ECNL Has Developed Amazing Collegiate Players
ECNL Alums dominated the 2019 College Cup rosters and the #WCollegeCup Championship had 17 #ECNLAlums starting the match.
The 2019 Women’s College Soccer season is over but the players’ legacy lingers on. Many of the high performing impact players competing at the highest level in the NCAA Division 1 Women’s College Cup were ECNL Alums.
Over the last four years, the ECNL has averaged 82 alums each year participating in the Final Four.
This year, between the UCLA Bruins, North Carolina Tarheels, Stanford Cardinal, and Washington State Cougars, the Women’s College Cup Final Four included an amazing 75 ECNL Alums.
Just so you know: The Women’s College Cup is comprised of the two semifinal games and championship game of the Division I women’s soccer championship tournament. There are 333 women’s soccer teams in Division I that are eligible for competition in the tournament.
The 2019 Division I Women’s College Cup was an absolutely outstanding match between Stanford and North Carolina. The game was so balanced that it remained scoreless through regulation time and continued to thrill fans through two periods of overtime with no goals scored.
In the end, the Cardinal were able to lift the cup after outscoring the Tar Heels in PKs 5-4 in penalty kicks. Former ECNL Surf SC player, Stanford’s Catarina Macario scored the first PK for the Cardinals.
In all, ECNL alums account for 77% of the combined goals scored and 82% of the combined assists for the four teams in the 2019 College Cup!
The numbers from the 2019 season solidify the ECNL’s undisputed role in developing amazing young women who are college-bound.
The #WCollegeCup Championship is underway, with 1️⃣7️⃣ #ECNLAlums starting the match! 💪🏼
— ECNL (@theECNL) December 9, 2019
The ECNL College Impact is strong as both teams continue to battle. #LeadersPlayHere. https://t.co/cFvonSNOct
The ECNL College Impact chronicles the significant influence of ECNL alums as leaders at the collegiate level.
ECNL Alums in the 2019 College Cup by the Numbers:
ECNL Players at UCLA Bruins:
- 59% of total players on the UCLA roster are ECNL Alums
- 73% of UCLA goals scored in the postseason were by ECNL Alums
- ECNL Alums assisted on 92% of UCLA goals scored in the postseason
- The last time UCLA qualified for the Final Four was in 2017, represented by 19 ECNL alums
- UCLA’s only Women’s College Cup championship came in 2013
ECNL Players at North Carolina Tarheels:
- 73% of total players on the UNC roster are ECNL Alums
- 62% of UNC goals scored during the postseason were by ECNL Alums
- ECNL Alums assisted on 71% of UNC goals scored in the postseason
- The most decorated collegiate program in the women’s game, UNC boasts 21 championships.
- UNC was the runner-up last year after losing to Florida State in the College Cup Finals.
- This is UNC’s third Final Four appearance in the last four years, qualifying for the 2016 Cup (represented by 26 ECNL alums), 2018 Cup (22 ECNL alums), and 2019 Cup (22 ECNL alums)
ECNL Players at Stanford Cardinals:
- 83% of total players on the Stanford roster are ECNL Alums
- 96% of UNC goals scored during the postseason were by ECNL Alums
- ECNL Alums assisted on 95% of Stanford goals scored during the postseason
- This is Stanford’s third consecutive Final Four appearance, qualifying in the 2017 Cup (23 ECNL alums), 2018 Cup (25 ECNL alums), and 2019 Cup (20 ECNL alums).
- Stanford took on UCLA in the 2019 semifinals, a rematch of the 2017 College Cup Final won by Stanford for their second-ever title
ECNL Players at Washington State Cougars:
- 48% of total players on the WSU roster are ECNL Alums
- 50% of Washington State goals scored during the postseason were by ECNL Alums
- ECNL Alums assisted on 50% of WSU goals scored during the postseason
- This is WSU’s first-ever appearance in the Women’s College Cup Final Four
“The ECNL player is driven to be her best and to make her team stronger.”
Jen Winnagle, ECNL Girls Commissioner
We are incredibly proud of the ECNL Alums who continue to lead teams to the top of college soccer, especially after seeing so many of them do the same with their club teams in the ECNL Playoffs for years,” said ECNL Girls Commissioner Jen Winnagle.
“The preparation these players received in their clubs and in the ECNL has prepared them to rise to these moments,” said Winnagle. “We will be celebrating their collective success as so many of these players have been on this journey together.”
Source: ECNL Press Release. Images courtesy of The College Cup and ECNL.
