UNC women’s soccer coach Anson Dorrance has been named the 2016 winner of the Werner Fricker Builder Award – U. S. Soccer’s highest honor.

The award is given to an individual or group who have dedicated at least 20 years of services to the sport, working to establish a lasting legacy in the history and structure of soccer in the United States, according to a release.

Dorrance is a former head coach of the Women’s National Team.

U. S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati said in a statement:

“Anson has worked tirelessly over the years to build a program at North Carolina that led the way for other universities to invest in women’s soccer, and from which soccer in the U.S. has benefited tremendously for the past three and a half decades. His work with the National Team and with National Team players at the collegiate level has helped to grow the game at home and abroad, and his legacy in soccer will certainly be felt for many years to come.”

Dorrance said, “It’s an extraordinary honor to be given the award named for the very man who made my U.S. Women’s National Team dream come true.”

Dorrance is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame and led the USA to its first Women’s World Cup title in 1991. Dorrance took over as the men’s soccer coach at Carolina in 1976 before taking on the women’s job simultaneously in 1979. Dorrance focused solely on the women’s program starting in 1988 and has led the Tar Heels to 21 NCAA titles out of 34 that have been held. Dorrance is an eight-time National Coach of the Year and nine-time ACC Coach of the Year. He is the winningest coach in college soccer history and 19 different Tar Heels have been named National Player of the Year during his tenure.

The award is named for Werner Fricker who served as U.S. Soccer President from 1984 to 1990 and was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1992.

Related Stories
‹
Chansky's Notebook: Coach For The Ages
Hail to Anson Dorrance, the 800-win man. He’s has been so good for so long, and so self-effacing, that Anson Dorrance lives below the radar. He has not only built Carolina women’s soccer into a national powerhouse, he is the man most responsible for making the game a phenomenon for the female gender. And he […]
Two Weekend Wins Get UNC Women's Soccer Off to Undefeated Start
A pair of shutouts over the weekend vaulted the ninth-ranked UNC women’s soccer team to an undefeated start to the new season. UNC took on the University of Central Florida in the season-opening match on Friday night as part of the 2016 Carolina Nike Classic at Fetzer Field. Two second-half goals – one each from […]
UNC Grad Katie Bowen Representing New Zealand at Rio Olympics
Another UNC Tar Heel has been chosen to compete in the 2016 Olympic Games. Katie Bowen will represent New Zealand as a member of the women’s soccer team at the games beginning next month. Bowen is a 2016 UNC graduate for played for Carolina’s national title squad in 2012 and earned All-Conference and All-America honors […]
Four Tar Heels Named to Women's Soccer Academic All-ACC Team
Four players from the UNC women’s soccer tam have been named to the All-Atlantic Coast Conference Academic Team, which was announced Tuesday. Junior midfielder Joanna Boyles was named to the Academic All-Conference team for the second consecutive year. Boyles was also named second-team All-ACC for her performance on the field during the Tar Heels 2015 […]
UNC Women's Soccer Announces 2025 Regular Season Schedule
The UNC women’s soccer team officially announced its 2025 regular-season schedule Monday morning. The wait is over, the 2025 schedule is here 👏 Ticket info coming soon#GoHeels pic.twitter.com/E4fClsF4X5 — UNC Women's Soccer (@uncwomenssoccer) July 21, 2025 The reigning national champions will begin their title defense with two home exhibition matches in August. UNC-Wilmington visits Dorrance […]
UNC Women's Sports Programs Win 2024-25 Capital One Cup
UNC has been named the winner of the 2024-25 Capital One Cup, awarded annually to the most successful women’s athletic program of the season. The winner is determined by accumulating points in a combination of NCAA championship wins and major poll finishes. Four women’s sports programs at UNC – field hockey, soccer, lacrosse and tennis […]
Check Out the Complete Schedule for UNC's 'ACC Network Takeover' July 8
The ACC Network will feature 24 hours of Tar Heel highlights from the 2024-25 athletic year Tuesday as part of its annual “ACC Network Takeover.” Programming begins at midnight and lasts through 11:59 p.m. Featured games include the women’s basketball team’s win against No. 10 NC State at Carmichael Arena back in February. Those who […]
UNC Finishes 4th in Learfield Directors' Cup Standings; Best Finish in 16 Years
UNC finished fourth in the final standings for the 2024-25 Learfield Directors’ Cup, which measures achievements across 19 different sports. The fourth-place finish is UNC’s best in the last 16 seasons. The Tar Heels accrued 1,195.25 points in the standings. The only schools ahead of UNC were No. 1 Texas (which won its fourth title […]
Parking, Parties and Team History: What to Know Ahead of Mexico vs. Türkiye Soccer in Chapel Hill
The men's national soccer teams of Mexico and Türkiye will meet in Chapel Hill Tuesday for a friendly. Here's what to know before you go.
Art's Angle: Women's World
This past weekend was about the young women who make Carolina great in so many ways, particularly on the fields and courts. On Friday, the tennis Tar Heels defeated N.C. State for the third time this season, and this one was tougher than beating the Wolfpack in the regular season and the ACC tournament semifinals. […]
›