1997 USISL D-3 Pro League
Football league season
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 1997 USISL D-3 Pro League was the 11th season of third-division soccer in the United States, and was the first season of now-defunct USISL D-3 Pro League.
Season1997
ChampionsAlbuquerque Geckos (1st Title)
Regular Season titleAlbuquerque Geckos (1st Title)
Matches349
| Season | 1997 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Albuquerque Geckos (1st Title) |
| Regular Season title | Albuquerque Geckos (1st Title) |
| Matches | 349 |
| Goals | 1,221 (3.5 per match) |
| Best player |  Orett Prendergast Florida Strikers |
| Top goalscorer | Orett Prendergast Florida Strikers (29 Goals) |
| Best goalkeeper |  J. J. Wozniak San Francisco Bay Seals |
← 1996 1998 → | |
New clubs
League standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | SW | SL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Jersey Imperials | 18 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 39 | 23 | +16 | 31 |
| 2 | Rhode Island Stingrays | 18 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 32 | 25 | +7 | 31 |
| 3 | New Hampshire Phantoms | 18 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 36 | 27 | +9 | 29 |
| 4 | Central Jersey Riptide | 18 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 26 | 24 | +2 | 26 |
| 5 | Vermont Wanderers | 18 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 21 | 39 | −18 | 19 |
| 6 | NYCD Alleycats | 18 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 25 | 38 | −13 | 18 |
| 7 | Cape Cod Crusaders | 18 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 19 | 32 | −13 | 13 |
Source: rsssf.com
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | SW | SL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Reading Rage | 18 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 46 | 22 | +24 | 40 |
| 2 | Philadelphia Freedom | 18 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 29 | 32 | −3 | 31 |
| 3 | Baltimore Bays | 18 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 30 | 34 | −4 | 24 |
| 4 | New Jersey Stallions | 18 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 8 | 25 | 26 | −1 | 23 |
| 5 | Delaware Wizards | 18 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 23 | 32 | −9 | 21 |
| 6 | South Jersey Barons | 18 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 22 | 28 | −6 | 13 |
Source: rsssf.com
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | SW | SL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Myrtle Beach Seadawgs | 18 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 40 | 19 | +21 | 43 |
| 2 | South Carolina Shamrocks | 18 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 37 | 27 | +10 | 35 |
| 3 | Charlotte Eagles | 18 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 38 | 21 | +17 | 32 |
| 4 | Florida Strikers | 18 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 51 | 34 | +17 | 30 |
| 5 | Wilmington Hammerheads | 18 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 37 | 24 | +13 | 25 |
| 6 | Mobile Revelers | 18 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 25 | 54 | −29 | 12 |
| 7 | Daytona Tigers | 18 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 14 | 61 | −47 | 9 |
Source: rsssf.com
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | SW | SL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chicago Stingers | 18 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 32 | 19 | +13 | 37 |
| 2 | Indiana Blast | 18 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 28 | 31 | −3 | 22 |
| 3 | Cleveland Caps | 18 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 28 | 32 | −4 | 21 |
| 4 | Rockford Raptors | 18 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 32 | 33 | −1 | 20 |
Source: rsssf.com
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | SW | SL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Albuquerque Geckos | 18 | 13 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 51 | 15 | +36 | 41 |
| 2 | Austin Lone Stars | 18 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 38 | 28 | +10 | 34 |
| 3 | Houston Hurricanes | 18 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 35 | 30 | +5 | 27 |
| 4 | Tulsa Roughnecks | 18 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 36 | 40 | −4 | 27 |
| 5 | San Antonio Pumas | 18 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 23 | 45 | −22 | 15 |
| 6 | Dallas Toros | 18 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 22 | 53 | −31 | 6 |
Source: rsssf.com
- Albuquerque gets a bye to the national semifinal as hosts.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | SW | SL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco Bay Seals | 18 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 41 | 16 | +25 | 41 |
| 2 | Sacramento Scorpions | 18 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 39 | 36 | +3 | 33 |
| 3 | Chico Rooks | 18 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 38 | 28 | +10 | 30 |
| 4 | San Fernando Valley Golden Eagles | 18 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 30 | 31 | −1 | 29 |
| 5 | Stanislaus County Cruisers | 18 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 31 | 27 | +4 | 24 |
| 6 | Arizona Sahuaros | 18 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 39 | 40 | −1 | 19 |
| 7 | Hawaii Tsunamii | 16 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 24 | 29 | −5 | 13 |
| 8 | Reno Rattlers | 16 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 17 | 34 | −17 | 12 |
| 9 | Los Angeles Fireballs | 18 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 22 | 40 | −18 | 9 |
Source: rsssf.com
Playoffs
Division Semi-finals
- Central Jersey defeated North Jersey 2–1 (SO)
- New Hampshire defeated Rhode Island 2–1 (OT)
- Baltimore defeated Philadelphia 2–1
- New Jersey defeated Reading, 2–1
- Myrtle Beach defeated Florida, 5–1
- Charlotte defeated South Carolina 3–2
- Indiana defeated Cleveland 3–2
- San Antonio defeated Austin, 4–2
- Houston defeated Tulsa, 4–1
- San Francisco Bay defeated San Fernando Valley, 5–0
- Chico defeated Sacramento, 6–1
| Austin Lone Stars | 2–4 | San Antonio Pumas |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
Attendance: 1,506
| Houston Hurricanes | 4–1 | Tulsa Roughnecks |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
Butler Stadium, Houston, Texas
| Philadelphia Freedom | 1–2 | Baltimore Bays |
|---|---|---|
|
Marple Newtown High School, Newtown Square, Pennsylvania
| Myrtle Beach Seadawgs | 5–1 | Florida Strikers |
|---|---|---|
|
|
| Sacramento Scorpions | 1–6 | Chico Rooks |
|---|---|---|
|
Report 2 |
|
Attendance: 1,743
| North Jersey Imperials | 0–1 | Central Jersey Riptide |
|---|---|---|
| Penalties | ||
| 1–2 |
|
|
| Rhode Island Stingrays | 1–2 (OT) | New Hampshire Phantoms |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
Attendance: 1,505
Ray Buss Field, Fleetwood, Pennsylvania
| Indiana Blast | 3–2 | Cleveland Caps |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
Attendance: 3,047
| South Carolina Shamrocks | 2–3 | Charlotte Eagles |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
Shamrock Stadium, Greer, South Carolina
Attendance: 1,700
| San Francisco Bay Seals | 5–0 | San Fernando Valley Golden Eagles |
|---|---|---|
|
Division Finals
- New Hampshire defeated Central Jersey, 2–0
- Baltimore defeated New Jersey, 3–0
- Charlotte defeated Myrtle Beach, 3–3 (SO)
- Indiana defeated Chicago, 1–0
- Houston defeated San Antonio, 2–0
- San Francisco defeated Chico, 2–0
South Central Division Championship
| Houston Hurricanes | 2–0 | San Antonio Pumas |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
Butler Stadium, Houston, Texas
Attendance: 3,560
South Atlantic Division Championship
| Myrtle Beach Seadawgs | 3–3 (a.e.t.) | Charlotte Eagles |
|---|---|---|
|
|
|
| Penalties | ||
|
1–2 |
|
Attendance: 1,000
North Central Division Championship
Forest View Park, Arlington Heights, Illinois
West Division Championship
| San Francisco Bay Seals | 2–0 | Chico Rooks |
|---|---|---|
|
Witter Field, Berkeley, California
Northeast Division Championship
| New Hampshire Phantoms | 2–0 | Central Jersey Riptide |
|---|---|---|
|
Report 1 Report 2 |
|
Owl Stadium, Keene, New Hampshire
Attendance: 2,623
Mid-Atlantic Division Championship
| Baltimore Bays | 3–0 | New Jersey Stallions |
|---|---|---|
|
Quarterfinals/Inter Region Finals
- San Francisco Bay defeated Houston, 3–0
- New Hampshire defeated Baltimore 1–0 (OT)
- Charlotte defeated Indiana, 6–0
West Region Final
East Region Final
| New Hampshire Phantoms | 1–0 (OT) | Baltimore Bays |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
Owl Stadium, Keene, New Hampshire
Attendance: 2,830
Central Region Final
Semifinals
- Charlotte defeated San Francisco Bay, 4–2
- Albuquerque defeated New Hampshire 2–1 (OT)
| San Francisco Bay Seals | 2–4 | Charlotte Eagles |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
UNM Soccer Complex, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Attendance: 1,500
| Albuquerque Geckos | 2–1 (OT) | New Hampshire Phantoms |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
UNM Soccer Complex, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Attendance: 1,145
Third Place Match
| San Francisco Bay Seals | 1–0 | New Hampshire Phantoms |
|---|---|---|
|
Report |
UNM Soccer Complex, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Attendance: 2,013
Championship
- Albuquerque defeated Charlotte, 4–1
USISL D-3 Pro League Championship Game
| Albuquerque Geckos | 4–1 | Charlotte Eagles |
|---|---|---|
|
Report 1 Report 2 |
|
UNM Soccer Complex, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Attendance: 2,013
Honors
- Organization of the Year: Cleveland Caps
- Executive of the Year: Monika Suhnholz, Austin Lone Stars
- Fair Play Award: Charlotte Eagles