For Sure! National Championships are gender neutral! Well done guys!! What a great year for the men's side!! Ya-hoo Heels!!
Since there has been some discussion in the past on these UNC threads about transfers and eligibility, perhaps one of you smart folks can help me understand how Ben Speas was able to play for Carolina this year. He was on the 2010 Akron championship team, transferred to UNC and played right away without losing a year of eligibility as would be the case for basketball or the other football. I think I saw a story that said the NCAA does not have a similar sit-out-a-year rule for soccer. Is that right? For both men's and women's soccer? And, if so, why would the rule be different for soccer than for the other sports? Someone probably has explained this before, but I either did not understand or did not think it made sense and refused to absorb it. My apologies for the repetition.
Here is the 5 minute university course on transfers. The driving principle is that players have 5 years to use their four years of eligibility. You don't actually lose a year of eligibility if you transfer. That stays at 4 years total. Normally, you have to sit out a year if you transfer, which burns a year of your clock. But you can get a one time waiver signed by your previous school that allows you to play right away. How easy it is to get a waiver exception varies by school. Some schools never grant them, some always do, and everything in between. There are other conditions. You can, for example, petition the ncaa for a hardship/injury waiver to extend your clock and eligibility if you meet certain conditions. Some conferences also place added restrictions on transferring within conference, and if you are over 21 you can lose eligibility under certain conditions.
If you want to do some reading here is the NCAA publication: http://www.ncaapublications.com/productdownloads/TGONLINE2011.pdf
Video interview with Summer Green - apologies if this has been posted somewhere already: [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3KYYSmAQEE&feature=youtube_gdata_player"]PSW Interview: Summer Green, Michigan Hawks/ North Carolina - YouTube[/ame]
You are going to love Summer Green. The best 95 in the country and its not close. Is she really going to graduate a year early?
Indi Cowie tweeted she graduated earlier this week. I'm guessing she'll start college in January for Spring term.
We need a roster overhaul. Ive seen what this group can accomplish at UNC. They have gotten worse each year. If Anson can't find a goal scorer a star than his program is done. His teams depend on stars.
Never seen a UNC team that struggled so much to score. UNC needs a Kendall Marshall. A girl that will set up players on goal scoring positions. A elite passer. Then a James Worthy type of finisher. Sorry for the basketball references. Who that will be remains to be seen. That is what Anson has to find.
Merry Christmas all you Tar Heel Fans! And even those who post here and are not UNC fans - thanks for helping this to be one of the best threads on women's college soccer!
Focker, Worthyofbeing1, and RAMbunctious seem to be all anxious about the next season or two for the Tarheels. Relax, gentlemen, I believe that help is on the way. The 2012 recruiting class will be good one with a superb keeper and forward, and a very strong supporting cast which includes another YNT forward and some really good prospects at midfield or defense. And if, as rumor has it, Summer Green matriculates early, our offense should absolutely be dynamite. And 2013 will be another banner year. I expect Joanna Boyles to turn out to be another Amber Brooks in the midfield, and Amanda Rooney (arguably the #1 prospect from NY) will also help in the midfield. And besides two additional committed forwards with YNT experience, recruiting is not finished for 2013. Floridian Donish Cole may appear and wouldn't it be nice if we could get Lydia Simmons, Emily Morgan, or Margaret Purce to join the class... and Mikaela Harvey if she is available in 2013. (Not to mention possible players like Imani Dorsey and Carolina Charges who are 2014s.) The way I see it, AD may be retiring sometime after the 2015 season. The 2012, 2013, and 2014 classes may be the crux of his retirement team. If there is motivation for him (and his long-time staff) to go out on top, then these next recruiting classes will have to be strong, and it looks like they are shaping up that way!
Just to add a note to the above comment on the Tarheel 2013 class.... Jenny Chiu (from El Paso, Texas) recently served as captain of the Mexico U17 team in a two-game friendly series with Canada in mid December. (2-0 and 1-0 losses.) (A note from the second game write-up) "Mexico had the better of the early going with Jenny Chiu forcing Canadian goalkeeper Taylor Bucklin into two saves within the opening 17 minute."
Ya got me, cp. Yes, a little research shows that the first soccer-playing Imani Dorsey was a great Portland player ten years ago who eventually was on the U-23 team. The namesake coming up should be equally as skilled. Do you know of any connection resulting in the same name or is it a coincidence?
I don't know of any connection, although it's an odd coincidence. The older Imani played holding mid-field on the Pilots' 2002 national champion team. I notice that the young Imani Dorsey is black; and the older Imani's father Earl also is black and I believe was from Chicago, although the family lived in California (Thousand Oaks, I believe). The older Imani's mother was on the plane that crashed into the Pentagon on 9/11. At the time, she was a sophomore at the U of P. Imani and her dad show up at Pilots games now and then. If I see one of them next Fall, I'll ask if there's a connection. If not, pretty amazing.
Four elite feet pointed toward Tar**Heels http://espn.go.com/blog/high-school/girl/post/_/id/1283/four-elite-feet-pointed-toward-tar-heels
I think NC is fortunate to have several major metro soccer areas and OBX as talented sources for in-State players. These 14~18 club teams are a rich resource, and we are lucky to have them coming up through the pipe-line! If scholarship dollars and out-of-state waivers for in-state status remain unchanged, we may see more homegrown talent showing up in the Heels starting roster. However, as our talent pool and in-state development program compares pretty favorably to other States, I don't think this need put us at a disadvantage. It does raise the coaching bar for in-State elite coaches. I do think that if NC elite-team administrators realize that they are becoming a major conduit for UNC-CH players, they might hold some elite coaches to a higher standard and perhaps (in some instances) recruit some better talent for coaching. I think we have the player pipeline to compete with TX, CA, NJ, VA and other top states to produce exceptional players-- especially if those kids know they may be fast-tracked to get a spot on the Heels. I think the Heels will continue to draw strong players from the National/International pool who want to test themselves in Tarheel Blue, but the economic reality suggests that more of our players may be drawn from closer to home, and I think (and hope) we can rise to that challenge.
Dont mean to hijack the UNC thread, but CP had a brain fart. Betsy Barr was the holding mid back then. Imani was paired in the central defense with another great player, Lauren Orlandos (Hansen), who is now the Oregon associate head coach. That trio anchored a defense that only allowed one goal in the 2002 tournament.
I, too am 4ever a heels fan, but there are some pretty serious recruiting rivals here in-state who played in this year's College Cup. Any thoughts on whether they bear mentioning?
Well it seems as though Anson is always looking for new talent. On Wednesday he was in Sanford Florida at the ECNL games clearly looking for specific talent . He had good company as every ACC school also had either the HC or assistants there looking at the same talented girls. Personally I did not see any previously undiscovered talent but I did see some great disappointments of girls who were heavily touted by their club coaches. I know I wasn't alone .
Of course they're worth mentioning. Anyone UNC's recruiting in state is likely also going to be recruited by Wake Forest and Duke (unless they don't have the academic chops, which plays to UNC's advantage. I would imagine UNC is slightly less strenuous for academic admission requirements for athletes). That said, North Carolina's talent pool that's looking to play in state has a lot of different options in terms of playing for the nation's top programs, they have three in their backyard. And they can choose between a big public school or small private schools, a school close to home or a couple hours away, etc. etc. California is the only state that can do better in terms of offering home grown talent the best programs to play for. After Duke and Wake's stellar run this season, UNC's recruiting in state is only going to get harder even if the NC talent pool continues to improve. Plus don't forget all the girls that want to leave NC for school.
Only if they're in-state. UNC out of state is as hard as Duke to get accepted for the non-athlete. UNC/Duke/Wake all have the ability to slide an athlete in that might not quite make the general admission but coaches/ADs try to use that waiver card sparingly.