting.
In the Central and Eastern Conferences, the top two teams from each division played, and then divisional winners played for the conference championship and to advance to the national semifinals.
The top two teams in the Western Conference, having only one division, played each other to advance to the semifinals.
As hosts, the Hampton Roads Piranhas received a bye into the W-League national semifinals, with the third-place team from the Atlantic Division receiving a playoff berth. The W-League Championship final was televised live on Fox Sports World.

### Conference Brackets

Central Conference
| Divisional Championships | Divisional Championships | Divisional Championships | Central Championship | Central Championship | Central Championship |
| MW1 | Chicago Cobras | 9 | | | |
| MW2 | Northern Kentucky TC Stars | 1 | | | |
| MW2 | Northern Kentucky TC Stars | 1 | MW1 | Chicago Cobras | 3 |
| | | | AT1 | Charlotte Lady Eagles | 1 |
| AT1 | Charlotte Lady Eagles | 4 | AT1 | Charlotte Lady Eagles | 1 |
| AT2 | Northern Virginia Majestics | 1 | | | |
Eastern Conference
| Divisional Championships | Divisional Championships | Divisional Championships | Eastern Championship | Eastern Championship | Eastern Championship |
| NO1 | Boston Renegades | 2 | | | |
| NO2 | Ottawa Fury Women | 3 | | | |
| NO2 | Ottawa Fury Women | 3 | NO2 | Ottawa Fury Women | 4 |
| | | | NE1 | New Jersey Lady Stallions | 2 |
| NE1 | New Jersey Lady Stallions | 4 | NE1 | New Jersey Lady Stallions | 2 |
| NE2 | Long Island Lady Riders | 2 | | | |
Western Conference
| Western Finals | Western Finals | Western Finals |
| W1 | Vancouver Whitecaps Women (AET/PK) | 2 (1) |
| W2 | Seattle Sounders Women | 2 (3) |

### W-League Championship Bracket

| Semifinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | Championship | Championship | Championship |
| WL | Hampton Roads Piranhas | 4 | | | |
| W2 | Seattle Sounders Women | 1 | | | |
| W2 | Seattle Sounders Women | 1 | WL | Hampton Roads Piranhas | 1 |
| | | | MW1 | Chicago Cobras | 0 |
| MW1 | Chicago Cobras | 3 | MW1 | Chicago Cobras | 0 |
| NO2 | Ottawa Fury Women | 0 | Third Place | Third Place | Third Place |
| | | | W2 | Seattle Sounders Women | 4 |
| | | | NO2 | Ottawa Fury Women | 1 |

### W-League Championship
## Season statistics

* Scoring Champion: Jeanette Akerlund (Ottawa Fury Women) and Kelly Parker (Ottawa Fury Women) (32 points)
* Goal Scoring Champion: Jeanette Akerlund (Ottawa Fury Women) and Carrie Kveton (Boston Renegades) (14 goals)
* Assist Leader: Rhian Wilkinson (Ottawa Fury Women) (7 assists)

## Awards

* Most Valuable Player: Phebe Trotman (Vancouver Whitecaps Women)
* Rookie of the Year: Stacey Stocco (Boston Renegades)
* Defender of the Year: Fanta Cooper (Chicago Cobras)
* Coach of the Year: Mike Nesci (Chicago Cobras)
* Goalkeeper of the Year: Meredith Flaherty (Hampton Roads Piranhas)
* Championship MVP: Mercy Akide (Hampton Roads Piranhas)
The W-League Championship All-Tournament Team was announced on August 10, 2003:
F: Tina Frimpong (Seattle Sounders Women), Kristen Graczyk (Chicago Cobras), Mercy Akide (Hampton Roads Piranhas) M: Melissa Bennett (Seattle Sounders Women), Florence Omagbemi (Hampton Roads Piranhas), Darci Borski (Hampton Roads Piranhas), Kelly Parker (Ottawa Fury Women) D: Jenna Szyluk (Hampton Roads Piranhas), Fanta Cooper (Chicago Cobras), Josha Krueger (Chicago Cobras) G: Meredith Flaherty (Hampton Roads Piranhas)

## All-League and All-Conference Teams

The All-Conference Teams were announced on August 1, 2003. The All-League Team was announced on August 4.

### Central Conference

G: Meredith Flaherty (Hampton Roads Piranhas) * D: Fanta Cooper (Chicago Cobras) *, Deanna Kriedel (Charlotte Lady Eagles), Erin Showalter (Cincinnati Ladyhawks) M: Florence Omagbemi (Hampton Roads Piranhas), Elizabeth Ramsey (Chicago Cobras), Julianne Sitch (Chicago Cobras) *, Sarah Wall (Columbus Lady Shooting Stars) F: Mercy Akide (Hampton Roads Piranhas) *, Andrea Cunningham (Cincinnati Ladyhawks), Annette Kent (Windy City Bluez)

### Eastern Conference

G: Meghan Frey (Boston Renegades) D: Linda Consolante (Ottawa Fury Women), Francesca DeCristoforo (Long Island Lady Riders) *, Caitlin Fisher (Boston Renegades) M: Sue Flamini (New Jersey Stallions), Kelly Parker (Ottawa Fury Women) *, Melissa Shulman (Long Island Lady Riders), Stacey Stocco (Boston Renegades) * F: Jeanette Akerlund (Ottawa Fury Women), Carrie Kveton (Boston Renegades), Jessica Reifer (New York Magic) *

### Western Conference

G: Megan Miller (Seattle Sounders Women) D: Sasha Andrews (Vancouver Whitecaps Women) *, Shannon Forslund (Seattle Sounders Women), Amy Gray Denver Lady Cougars M: Kacy Beitel (Denver Lady Cougars), Tara Kidwell (Fort Collins Force), Andrea Neil (Vancouver Whitecaps Women), Tracey Spinelli (Arizona Heatwave) * F: Janelle Munnis (Seattle Sounders Women), Carolyn Theurer (Denver Lady Cougars), Phebe Trotman (Vancouver Whitecaps Women) *
* denotes All-League player