The 1995 USWISL, also known as the 1995

Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine given ...

W League for sponsorship reasons, was the inaugural season of the United States Women's Interregional Soccer League (USWISL), which later became the

USL W-League The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, pl ...

. Operated by the

USISL United Soccer League (USL), formerly known as United Soccer Leagues, is a soccer league in the United States and Canada. It organizes several men's and women's leagues, both professional and amateur. Men's leagues currently organized are the ...

, it was the highest division of

women's soccer Women's association football, more commonly known simply as women's football or women's soccer, is a team sport of association football when played by women only. It is played at the women's professional sports, professional level in multiple c ...

in the

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at the time. The

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were crowned champions after defeating the Southern California Nitemares in the Championship game.

Background

In December 1993, it was announced that the

had committed to establishing the first US-wide

league, and that it would begin operations in 1995. In 1994, in preparation for the following year, around eighteen teams were established with the purpose of playing a few

exhibition game An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, a scrimmage, a demonstration, a preseason game, a warmup match, or a preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sporting event whose prize money and impact on the player's or ...

s with each other under the USISL umbrella. Five of these teams were then invited to a final tournament in

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, which was won by the

Sacramento Storm California Storm is an American women's soccer team, founded in 1995 as the Sacramento Storm, dropping the city name in favor of California the following season. The team is a member of the Women's Premier Soccer League, the second tier of wom ...

, who defeated the

Greensboro Dynamo North Carolina Fusion U-23, formerly known as Carolina Dynamo, is an American soccer team based in Greensboro, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1993, the team plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. The t ...

1–0 in the Championship game. The league was originally meant to include 20 teams, but only 19 entered the competition; moreover, the Wichita Lady Blues and the

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folded early in the year, thus bringing the number of competing teams down to 17, divided into three divisions (Eastern, Central, and Western).

Competition format

The league did not follow the standard

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points system; instead, points were awarded as follows: * Regulation win (W) = 6 points * Shootout win (SW) = 4 points * Shootout loss (SL) = 2 points * Regulation loss (L) = 0 points * Bonus points (BP): An additional one point per goal, up to a maximum of three points per game.

League standings

Eastern Division

Central Division

Western Division

Sizzlin' Six Tournament

The Sizzlin' Six Tournament took place in

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from August 11 to August 13, 1995. The Cincinnati Leopards qualified automatically as the hosts of the tournament. Having won their respective divisions, the

(Eastern), the Rockford Dactyls (Central), and the Southern California Nitemares (Western) also qualified for the tournament. The Pennsylvania Freedom and the Texas Lightning, who finished second in the Eastern and Central divisions respectively, took the remaining two spots. The six qualified teams played in a modified round-robin tournament, with each team playing games on August 11 and 12 against two non-division opponents. The Championship game was played on August 13, 1995.

Championship

Statistical leaders

Top scorers

Awards

* Scoring Champion:

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( Rockford Dactyls) * Most Valuable Player: Laurie Hill ( Southern California Nitemares) * Coach of the Year: Peter Collins Jr. (

) * Goalkeeper of the Year:

Kim Wyant Kimberly Wyant (born February 11, 1964) is an American soccer coach and retired player. She is the head coach of the New York University men's soccer team, currently, one of only two women to lead a men's NCAA National Collegiate Athletic Associ ...

(

) * Sizzlin' Six Tournament Offensive MVP: Gina Vassallo-Tucker (

) * Sizzlin' Six Tournament Defensive MVP: Kim Conway (

)

References

{{USL W-League USL W-League (1995–2015) seasons 1995 in American soccer leagues 1995 in American women's soccer