# 2012 NCAA Division I women's soccer tournament

The 2012 NCAA Division I women's soccer tournament (also known as the 2012 Women's College Cup) was the 31st 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 Torero Stadium in San Diego, California from November 30–December 2, 2012 while the preceding rounds were played at various sites across the country from November 9–23.
North Carolina defeated Penn State in the final, 4–1, to win their twenty-first national title. The Tar Heels (15–5–3) were coached by Anson Dorrance.
The most outstanding offensive player was Kealia Ohai from North Carolina, and the most outstanding defensive player was Satara Murray, also from North Carolina. Murray and Ohai, alongside nine other players, were named to the All-Tournament team.
The tournament's leading scorer, with 7 goals and 1 assist, was Tiffany McCarty from Florida State.

## Qualification

All Division I women's soccer programs were eligible to qualify for the tournament. The tournament field remained fixed at 64 teams.

## Format

Just as before, the final two rounds, deemed the Women's College Cup, were played at a pre-determined neutral site. All other rounds were played on campus sites at the home field of the higher-seeded team although with a few exceptions. The first round was played exclusively on the home fields of higher-seeded teams (noted with an asterisk below). However, the second and third rounds were played on the home fields of the home fields of the two remaining teams in each bracket with the highest seed (generally the #1 and #2 seed in each bracket with a few noted exceptions). Those teams are also noted with asterisk. Finally, the quarterfinal round, or the championship match for each bracket, was played on the home field of the higher-seeded team, with no exceptions.

### National seeds

| #1 Seeds | #2 Seeds | #3 Seeds | #4 Seeds |
| BYU (18–1–1) Florida State (16–3–0) Penn State (17–3–1) Stanford (17–1–1) | Florida (17–4–1) North Carolina (10–5–2) San Diego State (19–1–1) Virginia (16–4–1) | Baylor (17–1–4) Duke (12–5–2) UCLA (15–2–2) Wake Forest (13–5–3) | Marquette (16–2–2) Maryland (13–6–2) Ohio State (16–4–1) Portland (11–4–4) |

### Teams

Stanford Regional :
| Seed | School | Conference | Berth Type | Record |
| | Cal State Northridge | Big West | Automatic | 11-4-6 |
| | California | Pac-12 | At-large | 15-5 |
| | Colorado College | Conference USA | At-large | 14-3-5 |
| | Denver | WAC | At-large | 15-2-4 |
| | Idaho State | Big Sky | Automatic | 11-5-3 |
| | Kentucky | SEC | At-large | 13-6-1 |
| | Long Beach State | Big West | At-large | 12-7 |
| 4 | Maryland | ACC | At-large | 13-6-2 |
| | Pepperdine | West Coast | At-large | 14-6 |
| 2 | San Diego State | Mountain West | Automatic | 19-1-1 |
| | Santa Clara | West Coast | At-large | 11-3-6 |
| 1 | Stanford | Pac-12 | Automatic | 17-1-1 |
| | Stony Brook | America East | Automatic | 12-6-3 |
| 3 | UCLA | Pac-12 | At-large | 15-2-2 |
| | UT Martin | Ohio Valley | Automatic | 13-5-3 |
| | Wisconsin | Big Ten | At-large | 12-7-1 |
BYU Regional :
| Seed | School | Conference | Berth Type | Record |
| | Arizona State | Pac-12 | At-large | 10-8-2 |
| | Auburn | SEC | At-large | 12-10-1 |
| 3 | Baylor | Big 12 | Automatic | 17-1-4 |
| 1 | BYU | West Coast | Automatic | 18-1-1 |
| | Georgetown | Big East | At-large | 15-3-3 |
| | Illinois | Big Ten | At-large | 10-8-3 |
| | Illinois State | Missouri Valley | Automatic | 13-4-2 |
| 4 | Marquette | Big East | Automatic | 16-2-2 |
| | Missouri | SEC | At-large | 14-7 |
| 2 | North Carolina | ACC | At-large | 10-5-2 |
| | Princeton | Ivy League | Automatic | 13-3-1 |
| | Radford | Big South | Automatic | 14-2-4 |
| | Utah State | WAC | Automatic | 13-2-6 |
| | Virginia Tech | ACC | At-large | 13-5-1 |
| | Washington | Pac-12 | At-large | 10-7-3 |
| | West Virginia | Big 12 | At-large | 11-4-4 |
Penn State Regional :
| Seed | School | Conference | Berth Type | Record |
| | Boston College | ACC | At-large | 10-7-3 |
| | Central Michigan | MAC | At-large | 15-6-1 |
| | Colgate | Patriot | Automatic | 11-5-4 |
| 3 | Duke | ACC | At-large | 12-5-2 |
| | Hofstra | CAA | Automatic | 11-8-2 |
| | La Salle | Atlantic 10 | Automatic | 17-4-1 |
| | LIU Brooklyn | Northeast | Automatic | 10-7-3 |
| | Loyola (MD) | MAAC | Automatic | 12-5-4 |
| | Miami (OH) | MAC | Automatic | 19-2-1 |
| | Michigan | Big Ten | At-large | 14-5-2 |
| 1 | Penn State | Big Ten | At-large | 17-3-1 |
| 4 | Portland | West Coast | At-large | 11-4-4 |
| | Rutgers | Big East | At-large | 12-7-1 |
| | Tennessee | SEC | At-large | 14-4-3 |
| 2 | Virginia | ACC | Automatic | 16-4-1 |
| | Washington State | Pac-12 | At-large | 12-6-1 |
Florida State Regional :
| Seed | School | Conference | Berth Type | Record |
| 2 | Florida | SEC | Automatic | 17-4-1 |
| | Florida Gulf Coast | Atlantic Sun | Automatic | 14-3-3 |
| 1 | Florida State | ACC | At-large | 16-3 |
| | Georgia Southern | Southern | Automatic | 10-7-5 |
| | Miami (FL) | ACC | At-large | 09-7-3 |
| | Milwaukee | Horizon | Automatic | 08-8-1 |
| | MVSU | SWAC | Automatic | 08-9-3 |
| | North Texas | Sun Belt | Automatic | 16-4-2 |
| | Notre Dame | Big East | At-large | 13-5-2 |
| | Oakland | Summit | Automatic | 11-5-3 |
| 4 | Ohio State | Big Ten | Automatic | 16-4-1 |
| | Stephen F. Austin | Southland | Automatic | 17-3 |
| | Texas A&M | SEC | At-large | 17-4-1 |
| | Texas Tech | Big 12 | At-large | 15-5-1 |
| | UCF | Conference USA | Automatic | 17-4-1 |
| 3 | Wake Forest | ACC | At-large | 13-5-3 |

## Bracket
### Stanford Bracket

| First round November 9–11 Campus Sites | First round November 9–11 Campus Sites | First round November 9–11 Campus Sites | Second round November 15–16 Regional Campus Sites | Second round November 15–16 Regional Campus Sites | Second round November 15–16 Regional Campus Sites | Round of 16 November 17–18 Regional Campus Sites | Round of 16 November 17–18 Regional Campus Sites | Round of 16 November 17–18 Regional Campus Sites | | Quarterfinals November 23 Campus Sites | Quarterfinals November 23 Campus Sites | Quarterfinals November 23 Campus Sites |
| 1 | Stanford* | 3 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Idaho State | 0 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Idaho State | 0 | 1 | Stanford* | 2 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | Santa Clara | 1 | | | | | | | |
| Santa Clara* | Santa Clara* | 2 | | Santa Clara | 1 | | | | | | | |
| Long Beach State | Long Beach State | 1 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Long Beach State | Long Beach State | 1 | | | | 1 | Stanford* | 3 | | | | |
| | | | | | | | Denver | 0 | | | | |
| Denver* | Denver* | 3 | | | | | | | | Denver | 0 | | | | |
| Colorado College | Colorado College | 1 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Colorado College | Colorado College | 1 | | Denver | 3 | | | | | | | |
| | | | 4 | Maryland | 2 | | | | | | | |
| | Stony Brook | 0 | 4 | Maryland | 2 | | | | | | | |
| 4 | Maryland* | 2 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 4 | Maryland* | 2 | | | | | | | | 1 | Stanford* | 2 |
| | | | | | | | | | | 3 | UCLA | 1 |
| 3 | UCLA* | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | 3 | UCLA | 1 |
| | Wisconsin | 0 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Wisconsin | 0 | 3 | UCLA | 5 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | Kentucky | 0 | | | | | | | |
| Tennessee–Martin | Tennessee–Martin | 0 | | Kentucky | 0 | | | | | | | |
| Kentucky* | Kentucky* | 1 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Kentucky* | Kentucky* | 1 | | | | 3 | UCLA | 3 | | | | |
| | | | | | | 2 | San Diego State* | 0 | | | | |
| Pepperdine* | Pepperdine* | 0 | | | | | | | 2 | San Diego State* | 0 | | | | |
| California | California | 1 | | | | | | | | | | |
| California | California | 1 | | California | 1 | | | | | | | |
| | | | 2 | San Diego State* | 2 | | | | | | | |
| Cal State Northridge | Cal State Northridge | 0 | 2 | San Diego State* | 2 | | | | | | | |
| San Diego State* | San Diego State* | 3 | | | | | | | | | | |

### BYU Bracket

| First round November 9–11 Campus Sites | First round November 9–11 Campus Sites | First round November 9–11 Campus Sites | Second round November 15–16 Regional Campus Sites | Second round November 15–16 Regional Campus Sites | Second round November 15–16 Regional Campus Sites | Round of 16 November 17–18 Regional Campus Sites | Round of 16 November 17–18 Regional Campus Sites | Round of 16 November 17–18 Regional Campus Sites | | Quarterfinals November 23 Campus Sites | Quarterfinals November 23 Campus Sites | Quarterfinals November 23 Campus Sites |
| 2 | North Carolina* | 2 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Radford | 0 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Radford | 0 | 2 | North Carolina* | 9 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | Illinois | 2 | | | | | | | |
| Illinois (2OT, PK) | Illinois (2OT, PK) | 1(3) | | Illinois | 2 | | | | | | | |
| Missouri* | Missouri* | 1(0) | | | | | | | | | | |
| Missouri* | Missouri* | 1(0) | | | | 2 | North Carolina* (2OT, PK) | 1(4) | | | | |
| | | | | | | 3 | Baylor | 1(2) | | | | |
| Georgetown | Georgetown | 3 | | | | | | | 3 | Baylor | 1(2) | | | | |
| Virginia Tech* | Virginia Tech* | 2 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Virginia Tech* | Virginia Tech* | 2 | | Georgetown | 1 | | | | | | | |
| | | | 3 | Baylor | 2 | | | | | | | |
| | Arizona State | 1 | 3 | Baylor | 2 | | | | | | | |
| 3 | Baylor* | 3 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 3 | Baylor* | 3 | | | | | | | | 2 | North Carolina | 2 |
| | | | | | | | | | | 1 | BYU* | 1 |
| 4 | Marquette* | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | 1 | BYU* | 1 |
| | Illinois State | 0 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Illinois State | 0 | 4 | Marquette | 3 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | Princeton | 1 | | | | | | | |
| Princeton | Princeton | 2 | | Princeton | 1 | | | | | | | |
| West Virginia* | West Virginia* | 1 | | | | | | | | | | |
| West Virginia* | West Virginia* | 1 | | | | 4 | Marquette | 0 (5) | | | | |
| | | | | | | 1 | BYU* (2OT, PK) | 0 (6) | | | | |
| Auburn | Auburn | 2 | | | | | | | 1 | BYU* (2OT, PK) | 0 (6) | | | | |
| Washington* | Washington* | 1 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Washington* | Washington* | 1 | | Auburn | 0 | | | | | | | |
| | | | 1 | BYU* | 1 | | | | | | | |
| | Utah State | 1 | 1 | BYU* | 1 | | | | | | | |
| 1 | BYU* | 2 | | | | | | | | | | |

### Penn State Bracket

| First round November 9–11 Campus Sites | First round November 9–11 Campus Sites | First round November 9–11 Campus Sites | Second round November 15–16 Regional Campus Sites | Second round November 15–16 Regional Campus Sites | Second round November 15–16 Regional Campus Sites | Round of 16 November 17–18 Regional Campus Sites | Round of 16 November 17–18 Regional Campus Sites | Round of 16 November 17–18 Regional Campus Sites | | Quarterfinals November 23 Campus Sites | Quarterfinals November 23 Campus Sites | Quarterfinals November 23 Campus Sites |
| 1 | Penn State* | 4 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Long Island–Brooklyn | 0 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Long Island–Brooklyn | 0 | 1 | Penn State* | 5 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | Boston College | 2 | | | | | | | |
| Hofstra | Hofstra | 0 | | Boston College | 2 | | | | | | | |
| Boston College* | Boston College* | 2 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Boston College* | Boston College* | 2 | | | | 1 | Penn State* (2OT, PK) | 1(3) | | | | |
| | | | | | | | Michigan | 1(2) | | | | |
| Michigan* | Michigan* | 2 | | | | | | | | Michigan | 1(2) | | | | |
| Central Michigan | Central Michigan | 1 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Central Michigan | Central Michigan | 1 | | Michigan | 3 | | | | | | | |
| | | | 4 | Portland | 0 | | | | | | | |
| | Washington State | 2(5) | 4 | Portland | 0 | | | | | | | |
| 4 | Portland* (2OT, PK) | 2(6) | | | | | | | | | | |
| 4 | Portland* (2OT, PK) | 2(6) | | | | | | | | 1 | Penn State* | 1 |
| | | | | | | | | | | 3 | Duke | 0 |
| 3 | Duke* | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | 3 | Duke | 0 |
| | Loyola–Maryland | 0 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Loyola–Maryland | 0 | 3 | Duke | 4 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | Miami (OH) | 1 | | | | | | | |
| Miami (OH) | Miami (OH) | 3 | | Miami (OH) | 1 | | | | | | | |
| Tennessee* | Tennessee* | 2 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Tennessee* | Tennessee* | 2 | | | | 3 | Duke | 3 | | | | |
| | | | | | | 2 | Virginia* | 1 | | | | |
| Colgate* | Colgate* | 0 | | | | | | | 2 | Virginia* | 1 | | | | |
| Rutgers | Rutgers | 1 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Rutgers | Rutgers | 1 | | Rutgers | 1 | | | | | | | |
| | | | 2 | Virginia* | 6 | | | | | | | |
| | La Salle | 1 | 2 | Virginia* | 6 | | | | | | | |
| 2 | Virginia* | 4 | | | | | | | | | | |

### Florida State Bracket

| First round November 9–11 Campus Sites | First round November 9–11 Campus Sites | First round November 9–11 Campus Sites | Second round November 15–16 Regional Campus Sites | Second round November 15–16 Regional Campus Sites | Second round November 15–16 Regional Campus Sites | Round of 16 November 17–18 Regional Campus Sites | Round of 16 November 17–18 Regional Campus Sites | Round of 16 November 17–18 Regional Campus Sites | | Quarterfinals November 23 Campus Sites | Quarterfinals November 23 Campus Sites | Quarterfinals November 23 Campus Sites |
| 2 | Florida* | 2 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Florida Gulf Coast | 0 | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Florida Gulf Coast | 0 | 2 | Florida* | 1 | | | | | | | |
| | | | | UCF | 0 | | | | | | | |
| Miami (FL) | Miami (FL) | 1(3) | | UCF | 0 | | | | | | | |
| UCF* (2OT, PK) | UCF* (2OT, PK) | 1(5) | | | | | | | | | | |
| UCF* (2OT, PK) | UCF* (2OT, PK) | 1(5) | | | | 2 | Florida* | 0 | | | | |
| | | | | | | | Notre Dame | 2 | | | | |
| Notre Dame* | Notre Dame* | 3 | | | | | | | | Notre Dame | 2 | | | | |
| Milwaukee | Milwaukee | 1 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Milwaukee | Milwaukee | 1 | | Notre Dame | 2 | | | | | | | |
| | | | 3 | Wake Forest | 1 | | | | | | | |
| | Georgia Southern | 0 | 3 | Wake Forest | 1 | | | | | | | |
| 3 | Wake Forest* | 4 | | | | | | | | | | |
| 3 | Wake Forest* | 4 | | | | | | | | | Notre Dame | 0 |
| | | | | | | | | | | 1 | Florida State* | 1 |
| 4 | Ohio State* | 1(1) | | | | | | | | | | | 1 | Florida State* | 1 |
| | Oakland (2OT, PK) | 1(3) | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Oakland (2OT, PK) | 1(3) | Oakland | Oakland | 0 | | | | | | | |
| | | | Texas A&M | Texas A&M | 3 | | | | | | | |
| Stephen F. Austin | Stephen F. Austin | 0 | Texas A&M | Texas A&M | 3 | | | | | | | |
| Texas A&M* | Texas A&M* | 1 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Texas A&M* | Texas A&M* | 1 | | | | | Texas A&M | 0 | | | | |
| | | | | | | 1 | Florida State* | 4 | | | | |
| Texas Tech* | Texas Tech* | 2 | | | | | | | 1 | Florida State* | 4 | | | | |
| North Texas | North Texas | 0 | | | | | | | | | | |
| North Texas | North Texas | 0 | | Texas Tech | 2 | | | | | | | |
| | | | 1 | Florida State* (OT) | 3 | | | | | | | |
| | Mississippi Valley State | 0 | 1 | Florida State* (OT) | 3 | | | | | | | |
| 1 | Florida State* | 6 | | | | | | | | | | |

### College Cup

| Semifinals November 30 Torero Stadium San Diego, California | Semifinals November 30 Torero Stadium San Diego, California | Semifinals November 30 Torero Stadium San Diego, California | Championship December 2 Torero Stadium San Diego, California | Championship December 2 Torero Stadium San Diego, California | Championship December 2 Torero Stadium San Diego, California |
| 1 | Stanford | 0 | | | |
| 2 | North Carolina (2OT) | 1 | | | |
| 2 | North Carolina (2OT) | 1 | 2 | North Carolina | 4 |
| | | | 1 | Penn State | 1 |
| 1 | Penn State (OT) | 2 | 1 | Penn State | 1 |
| 1 | Florida State | 1 | | | |

## All-tournament team

* Kealia Ohai, North Carolina (most outstanding offensive player)
* Satara Murray, North Carolina (most outstanding defensive player)
* Amber Brooks, North Carolina
* Crystal Dunn, North Carolina
* Adelaide Gay, North Carolina
* Maddy Evans, Penn State
* Maya Hayes, Penn State
* Christine Nairn, Penn State
* Taylor Schram, Penn State
* Emily Oliver, Stanford
* Tiffany McCarty, Florida State

## Attendances

| Team | Home average |
| Portland | 3,313 |
| BYU | 3,257 |
| Texas A&M | 2,304 |
| New Mexico | 1,781 |
| Penn St. | 1,601 |
| Stanford | 1,576 |
| Georgia | 1,514 |
| TCU | 1,413 |
| North Carolina | 1,399 |
| Florida St. | 1,221 |
| Utah | 1,208 |
| Virginia | 1,172 |
| UCLA | 1,152 |
| Notre Dame | 1,118 |
| Maryland | 1,083 |
| Tennessee | 1,080 |
| Washington | 1,054 |
| Florida | 1,051 |
| Texas Tech | 1,027 |
| Colorado | 986 |
| Texas | 962 |
| Louisville | 949 |
| West Virginia | 943 |
| Connecticut | 920 |
| Duke | 905 |
| Dayton | 896 |
| Santa Clara | 875 |
| Kentucky | 873 |
| Auburn | 860 |
| Hawai'i | 856 |
| LSU | 847 |
| Oklahoma St. | 843 |
| Arkansas | 841 |
| Kennesaw St. | 840 |
| Minnesota | 830 |
| Alabama | 799 |
| Ole Miss | 796 |
| Oregon | 759 |
| Oklahoma | 748 |
| Charlotte | 740 |
| Iowa St. | 730 |
| San Diego St. | 722 |
| Missouri | 722 |
| South Carolina | 717 |
| Idaho St. | 715 |
| Vanderbilt | 713 |
| Michigan | 708 |
| California | 700 |
| Long Beach St. | 698 |
| Northern Arizona | 697 |
| Memphis | 678 |
| Fresno St. | 678 |
| Wake Forest | 678 |
| Arizona St. | 674 |
| Rutgers | 667 |
| Utah St. | 657 |
| Cincinnati | 656 |
| Cal St. Fullerton | 650 |
| Marist | 650 |
| Virginia Tech | 642 |
| Dartmouth | 627 |
| North Carolina St. | 625 |
| South Florida | 617 |
| Michigan St. | 602 |
| Southern California | 601 |
| George Mason | 599 |
| Furman | 599 |
| Utah Valley | 585 |
| Gonzaga | 583 |
| Denver | 580 |
| UC Irvine | 570 |
| Arizona | 567 |
| Wisconsin | 565 |
| Ohio St. | 562 |
| Washington St. | 560 |