When you think of women's college soccer, two words should come to mind: North Carolina. When Virginia thinks of what stands in the way of its run for a national championship, the same two words come to mind.
Tomorrow night at 7 p.m. in Chapel Hill, the Cavaliers take on the Tar Heels in the third round of the NCAA Tournament, hoping to grab their first win in 24 meetings with UNC.
North Carolina (17-3), the reigning national champion, is no stranger to the NCAA Tournament. The Heels own 15 national championships and have won 94 percent of their games in the last 18 years.
While most teams with that kind of history might find reason to become overconfident, Carolina coach Anson Dorrance said his team is "conscious of respecting opponents," noting that Virginia is a great team that is "well organized."
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Last season, the Cavaliers (11-7-1) bowed out in the NCAA third round. But this time around, Virginia coach Steve Swanson said his team may be better off facing a UNC squad they know well, even though the Cavaliers are 14th in the coaches' poll and the Heels are fourth.
In the Cavs' second game of the season, the Tar Heels pasted them, 6-1. But despite the score, Virginia equaled UNC's shot total, an achievement no other team accomplished this season.
"I think the fact that we've played them and we know them is a comfort to us," Swanson said. "We feel confident and we're concentrating on getting ourselves better. We've done that all year long, and we're better at this time of year than when we played Carolina."
Both teams are coming off big second-round wins. North Carolina easily took care of Wake Forest 5-0 Sunday with goals from defenders Kalli Kamholz and Leslie Gaston and forward Alyssa Ramsey. Midfielder Jena Kluegel assisted four of the five goals.
Virginia comes into the third round after crushing UNC-Greensboro, 6-1. Forwards Sarah Lane and Kyla Robinson, defender Ashley Meeker and midfielders Erin Engelhardt and Tracey Lache each scored for the Cavs.
The Cavs have their share of talent, but North Carolina's roster is jam-packed with former state players of the year and national team pool members. The Tar Heels have outscored opponents 88-14 this season.
On "different days, different players rise to the occasion," Dorrance said about his squad's superb depth.
Cavalier points leaders Lori Lindsey (20) and Darci Borski (14) have a huge assignment tomorrow night: score on a North Carolina defense that has eight shutouts this season.
UNC's scoring average is nearly a full two goals higher than Virginia's, but Swanson is optimistic about his team's chances to shock North Carolina and move on to the NCAA fourth round.
"You can throw out the records and you can throw out the results of the last games and it doesn't matter," Swanson said. "It's two teams going for the same thing, and I think that's good for us"
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