For the first time in league history, the same two teams returned to the final in a championship rematch. It was not a simple task, however, as there had not been a back-to-back finalist since 2003, and given the history of top seeds suffering upsets in the postseason and Michigan and Laredo coming in seeded third and sixth overall, respectively. The repeat title game was only part of a historic 2007 season that was one for the record books.

The Hampton Roads Piranhas, a well established W-League club, recorded much of the history on year, and it all started with the addition of the PDL team just a month before the season. Filling the void of the departed division champions, the Piranhas picked up the former team’s head coach and a number of their players and got off to one of the best starts in league history.

The expansion side shutout their first 10 opponents on the season before allowing a goal in their 11th in a 1-1 draw against the Reading Rage. The streak set a league record, surpassing Orange County’s run of nine in 2005. The Piranhas kept the unbeaten record running throughout the campaign (14-0-2) to finish as the regular season champions, recording the eighth unbeaten mark in the history of the league.

Despite their unbeaten record, the Piranhas were still in a race for the regular season title though through final weekend of the season with the one-loss BYU Cougars quietly staying in reach in the west. Both clubs had two games left and Hampton Roads took care of business with wins in both as BYU only registered a win and a draw.

The Piranhas’ unbeaten streak would continue in the playoffs with a 1-1 draw in the opening match of the playoffs, but the curse of the regular seasons champions not winning the title continued as they fell victim to the Brooklyn Knights in the penalty kick tiebreaker.

It was not the first time Brooklyn stopped a team on a run. The Knights earlier in the season ended a stunning 26-game regular season unbeaten run by the Cape Cod Crusaders, 3-2, that stretched over the course of three seasons with the last defeat coming June 15 of 2005 at Rhode Island.

With the upset over Hampton Roads putting the Knights through to the conference final, the Crusaders, who avenged their season’s lone loss against Brooklyn with a 5-0 drubbing, would meet Brooklyn again. The 14th-seeded Knights again were the only team to get the better of them, advancing with a 1-0 decision to set up a semifinal showdown with the Michigan Bucks that would see the defending champions escape upset 5-4 in penalties after a 1-1 draw.

The other half of the playoff bracket was a little more wide open as BYU won their opener 2-0 before falling in the conference final in a stunning 3-0 loss to Fresno. The Fuego advanced to the semifinal to face Laredo, who dropped Central Florida 4-0 and Carolina 2-1. The Heat won another close semifinal affair 1-0 to set up the championship rematch.

It took penalties, but the Heat got their vengeance, winning the title 4-3 in a six-round penalty kick tiebreaker after a scoreless draw against the Michigan Bucks side that beat them on the same field a year ago 2-1. The teenage Felix Garcia, who scored the 1-0 semifinal winner off the bench against the Fuego and another 1-0 winner on the road late in the regular season, became the star of the night as he buried the winning spot kick in the sixth round in front of 6,600 frenzied fans.