Shannon Higgins-Cirovski
Encyclopedia
Shannon Higgins-Cirovski (born Kent, Washington
) was a U.S. soccer midfielder
who Higgins earned fifty-one caps with the United States
between 1987 and 1991. She was a member of the U.S. team at the 1991 FIFA Women's World Cup and is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame
.
where she attended Mount Rainier High School
. She graduated from high school in 1986 and entered the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
that fall, playing on the women’s soccer team from 1986 to 1989. During those four seasons, UNC-Chapel Hill won four consecutive NCAA Championships
. Higgins scored the game winning goal in the last three championship games. She was a two-time first team All American (1988 and 1989) and the recipient of numerous awards including the 1988 and 1989 Soccer America Player of the Year
, 1989 ISAA Player of the Year
and the 1989 Hermann Trophy
. In 2000, she was named to the Soccer America College Team of the Century
. Higgins graduated from UNC in 1990 with a bachelor’s degree in industrial relations.
between 1987 and 1991. Her greatest achievement came in the 1991 FIFA Women's World Cup when her playmaking skills were a central part of the U.S.’s championship run. In the 2-1 final, Higgins assisted on both of Michelle Akers
goals.
women’s soccer team. In 1992, she was elevated to the position of head coach, taking the team to a 69-59-11 record before resigning in 1997. She was inducted into the university’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2003. In 1998, Higgins-Cirovski served as the head coach of the U.S. U-18 women’s national team. On January 13, 1999, she was hired as the University of Maryland, College Park
women’s soccer team, a position she held until resigning in 2006. She had a 62-51-10 (.549) record over her six seasons. Her husband, Sasho Cirovski
, coaches the school’s men’s soccer team.
of the WUSA
.
She was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame
in 2002. That year, the Atlantic Coast Conference
named her to its list of the Top 50 ACC Athletes in the first fifty years of the conference’s existence.
Kent, Washington
Kent is a city located in King County, Washington, United States, and is the third largest city in King County and the sixth largest in the state. An outlying suburb of Seattle, Kent is also the corporate home for companies such as REI and Oberto Sausage...
) was a U.S. soccer midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
who Higgins earned fifty-one caps with the United States
United States women's national soccer team
The United States women's national soccer team represents the United States in international soccer competition and is controlled by U.S. Soccer. The U.S. team won the first ever Women's World Cup in 1991, and has since been a superpower in women's soccer. It is currently ranked first in the world...
between 1987 and 1991. She was a member of the U.S. team at the 1991 FIFA Women's World Cup and is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame
National Soccer Hall of Fame
The National Soccer Hall of Fame is a private, non-profit institution established in 1979 that honors soccer achievements in the United States.-History:...
.
High school and college
Higgins grew up in Kent, WashingtonKent, Washington
Kent is a city located in King County, Washington, United States, and is the third largest city in King County and the sixth largest in the state. An outlying suburb of Seattle, Kent is also the corporate home for companies such as REI and Oberto Sausage...
where she attended Mount Rainier High School
Mount Rainier High School
Mount Rainier High School is a secondary school in Des Moines, Washington, United States; named for Mount Rainier which can be seen quite well from the school on a clear day, Mount Rainier serves approximately 1572 students and has been active since 1957. It was created to handle the overflow from...
. She graduated from high school in 1986 and entered the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
that fall, playing on the women’s soccer team from 1986 to 1989. During those four seasons, UNC-Chapel Hill won four consecutive NCAA Championships
NCAA Women's Soccer Championship
NCAA Women's Soccer Championships are divided into three divisions. This article lists NCAA Women's soccer championships.-Division I:The NCAA began conducting a Women's Division I Soccer Championship tournament in 1982 with a 12-team tournament...
. Higgins scored the game winning goal in the last three championship games. She was a two-time first team All American (1988 and 1989) and the recipient of numerous awards including the 1988 and 1989 Soccer America Player of the Year
Soccer America Player of the Year Award
Beginning in 1984, Soccer America Magazine began naming a college player of the year. At the time Soccer America was the best source for U.S. soccer, especially collegiate soccer which was rarely covered by the national news services...
, 1989 ISAA Player of the Year
ISAA Player of the Year
The ISAA Player of the Year was an annual U.S. college soccer award presented by the Intercollegiate Soccer Association of America between 1984 and 1995. In 1984, the ISAA began recognizing outstanding men's NCAA soccer players with an annual Player of the Year award. In 1985 the ISAA expanded...
and the 1989 Hermann Trophy
Hermann Trophy
The Hermann Trophy is awarded annually by the Missouri Athletic Club to the United States's top male and female college soccer players.-History:...
. In 2000, she was named to the Soccer America College Team of the Century
Soccer America College Team of the Century
The Soccer America College Team of the Century were chosen by the editors of the American periodical Soccer America to comprise, as one men's and one women's eleven-member side divided each as one goalkeeper, three defenders, four midfielders, and three forwards, the best players of collegiate...
. Higgins graduated from UNC in 1990 with a bachelor’s degree in industrial relations.
National team
Higgins earned fifty-one caps with the United StatesUnited States women's national soccer team
The United States women's national soccer team represents the United States in international soccer competition and is controlled by U.S. Soccer. The U.S. team won the first ever Women's World Cup in 1991, and has since been a superpower in women's soccer. It is currently ranked first in the world...
between 1987 and 1991. Her greatest achievement came in the 1991 FIFA Women's World Cup when her playmaking skills were a central part of the U.S.’s championship run. In the 2-1 final, Higgins assisted on both of Michelle Akers
Michelle Akers
Michelle Akers is a former leading American association football player, who starred in the historic 1991 and 1999 Women's World Cup victory by the U.S.. She won the Golden Boot as the top scorer in the 1991 tournament...
goals.
Coach
Following her graduation from UNC in 1990, Higgins-Cirovski was hired as an assistant coach to the George Washington UniversityGeorge Washington University
The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...
women’s soccer team. In 1992, she was elevated to the position of head coach, taking the team to a 69-59-11 record before resigning in 1997. She was inducted into the university’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2003. In 1998, Higgins-Cirovski served as the head coach of the U.S. U-18 women’s national team. On January 13, 1999, she was hired as the University of Maryland, College Park
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
women’s soccer team, a position she held until resigning in 2006. She had a 62-51-10 (.549) record over her six seasons. Her husband, Sasho Cirovski
Sasho Cirovski
Sasho Cirovski is a Yugoslavian-American soccer coach, raised in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, who led his University of Maryland team to the NCAA championship in 2005 and 2008.-Early life and career:...
, coaches the school’s men’s soccer team.
Broadcaster
In 2001, Higgins-Cirovski was a color commentator for the television broadcasts of the Washington FreedomWashington Freedom
The Washington Freedom was an American professional soccer club based in the Washington, D.C. suburb of Germantown, Maryland that participated in Women's Professional Soccer. The Freedom was originally founded in 2001 as a member of the defunct Women's United Soccer Association. Since 2004, the...
of the WUSA
Women's United Soccer Association
The Women's United Soccer Association, often abbreviated to the WUSA, was the world's first women's soccer league in which all the players were paid as professionals. Founded in February 2000, the league began its first season in April 2001 with eight teams in the United States...
.
She was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame
National Soccer Hall of Fame
The National Soccer Hall of Fame is a private, non-profit institution established in 1979 that honors soccer achievements in the United States.-History:...
in 2002. That year, the Atlantic Coast Conference
Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities...
named her to its list of the Top 50 ACC Athletes in the first fifty years of the conference’s existence.