NCAA Title-Game Rematch History ...
note: all research below is courtesy of CollegeSoccer360.com (please credit accordingly)
By Pete LaFleur (CS360 founder/editor ... editor@collegesoccer360.com)
When Stanford played at North Carolina a few days ago (Aug. 27), it marked the earliest rematch of the previous season's Division I women's soccer NCAA title game in the nearly three decades of D-I women's soccer play (since '82) ... Stanford gained some measure of redemption by playing UNC to a 2-2 tie, roughly nine months after dropping a hard-fought, 1-0 championship game vs. the Tar Heels to cap the 2009 season.
CollegeSoccer360 has crunched the historical numbers for such title-game rematch games, with notes following below (the bottom of this release includes a complete listing of the title games/rematches):
• There had been 10 previous rematches of title games in the ensuing regular season – and Stanford did what only three of the previous 10 teams had managed to do (avenge the title-game loss in a regular-season win/tie) ... following Stanford's 2-2 game at UNC, the defending champion now is 7-2-2 in a title-game rematch during the following regular season ... George Mason beat North Carolina in the 1985 title game, but UNC then won the rematch vs. GMU early in the 1986 regular season (4-2, at GMU; 9/21/86) ... the defending champ then won the next four regular-season rematches, before Notre Dame played to a 2-2 game vs. visiting North Carolina on Sept. 19, 1997 (at ND ... UNC had beaten ND 1-0 in 2 OT, to win the '96 NCAA title) ... Portland beat its WCC rival Santa Clara in the 2002 NCAA title game, but SCU edged the Pilots the following November (2-1; 2 OT).
Title-Game Rematches Played the Following Regular Season
(sorted earliest to latest in the season)
... 8/27/10 – Stanford 2, at North Carolina 2 * [defending champ: UNC]
... 9/4/09 – North Carolina 6, at Notre Dame 0 [UNC]
... 9/17/89 – at North Carolina 3, North Carolina State 0 [UNC]
... 9/19/97 – North Carolina 2, at Notre Dame 2 * [UNC]
... 9/21/86 – North Carolina 4, at George Mason 2 * [GMU]
... 9/21/91 – at North Carolina 2, Connecticut 0 [UNC]
... 9/29/93 – at North Carolina 7, Duke 2 [UNC]
... 10/13/85 – North Carolina 5, at Connecticut 0 [UNC]
... 10/15/88 – at North Carolina 4, Massachusetts 0 [UNC]
... 10/15/95 – North Carolina 2, Notre Dame 0 (in Houston) [UNC]
... 11/2/03 – at Santa Clara 2, Portland 1 (2 OT) * [PORT]
* = team that lost previous season's title game won/tied the rematch
note: the 1995 ND-UNC game is the only neutral-site rematch listed above
Title-Game Rematches Played ...
... the next regular season: defending champion is 7-2-2
...the next season in conf. tournament: def. champ is 2-0-0
... the next season in the NCAAs: def. champ is 6-4-1
TOTAL: defending champion is 15-6-3 (.688) in title-game rematches the next season
_____________________________
• There have been 11 seasons that featured a title-game rematch in the NCAA Tournament the following season:
Title-Game Rematched Played Next Season in the NCAAs ...
NCAA DIVISION I TITLE-GAME REMATCHES
(played the following season)
1984 NCAA Final ... at North Carolina 2, Connecticut 0
... rematch: 10/13/85 – North Carolina 5, at Connecticut 0 W
1985 NCAA Final ... at George Mason 2, North Carolina 0
... 9/21/86 – North Carolina 4, at George Mason 2 L
... 11/22/86 – North Carolina 3, at George Mason 2 (2 OT; NCAA semifinal) L
1987 NCAA Final ... North Carolina 1, at Massachusetts 0
... 10/15/88 – at North Carolina 4, Massachusetts 0 W
1988 NCAA Final ... at North Carolina 4, North Carolina State 1
... 9/17/89 – at North Carolina 3, North Carolina State 0 W
... 10/29/89 – North Carolina 5, North Carolina State 3 (at Duke; ACC final) W
... 11/18/89 – North Carolina 2, at North Carolina State 0 (NCAA semifinal) W
1989 NCAA Final ... North Carolina 2, Colorado College 0 (at N.C. State)
... 11/17/90 – at North Carolina 2, Colorado College 1 (NCAA semifinal) W
1990 NCAA Final ... at North Carolina 6, Connecticut 0
... 9/21/91 – at North Carolina 2, Connecticut 0 W
1992 NCAA Final ... at North Carolina 9, Duke 1
... 9/29/93 – at North Carolina 7, Duke 2 W
... 11/17/93 – North Carolina 4, Duke 1 (at NC-St; ACC final) W
1994 NCAA Final ... North Carolina 5, Notre Dame 0 (at Portland)
... 10/15/95 – North Carolina 2, Notre Dame 0 (in Houston) W
... 12/1/95 – Notre Dame 1, at North Carolina 0 (NCAA semifinal) L
1995 NCAA Final ... Notre Dame 1, Portland 0 (3 OT; at North Carolina)
... 12/6/96 – Notre Dame 3, Portland 2 (NCAA semi; at Santa Clara) W
1996 NCAA Final ... North Carolina 1, Notre Dame 0 (2 OT, at Santa Clara)
... 9/19/97 – North Carolina 2, at Notre Dame 2 T
1999 NCAA Final ... North Carolina 2, Notre Dame 0 (in San Jose)
... 12/1/00 – North Carolina 2, Notre Dame 1 (NCAA semi; in San Jose) W
2001 NCAA Final ... Santa Clara 1, North Carolina 0 (in Dallas, at SMU)
... 12/6/02 – Santa Clara 2, North Carolina 1 (NCAA semifinal; at Texas) W
2002 NCAA Final ... Portland 2, Santa Clara 1 (2 OT; at Texas)
... 11/2/03 – at Santa Clara 2, Portland 1 (2 OT) L
... 11/23/03 – Santa Clara 0, at Portland 0 (SCU adv. 4-2 in PKs; NCAA rd-of-16) T
2005 NCAA Final ... Portland 4, UCLA 0 (at Texas A&M)
... 11/24/06 – at UCLA 2, Portland 1 (NCAA quarterfinal) L
2006 NCAA Final ... North Carolina 2, Notre Dame 1 (in Cary, N.C.)
... 11/24/07 – Notre Dame 3, at North Carolina 2 (NCAA round-of-16) L
2008 NCAA Final ... North Carolina 2, Notre Dame 1 (in Cary, N.C.)
... 9/4/09 – North Carolina 6, at Notre Dame 0 W
... 12/4/09 – North Carolina 1, Notre Dame 0 (NCAA semifinal; at Texas A&M) W
2009 NCAA Final – North Carolina 1, Stanford 0 (at Texas A&M)
... 8/27/10 – Stanford 2, at North Carolina 2 T
