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2003 USL W-League season

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The 2003 W-League Season was the 9th season of the USL W-League, the second-highest division of women's soccer in the United States. The Boston Renegades were the defending champions. The Hampton Roads Piranhas were crowned champions after defeating the Chicago Cobras in the Championship game.

USL W-League
Season2003
ChampionsHampton Roads Piranhas
Top goalscorerCarrie Kveton
Jeanette Akerlund
(14 goals each)
← 2002
2004 →

Changes from the 2002 season

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Format changes

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The league went to the standard FIFA match points format: 3 points for a win (down from the previous 4), 1 for a draw, 0 for a loss, and eliminated bonus points for 3 or more goals scored.[1]

Name changes

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One team changed their name in the off-season:[1]

Team Name Metro Area Previous Name
  Vancouver Whitecaps Women Vancouver area Vancouver Breakers

Expansion teams

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One team joined the league ahead of the start of the season:[1]

Team Name Metro Area Location Previous Affiliation
  Columbus Lady Shooting Stars Columbus area Columbus, OH Expansion

Teams leaving

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Two teams left to join the WPSL:[1]

Eight teams folded after the 2002 season:[1]

Standings

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Blue indicates division title clinched
Green indicates playoff berth clinched

Central Conference

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Atlantic Division

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Pos Team Pld W L T GF GA GD Pts
1 Hampton Roads Piranhas 12 12 0 0 33 5 +28 36
2 Charlotte Lady Eagles 12 9 3 0 35 11 +24 27
3 Northern Virginia Majestics 12 5 7 0 16 21 −5 15
4 Asheville Splash 12 3 9 0 14 24 −10 9
5 Greensboro Twisters 12 2 10 0 8 34 −26 6
Source: [2][1]

Midwest Division

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Pos Team Pld W L T GF GA GD Pts
1 Chicago Cobras 12 10 1 1 33 8 +25 31
2 Northern Kentucky TC Stars 12 5 5 2 16 21 −5 17
3 Columbus Lady Shooting Stars 12 4 5 3 11 15 −4 15
4 Cincinnati Ladyhawks 12 4 7 1 12 17 −5 13
5 Windy City Bluez 12 3 8 1 18 29 −11 10
Source: [2][1]

Eastern Conference

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Northeast Division

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Pos Team Pld W L T GF GA GD Pts
1 New Jersey Lady Stallions 14 11 3 0 36 11 +25 33
2 Long Island Lady Riders 14 9 5 0 35 21 +14 27
3 New Jersey Wildcats 14 7 7 0 29 20 +9 21
4 New York Magic 14 7 7 0 33 25 +8 21
5 South Jersey Banshees* 14 1 13 0 8 48 −40 0[a]
Source: [2][1]
Notes:
  1. ^ South Jersey had 3 points deducted for violations.

Northern Division

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Pos Team Pld W L T GF GA GD Pts
1 Boston Renegades 14 13 0 1 60 5 +55 40
2 Ottawa Fury Women 14 11 2 1 61 9 +52 34
3 Toronto Inferno 14 6 7 1 32 31 +1 19
4 New Hampshire Lady Phantoms 14 3 11 0 21 53 −32 9
5 Rochester Ravens 14 0 13 1 4 96 −92 1
Source: [2][1]

Western Conference

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Pos Team Pld W L T GF GA GD Pts
1 Vancouver Whitecaps Women 12 10 1 1 51 10 +41 31
2 Seattle Sounders Women 12 8 3 1 35 8 +27 25
3 Denver Lady Cougars 12 6 4 2 36 24 +12 20
4 Arizona Heatwave 12 6 6 0 21 24 −3 18
5 Fort Collins Force 12 3 8 1 16 39 −23 10
6 Mile High Mustangs 12 0 11 1 5 62 −57 1
Source: [2][1]

Playoffs

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Format

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Four teams from both the Central and Eastern Conferences and two from the Western Conference qualified for the playoffs. All playoff matchups were in single-leg elimination tournament format with the higher seeded team hosting until the national semifinals. Seeding was determined by league record, with the Boston Renegades seeded first with 39 points. The host of the national semifinals was determined by bids at the 2002 USL Annual General Meeting.

In the Central and Eastern Conferences, the top two teams from each division played, and then divisional winners played for the conference championship and to advance to the national semifinals.

The top two teams in the Western Conference, having only one division, played each other to advance to the semifinals.

As hosts, the Hampton Roads Piranhas received a bye into the W-League national semifinals, with the third-place team from the Atlantic Division receiving a playoff berth.[3] The W-League Championship final was televised live on Fox Sports World.[3]

Conference Brackets

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Central Conference

Divisional Championships Central Championship
      
MW1   Chicago Cobras 9
MW2   Northern Kentucky TC Stars 1
MW1   Chicago Cobras 3
AT1   Charlotte Lady Eagles 1
AT1   Charlotte Lady Eagles 4
AT2   Northern Virginia Majestics 1

Eastern Conference

Divisional Championships Eastern Championship
      
NO1   Boston Renegades 2
NO2   Ottawa Fury Women 3
NO2   Ottawa Fury Women 4
NE1   New Jersey Lady Stallions 2
NE1   New Jersey Lady Stallions 4
NE2   Long Island Lady Riders 2

Western Conference

Western Finals
   
W1   Vancouver Whitecaps Women (AET/PK) 2 (1)
W2   Seattle Sounders Women 2 (3)

W-League Championship Bracket

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Semifinals Championship
      
WL   Hampton Roads Piranhas 4
W2   Seattle Sounders Women 1
WL   Hampton Roads Piranhas 1
MW1   Chicago Cobras 0
MW1   Chicago Cobras 3
NO2   Ottawa Fury Women 0 Third Place
W2   Seattle Sounders Women 4
NO2   Ottawa Fury Women 1

Divisional Championships

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  Chicago Cobras9 − 1  Northern Kentucky TC Stars
Sitch   14'
Cooper   18', 49', 59'
Grubb   28' (p)
Feulner   66'
Graczyk   67', 83', 89'		 Report Hoffbauer   69'
Mooseheart Memorial Stadium
Mooseheart, Illinois
  Charlotte Lady Eagles4 − 1  Northern Virginia Majestics
Report
  Ottawa Fury Women3 − 2  Boston Renegades
Vermeulen   44' (p)
Alfa   79'
Akerlund   82'		 Report Totman   40'
Rahko   87'
  New Jersey Lady Stallions4 − 2  Long Island Lady Riders
Negron   16'
Mathelier   47', 56'
Sinram   77'		 Report Forde   28'
Bracco   45'

Conference championships

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  Seattle Sounders Women2 − 2
(AET)		  Vancouver Whitecaps Women
Frimpong   42', 43' Report Andrews   9'
Neil   65'
Penalties
McIntosh  
Rodrick  
Van Blommestein  		 1 − 3 Hicks  
Timko  
Lang  
Potis  
Attendance: 4,089
Referee: Martin Reid (USA)
  Chicago Cobras3 − 1  Charlotte Lady Eagles
Feulner   6'
Greene   67'
Sitch   72'		 Report Murphy   60'
Mooseheart Memorial Stadium
Mooseheart, Illinois
  Ottawa Fury Women4 − 2  New Jersey Lady Stallions
Alfa   11', 15', 53'
McConville   75'		 Report Negron   30'
Flamini   37'
Attendance: 800

W-League Semifinals

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  Seattle Sounders Women1 − 4  Hampton Roads Piranhas
Frimpong   15' Report Borski   46', 55'
Hibbs   73'
Ritchie   90'
Attendance: 1,006
Referee: Chip Boatright (USA)
  Chicago Cobras3 − 0  Ottawa Fury Women
Graczyk   12', 90'
Sitch   58'		 Report

W-League Third Place

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  Ottawa Fury Women1 − 4  Seattle Sounders Women
Alfa   65' Report Frimpong   2', 6'
Mueller   11'
Milyak   82'
Attendance: 1,237
Referee: Dan Stead (USA)

W-League Championship

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  Hampton Roads Piranhas1 − 0  Chicago Cobras
Akide   96' Report
Attendance: 1,237

Season statistics

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Awards

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The W-League Championship All-Tournament Team was announced on August 10, 2003:[8]

F: Tina Frimpong (Seattle Sounders Women), Kristen Graczyk (Chicago Cobras), Mercy Akide (Hampton Roads Piranhas)
M: Melissa Bennett (Seattle Sounders Women), Florence Omagbemi (Hampton Roads Piranhas), Darci Borski (Hampton Roads Piranhas), Kelly Parker (Ottawa Fury Women)
D: Jenna Szyluk (Hampton Roads Piranhas), Fanta Cooper (Chicago Cobras), Josha Krueger (Chicago Cobras)
G: Meredith Flaherty (Hampton Roads Piranhas)

All-League and All-Conference Teams

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The All-Conference Teams were announced on August 1, 2003.[9] The All-League Team was announced on August 4.[4]

Central Conference

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G: Meredith Flaherty (Hampton Roads Piranhas) *
D: Fanta Cooper (Chicago Cobras) *, Deanna Kriedel (Charlotte Lady Eagles), Erin Showalter (Cincinnati Ladyhawks)
M: Florence Omagbemi (Hampton Roads Piranhas), Elizabeth Ramsey (Chicago Cobras), Julianne Sitch (Chicago Cobras) *, Sarah Wall (Columbus Lady Shooting Stars)
F: Mercy Akide (Hampton Roads Piranhas) *, Andrea Cunningham (Cincinnati Ladyhawks), Annette Kent (Windy City Bluez)

Eastern Conference

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G: Meghan Frey (Boston Renegades)
D: Linda Consolante (Ottawa Fury Women), Francesca DeCristoforo (Long Island Lady Riders) *, Caitlin Fisher (Boston Renegades)
M: Sue Flamini (New Jersey Stallions), Kelly Parker (Ottawa Fury Women) *, Melissa Shulman (Long Island Lady Riders), Stacey Stocco (Boston Renegades) *
F: Jeanette Akerlund (Ottawa Fury Women), Carrie Kveton (Boston Renegades), Jessica Reifer (New York Magic) *

Western Conference

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G: Megan Miller (Seattle Sounders Women)
D: Sasha Andrews (Vancouver Whitecaps Women) *, Shannon Forslund (Seattle Sounders Women), Amy Gray Denver Lady Cougars
M: Kacy Beitel (Denver Lady Cougars), Tara Kidwell (Fort Collins Force), Andrea Neil (Vancouver Whitecaps Women), Tracey Spinelli (Arizona Heatwave) *
F: Janelle Munnis (Seattle Sounders Women), Carolyn Theurer (Denver Lady Cougars), Phebe Trotman (Vancouver Whitecaps Women) *

* denotes All-League player

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "USA - United States Women's Interregional Soccer League (W-League)". RSSSF. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Team Standings". USL W-League. Archived from the original on October 11, 2003. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
  3. ^ a b "W-League Conference Finals set". United Soccer Leagues (USL). August 1, 2003. Archived from the original on December 14, 2003. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
  4. ^ a b c d e "PDL and W-League All-League Teams, Statistical Awards announced". United Soccer Leagues (USL). August 4, 2003. Archived from the original on August 19, 2003. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
  5. ^ a b "W-League - Top 10 Stats Leaders". United Soccer Leagues (USL). Archived from the original on December 9, 2003. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
  6. ^ "W-League, PDL MVP's announced". United Soccer Leagues (USL). August 7, 2003. Archived from the original on August 20, 2003. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
  7. ^ a b c "Defender, Rookie and Coach of the Year awards announced for PDL, W-League". United Soccer Leagues (USL). August 6, 2003. Archived from the original on August 20, 2003. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
  8. ^ a b "Piranhas win W-League title in OT". United Soccer Leagues (USL). August 10, 2003. Archived from the original on October 3, 2003. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
  9. ^ "W-League All-Conference Teams released". USL W-League. August 1, 2003. Archived from the original on November 28, 2003. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
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