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UConn Legends - 1990 Women's Soccer: A Monster Upset and Final Four

Over the years, fans of UConn Women's Basketball have witnessed opponents end long win streaks the Huskies put together. In 1990, UConn Women's Soccer ended a great streak themselves, North Carolina's Record 103 game win streak...

The Huskies entered their contest in Storrs 3-1-1, Carolina was 8-0, had outscored it's opponents 40-2 and out shot them 195-33. This was a star studded team that featured two future National Team members...Mia Hamm and Wilton's own Kristine Lilly...Who accounted for 21 of the 40 goals...Anson Dorrance was the legendary coach whose teams had won 4 straight titles and seven of the last 8 National Championships...

Mia Hamm had scored the games' lone goal and it appeared as if UNC was going to escape with a 1-0 win. But Denise Swenson changed that with 2:13 left and it was onto overtime where the Huskies gained momentum. Off a free kick, Julie Hultgren sent in a great cross where Swenson headed in the go ahead goal. Where it was just the fourth time the Heels trailed in the streak...But Carolina moved seven up and pressured the Huskies with Lilly just sailing a shot high and wide in the 106th minute...And UConn Keeper Wendy Logan was up to the task, making big save after big save...in the 108th minute, UConn's Mary Beth McNichol was called for an inadvertant hand ball in the box that she swore didn't hit her in the arm. Mia Hamm took the successful PK and it was 2-2.

Sweson would play a key role in the game winner...After Logan kept the game tied in net, Swenson chasing a loose ball in the box, rushed between two defenders and went after the ball...in the process, was cross checked by Carolina Keeper Merridee Proost setting up a PK, where four time All New England Selection Britton Arico scored the game winner with 1:35 remaining...

Coach Dorrance was very impressed with UConn's back line of 3x All American Karen Ferguson, 2x All American and Captain Beth Grecco and Freshman Susan Stabach, who had the task of chasing Mia Hamm around most of the game. As Len Tsantiris' Team moved to 4-1-1. It didn't exactly start a hot streak as UConn would go 2-3 in the next 5, but they did do enough at season's end to make the NCAA's.

Hultgren and Swenson scoring in a 2-1 win over Hartford, a stunning 1-0 win at #3 Virginia got them to the College Cup Semi's, then in a PK Shootout, beat previously unbeaten Santa Clara, led by All American Brandi Chastain, 2-1.Where Arico tied the game in the final seconds of regulation...However with the College Cup being held in Chapel Hill, NC, Carolina used it's home field advantage and talent to blow past the Huskies 6-0, scoring four in the second half to pull away where Kristine Lilly had a goal and three assists...

Beth Grecco, named an All American in 1990, was a 4x All Northeast and All New England Selection. Britton Arico, another 4x All New England Selection, amassed 99 points in her UConn Career. And Karen Ferguson later joined Tsantiris' Staff in 1997, where the Huskies were among the last 8 standing in those three years, reaching the Championship game again in 1997 with Sara Whalen...She's now leading the way as Head Coach at Louisville where she's been the boss for the last 20 years.

1990 started with a Dream Season run for Men's Basketball, the Calendar Year ended with Women's Soccer duplicating the feat. Making this Team UConn Legends...


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