2003 USL W-League season


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.

Changes from the 2002 season

Format changes

The league went to the standard FIFA match points format: 3 points for a win, 1 for a draw, 0 for a loss, and eliminated bonus points for 3 or more goals scored.

Name changes

One team changed their name in the off-season:
Team nameMetro areaPrevious name

Expansion teams

One team joined the league ahead of the start of the season:
Team nameMetro areaLocationPrevious affiliation

Teams leaving

Two teams left to join the WPSL:
Eight teams folded after the 2002 season:

Standings

Blue indicates division title clinched
''Green indicates playoff berth clinched''

Playoffs

Format

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. The W-League Championship final was televised live on Fox Sports World.

Conference Brackets

Central Conference
Eastern Conference
'''Western Conference'''

Divisional Championships

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Conference championships

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W-League Semifinals

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Season statistics

Scoring Champion: Jeanette Akerlund and Kelly Parker Goal Scoring Champion: Jeanette Akerlund and Carrie Kveton Assist Leader: Rhian Wilkinson

Awards

Most Valuable Player: Phebe Trotman Rookie of the Year: Stacey Stocco Defender of the Year: Fanta Cooper Coach of the Year: Mike Nesci Goalkeeper of the Year: Meredith Flaherty Championship MVP: Mercy Akide
The W-League Championship All-Tournament Team was announced on August 10, 2003:
F: Tina Frimpong, Kristen Graczyk, Mercy Akide

M: Melissa Bennett, Florence Omagbemi, Darci Borski, Kelly Parker

D: Jenna Szyluk, Fanta Cooper, Josha Krueger

G: Meredith Flaherty

All-League and All-Conference Teams

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

Central Conference

G: Meredith Flaherty *

D: Fanta Cooper *, Deanna Kriedel, Erin Showalter

M: Florence Omagbemi, Elizabeth Ramsey, Julianne Sitch *, Sarah Wall

F: Mercy Akide *, Andrea Cunningham, Annette Kent

Eastern Conference

G: Meghan Frey

D: Linda Consolante, Francesca DeCristoforo *, Caitlin Fisher

M: Sue Flamini, Kelly Parker *, Melissa Shulman, Stacey Stocco *

F: Jeanette Akerlund, Carrie Kveton, Jessica Reifer *

Western Conference

G: Megan Miller

D: Sasha Andrews *, Shannon Forslund, Amy Gray Denver Lady Cougars

M: Kacy Beitel, Tara Kidwell, Andrea Neil, Tracey Spinelli *

F: Janelle Munnis, Carolyn Theurer, Phebe Trotman *
''* denotes All-League player''