It was used to determine the national champion of NCAA Division I women's collegiate soccer.
[1] North Carolina defeated Stanford in the final, 1–0, to win their twentieth national title.
[3] Just as before, the final two rounds, deemed the Women's College Cup, were played at a pre-determined neutral site.
All other rounds were played on campus sites at the home field of the higher-seeded team.
The top sixteen teams hosted four team-regionals on their home fields (with some exceptions, noted below) during the tournament's first weekend.