Washington, D.C. -  Rep. David Price (NC-04) delivered the following remarks on the floor of the House of Representatives today:

MR. SPEAKER, I rise today to celebrate an accomplishment for which my constituents and I have tremendous pride and adoration: the 2006 Lady Tar Heels of the University of North Carolina have just claimed their nineteenth Women’s Soccer National Championship, beating the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 2-to-1 in the title game last Sunday.

Under the leadership of Head Coach Anson Dorrance, Carolina Women’s Soccer has been the most dominant program in the history of college athletics, winning 18 of the 25 national championships since the NCAA established the women’s tournament.

This national title game capped off a stellar career for Senior Captain Heather O’Reilly, who was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Offensive Player, as well as for Carolina’s other seniors. Junior Defender Robyn Gayle was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Defensive Player, and seven freshmen played for the Lady Tar Heels in the game.

I also take great pride in the fact that the Championship Game took place in my district, at the SAS Soccer Park in Cary. The sellout crowd of more than 8,300 enthusiastic fans is a testament to the growing popularity of soccer in North Carolina and around the country.

So I want to extend my congratulations to the Lady Tar Heels on their outstanding success; to a Notre Dame squad for a well-played tournament; and to the university community in Chapel Hill that has come to embrace the women’s soccer team as one of its most precious gems.

Even the great Dean Smith, himself the winningest coach in college basketball history, once remarked: “This is a women's soccer school. We're just trying to keep up with them.”