# 1997 NCAA Division I women's soccer tournament

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.
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.

### Play-in games

| November 11 | November 11 | November 11 |
| | Fairfield (MAAC, 17-3) | 2 |
| | Central Conn. State (NEC, 13-6) | 1 |
| November 11 | November 11 | November 11 |
| | UNC Greensboro (Southern, 17-5) | 5 |
| | South Alabama (Big South, 18-2-1) | 0 |
| November 11 | November 11 | November 11 |
| | Cincinnati (C-USA, 15-4-3) (OT) | 2 |
| | Georgia State (TAAC, 18-3-2) | 1 |

### Teams

North Carolina Regional :
| School | Conference | Berth Type | Record |
| Florida | SEC | Automatic | 19-2-1 |
| George Mason | CAA | At-large | 13-5-4 |
| Harvard | Ivy League | Automatic | 10-2-2 |
| Maryland | ACC | At-large | 12-8-3 |
| Massachusetts | Atlantic 10 | Automatic | 17-4 |
| North Carolina | ACC | Automatic | 22-0-1 |
| Vanderbilt | SEC | At-large | 14-7 |
| Wake Forest | ACC | At-large | 11-7-2 |
Santa Clara Regional :
| School | Conference | Berth Type | Record |
| BYU | WAC | At-large | 19-3 |
| Clemson | ACC | At-large | 13-6 |
| Duke | ACC | At-large | 14-5-1 |
| Georgia | SEC | At-large | 15-5-1 |
| Milwaukee | Midwestern Collegiate | Automatic | 13-2-4 |
| Minnesota | Big Ten | At-large | 17-2-2 |
| Santa Clara | West Coast | At-large | 17-2-1 |
| UNC Greensboro | Southern | Automatic | 18-5 |
Connecticut Regional :
| School | Conference | Berth Type | Record |
| Colgate | Patriot | Automatic | 13-3-3 |
| Connecticut | Big East | At-large | 19-3 |
| Fairfield | MAAC | Automatic | 18-3 |
| Hartford | America East | Automatic | 18-1-1 |
| James Madison | CAA | At-large | 13-6-2 |
| Penn State | Big Ten | At-large | 15-6-1 |
| Virginia | ACC | At-large | 13-4-2 |
| William & Mary | CAA | Automatic | 18-4 |
Notre Dame Regional :
| School | Conference | Berth Type | Record |
| Cincinnati | Conference USA | Automatic | 16-4-3 |
| Michigan | Big Ten | Automatic | 18-3-1 |
| Nebraska | Big 12 | At-large | 17-3 |
| Notre Dame | Big East | Automatic | 20-0-1 |
| Portland | West Coast | Automatic | 14-4 |
| SMU | WAC | Automatic | 16-4-1 |
| Texas A&M | Big 12 | Automatic | 18-2 |
| UCLA | Pac-10 | Automatic | 17-2 |

## Bracket

| First round | First round | Second round | Second round | Third Round | Third Round | Semifinals (Women's College Cup) UNCG Soccer Stadium Greensboro, North Carolina | Semifinals (Women's College Cup) UNCG Soccer Stadium Greensboro, North Carolina | Semifinals (Women's College Cup) UNCG Soccer Stadium Greensboro, North Carolina | Championship (Women's College Cup) UNCG Soccer Stadium Greensboro, North Carolina | Championship (Women's College Cup) UNCG Soccer Stadium Greensboro, North Carolina | Championship (Women's College Cup) UNCG Soccer Stadium Greensboro, North Carolina |
| North Carolina | 6 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Wake Forest | 0 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Wake Forest | 0 | North Carolina | 5 | | | | | | | | |
| | | Florida | 0 | | | | | | | | |
| Florida | 3 | Florida | 0 | | | | | | | | |
| Vanderbilt | 2 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Vanderbilt | 2 | | | North Carolina | 1 | | | | | | |
| | | | | Harvard | 0 | | | | | | |
| Harvard | 2 | | | | | Harvard | 0 | | | | | | |
| UMass | 0 | | | | | | | | | | |
| UMass | 0 | Harvard (3OT) | 2 | | | | | | | | |
| | | George Mason | 1 | | | | | | | | |
| George Mason | 2 | George Mason | 1 | | | | | | | | |
| Maryland | 1 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Maryland | 1 | | | | | | North Carolina | 2 | | | |
| | | | | | | | Santa Clara | 1 | | | |
| UNC Greensboro (2OT) | 3 | | | | | | | | Santa Clara | 1 | | | |
| Duke | 1 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Duke | 1 | UNC Greensboro | 0 | | | | | | | | |
| | | Clemson | 5 | | | | | | | | |
| Clemson | 1 | Clemson | 5 | | | | | | | | |
| Georgia | 0 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Georgia | 0 | | | Clemson | 0 | | | | | | |
| | | | | Santa Clara | 3 | | | | | | |
| Minnesota | 2 | | | | | Santa Clara | 3 | | | | | | |
| Milwaukee | 1 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Milwaukee | 1 | Minnesota | 1 | | | | | | | | |
| | | Santa Clara | 5 | | | | | | | | |
| Santa Clara | 1 | Santa Clara | 5 | | | | | | | | |
| BYU | 0 | | | | | | | | | | |
| BYU | 0 | | | | | | | | | North Carolina | 2 |
| | | | | | | | | | | Connecticut | 0 |
| Connecticut | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | Connecticut | 0 |
| Fairfield | 0 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Fairfield | 0 | Connecticut (2OT) | 2 | | | | | | | | |
| | | Hartford | 1 | | | | | | | | |
| Hartford | 4 | Hartford | 1 | | | | | | | | |
| Colgate | 0 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Colgate | 0 | | | Connecticut | 4 | | | | | | |
| | | | | William & Mary | 0 | | | | | | |
| William & Mary (2OT) | 3 | | | | | William & Mary | 0 | | | | | | |
| Penn State | 2 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Penn State | 2 | William & Mary | 1 | | | | | | | | |
| | | Virginia | 0 | | | | | | | | |
| Virginia | 3 | Virginia | 0 | | | | | | | | |
| James Madison | 1 | | | | | | | | | | |
| James Madison | 1 | | | | | | Connecticut | 2 | | | |
| | | | | | | | Notre Dame | 1 | | | |
| UCLA | 1 | | | | | | | | Notre Dame | 1 | | | |
| Portland | 0 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Portland | 0 | UCLA | 3 | | | | | | | | |
| | | SMU | 2 | | | | | | | | |
| SMU | 1 | SMU | 2 | | | | | | | | |
| Texas A&M | 0 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Texas A&M | 0 | | | UCLA | 0 | | | | | | |
| | | | | Notre Dame | 8 | | | | | | |
| Nebraska | 5 | | | | | Notre Dame | 8 | | | | | | |
| Michigan | 1 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Michigan | 1 | Nebraska | 0 | | | | | | | | |
| | | Notre Dame | 6 | | | | | | | | |
| Notre Dame | 7 | Notre Dame | 6 | | | | | | | | |
| Cincinnati | 1 | | | | | | | | | | |

## All-tournament team

* Mandy Clemens, Santa Clara
* Robin Confer, North Carolina (most outstanding offensive player)
* Carey Dorn, Connecticut
* Lorrie Fair, North Carolina
* Jacqui Little, Santa Clara
* Holly Manthei, Notre Dame
* Siri Mullinix, North Carolina (most outstanding defensive player)
* Cindy Parlow, North Carolina
* Tiffany Roberts, North Carolina
* Heather Stone, Connecticut
* Jenny Streiffer, Notre Dame
* Jen Tietjen, Notre Dame
* Sara Whalen, Connecticut
* Staci Wilson, North Carolina