 Considered the top college recruit in 1997 , Wambach was intensely sought after by numerous colleges , including top soccer programs such as the University of North Carolina , UCLA , the University of Portland , and the University of Virginia . After sticking with her commitment to her parents to visit five schools , Wambach accepted a full athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville , where she would play for coach Becky Burleigh 's Florida Gators women 's soccer team from 1998 to 2001 . Florida 's program had only been in existence for three years ; however , the challenge of joining a less established team over a team like North Carolina with a long history of championship titles appealed to Wambach . As a freshman in 1998 , Wambach helped lead the Gators to their first NCAA national championship over the 15 @-@ time champion North Carolina Tar Heels . The team also won four consecutive Southeastern Conference ( SEC ) championships from 1998 to 2001 . 
