April Heinrichs Position: Head Coach Experience: 4th Season Alma Mater: North Carolina, '86

April Heinrichs is widely recognized as one of the most noteworthy and honored persons in women's soccer, establishing herself as a remarkable player, coach, and mentor in her long association with the sport. The Soccer America Player of the Decade (1980s) and the first and only woman inducated into the National Soccer Hall of Fame (1998), Heinrichs continues to make a mark in each of her endeavors. She was recently honored with the NSCAA Women's Committee Award of Excellence, honoring a individual for her outstanding long-term service and contribution toward improvement and advancement of the women's game in the U. S. Having completed her fourth year as the head coach at the University of Virginia, Heinrichs has taken the Cavaliers to the NCAA Tournament in each of her first four seasons, having posted a record of 52-27-7 while at Virginia.

Heinrichs' 1999 squad advanced to the third round of the Women's College Cup, posting a record of 13-9 along the way. Captain Angela Hucles became the school's all-time leading scorer, closing out her career with 59 goals and 20 assists for 138 points, shattering the old record. Virginia was ranked as high as #8 and spent three weeks in the top ten. The Cavaliers also became the first club to defeat the defending NCAA Champion Florida in the 1999 season.

In 1998, Heinrichs' club went 13-6-3, advancing to the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive year. The Cavaliers' 2-1 win over Princeton was Heinrich's 100th career win. Ironically, Princeton was Heinrichs' first collegiate head coaching stint. Virginia finished the regular season in second place in the ACC, the nation's toughest soccer conferenc. The Cavaliers also tied NCAA Semifinalist Portland 1-1.

Heinrichs led the 1997 Cavaliers to a record of 14-5-2, including a 4-3-0 Atlantic Coast Conference mark. The Cavaliers advanced to the NCAA second round with a 3-1 victory over James Madison. UVa also posted a 1-0 win at Portland in the regular season, joining Notre Dame and North Carolina as the only teams to win at Portland since 1990.

During her first year at UVa in 1996, Heinrichs led the Cavaliers to an overall record of 12-7-2 and a 3-3-1 mark in the ACC. Her squad finished in a tie for second place in the ACC, advanced to the conference semifinals and participated in the NCAA Tournament.

Heinrichs came to UVa from Maryland, where she guided the Terrapins to unprecedented national prominence. She was named the ACC Coach of the Year in 1995 after leading Maryland to its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance. Heinrichs compiled an overall record of 56-40-7 (.578) in five seasons at Maryland, establishing herself as the winningest coach in the program's history.

Heinrichs has a career coaching record of 103-64-15 (.607) in nine seasons. In addition to her years at Virginia and Maryland, she served as the head coach at Princeton for one season in 1990 and led the Tigers to an 8-6-1 record. Before that, Heinrichs spent one season as an assistant at William & Mary, helping the Tribe to an NCAA Tournament appearance.

In addition to her successful collegiate coaching career, Heinrichs serves as the head coach for the U.S. under-16 national team. She was also an assistant coach for the United States Olympic Women's Soccer Team which won the gold medal at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta and the FIFA Women's World Cup in 1999.

As a player, Heinrichs was also a key part of the U.S. women's national team from 1984-91. She captained the 1991 U.S. squad that won the first-ever Women's World Cup and was considered by international coaches as the world's top player in the mid-1980s. In 47 career appearances with the U.S. national team, Heinrichs scored 84 points on 37 goals and 10 assists. Entering 1998, she ranked fifth all-time among U.S. players in goals scored. The U.S. Soccer Female Athlete of the Year in both 1986 and 1989, Heinrichs became the first female player ever to be inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame on June 2, 1998.

During her collegiate career at the University of North Carolina, Heinrichs was a three-time first-team All-American selection by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America from 1984-86 while earning third team All-America honors in 1983. She was named National Player of the Year by the Intercollegiate Soccer Association of America in 1984 and 1986, and was recognized as the Player of the Decade for the 1980s by Soccer America magazine.

Heinrichs played on three NCAA championship teams at North Carolina (1983,'84 and '86). She totaled 225 career points (87 goals, 51 assists), which ranked as the most in women's collegiate soccer history at the time. She still ranks second all-time at North Carolina in points and third in both goals and assists. Heinrichs helped the Tar Heels to an overall record of 85-3-3 (.951) during her four years as a starter. At the completion of her career, Heinrichs became the first player in school history to have her jersey number (#2) retired.

Following her graduation from North Carolina with a bachelor's degree in radio, television and motion pictures, Heinrichs played professionally in Europe with the Italian Club team Prato.