# 1996 NCAA Division I women's soccer tournament

The 1996 NCAA Division I women's soccer tournament was the 15th 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 Buck Shaw Stadium in Santa Clara, California during December 1996.
North Carolina defeated Notre Dame in the final, 1–0 (in two overtimes), to win their thirteenth national title. Coached by Anson Dorrance, the Tar Heels finished the season 27–0–1. North Carolina returned to the championship after appearing in all thirteen finals prior to 1995.
The most outstanding offensive player was Debbie Keller from North Carolina, and the most outstanding defensive player was Nel Fettig, also from North Carolina. Keller and Fettig, along with eleven other players, were named to the All-tournament team.
The tournament's leading scorers, with 5 goals each, were Danielle Fotopoulous from Florida and Amy Van Laacke from Notre Dame.

## Qualification

All Division I women's soccer programs were eligible to qualify for the tournament. The tournament field expanded again, increasing from 24 to 32 teams, and for the third time in the previous five years.
Eleven conferences sent automatic bids to the tournament, accompanied by twenty-one at-large bids.

### Records

North Carolina Regional :
| School | Conference | Berth Type | Record |
| Clemson | ACC | At-large | 15–6–1 |
| Florida | SEC | Automatic | 20–2 |
| James Madison | CAA | At-large | 14–4–2 |
| NC State | ACC | At-large | 11–8–1 |
| North Carolina | ACC | Automatic | 20–1 |
| UNC Greensboro | Big South | Automatic | 16–5–1 |
| Wake Forest | ACC | At-large | 13–7 |
| William & Mary | CAA | Automatic | 14–8 |
Santa Clara Regional :
| School | Conference | Berth Type | Record |
| Connecticut | Big East | At-large | 20–2 |
| Dartmouth | Ivy League | At-large | 12–3–1 |
| George Mason | CAA | At-large | 14–6–2 |
| Harvard | Ivy League | Automatic | 15–1 |
| Massachusetts | Atlantic 10 | Automatic | 15–4–1 |
| Penn State | Big Ten | At-large | 14–4–2 |
| Santa Clara | West Coast | At-large | 15–3–2 |
| Stanford | Pac-10 | Automatic | 12–8 |
Portland Regional :
| School | Conference | Berth Type | Record |
| Duke | ACC | At-large | 09–9–3 |
| Kentucky | SEC | At-large | 13–5–2 |
| Minnesota | Big Ten | At-large | 13–6 |
| Nebraska | Big 12 | Automatic | 21–0 |
| Portland | West Coast | Automatic | 16–0–2 |
| Vanderbilt | SEC | At-large | 11–8–1 |
| Virginia | ACC | At-large | 12–6–2 |
| Washington | Pac-10 | At-large | 12–7 |
Notre Dame Regional :
| School | Conference | Berth Type | Record |
| George Washington | Atlantic 10 | At-large | 10–6–4 |
| Indiana | Big Ten | Automatic | 11–10 |
| Maryland | ACC | At-large | 17–4–2 |
| Northwestern | Big Ten | At-large | 13–7–1 |
| Notre Dame | Big East | Automatic | 20–1 |
| San Diego | West Coast | At-large | 13–5–1 |
| Texas A&M | Big 12 | At-large | 19–3 |
| Wisconsin | Big Ten | At-large | 14–4–4 |

## Bracket

| First round | First round | Second round | Second round | Third Round | Third Round | Semifinals (Women's College Cup) Buck Shaw Stadium Santa Clara, California | Semifinals (Women's College Cup) Buck Shaw Stadium Santa Clara, California | Semifinals (Women's College Cup) Buck Shaw Stadium Santa Clara, California | Championship (Women's College Cup) Buck Shaw Stadium Santa Clara, California | Championship (Women's College Cup) Buck Shaw Stadium Santa Clara, California | Championship (Women's College Cup) Buck Shaw Stadium Santa Clara, California |
| North Carolina | 5 | | | | | | | | | | |
| William & Mary | 0 | | | | | | | | | | |
| William & Mary | 0 | North Carolina | 5 | | | | | | | | |
| | | James Madison | 0 | | | | | | | | |
| James Madison | 3 | James Madison | 0 | | | | | | | | |
| UNC Greensboro | 1 | | | | | | | | | | |
| UNC Greensboro | 1 | | | North Carolina | 9 | | | | | | |
| | | | | Florida | 0 | | | | | | |
| Wake Forest | 2 | | | | | Florida | 0 | | | | | | |
| Clemson | 1 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Clemson | 1 | Wake Forest | 0 | | | | | | | | |
| | | Florida | 5 | | | | | | | | |
| Florida | 7 | Florida | 5 | | | | | | | | |
| NC State | 3 | | | | | | | | | | |
| NC State | 3 | | | | | | North Carolina | 2 | | | |
| | | | | | | | Santa Clara | 1 | | | |
| Santa Clara | 3 | | | | | | | | Santa Clara | 1 | | | |
| Stanford | 2 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Stanford | 2 | Santa Clara | 3 | | | | | | | | |
| | | Penn State | 1 | | | | | | | | |
| Penn State | 2 | Penn State | 1 | | | | | | | | |
| George Mason | 0 | | | | | | | | | | |
| George Mason | 0 | | | Santa Clara | 1 | | | | | | |
| | | | | Connecticut | 0 | | | | | | |
| UMass (3OT) | 2 | | | | | Connecticut | 0 | | | | | | |
| Harvard | 1 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Harvard | 1 | UMass | 0 | | | | | | | | |
| | | Connecticut | 2 | | | | | | | | |
| Connecticut | 1 | Connecticut | 2 | | | | | | | | |
| Dartmouth | 0 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Dartmouth | 0 | | | | | | | | | North Carolina (2OT) | 1 |
| | | | | | | | | | | Notre Dame | 0 |
| Portland | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | Notre Dame | 0 |
| Washington | 0 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Washington | 0 | Portland (2OT) | 3 | | | | | | | | |
| | | Vanderbilt | 1 | | | | | | | | |
| Vanderbilt (3OT) | 2 | Vanderbilt | 1 | | | | | | | | |
| Kentucky | 1 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Kentucky | 1 | | | Portland | 1 | | | | | | |
| | | | | Nebraska | 0 | | | | | | |
| Duke | 1 | | | | | Nebraska | 0 | | | | | | |
| Virginia | 0 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Virginia | 0 | Duke | 0 | | | | | | | | |
| | | Nebraska | 3 | | | | | | | | |
| Nebraska (2OT) | 3 | Nebraska | 3 | | | | | | | | |
| Minnesota | 2 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Minnesota | 2 | | | | | | Portland | 2 | | | |
| | | | | | | | Notre Dame | 3 | | | |
| San Diego | 5 | | | | | | | | Notre Dame | 3 | | | |
| Texas A&M | 3 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Texas A&M | 3 | San Diego | 0 | | | | | | | | |
| | | Maryland | 1 | | | | | | | | |
| Maryland | 2 | Maryland | 1 | | | | | | | | |
| George Washington | 0 | | | | | | | | | | |
| George Washington | 0 | | | Maryland | 0 | | | | | | |
| | | | | Notre Dame | 2 | | | | | | |
| Wisconsin | 1 | | | | | Notre Dame | 2 | | | | | | |
| Northwestern | 0 | | | | | | | | | | |
| Northwestern | 0 | Wisconsin | 0 | | | | | | | | |
| | | Notre Dame | 5 | | | | | | | | |
| Notre Dame | 8 | Notre Dame | 5 | | | | | | | | |
| Indiana | 1 | | | | | | | | | | |

## All-tournament team

* Justi Baumgardt, Portland
* Mandy Clemens, Santa Clara
* Robin Confer, North Carolina
* Lorrie Fair, North Carolina
* Nel Fettig, North Carolina (most outstanding defensive player)
* Jen Grubb, Notre Dame
* Regina Holan, Portland
* Debbie Keller, North Carolina (most outstanding offensive player)
* Jennifer Lalor, Santa Clara
* Cindy Parlow, North Carolina
* Jen Renola, Notre Dame
* Laurie Schwoy, North Carolina
* Jenny Streiffer, Notre Dame