4B
TUESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2006
Women’s soccer seeks
to reclaim the throne
BY NICKIJHABVALA
STAFF WRITER
Losing 10 players to graduation
normally will decimate any pro
gram— even one with a 27-year
history of NCAA dominance.
Thankfully, for the sake of North
Carolina women’s soccer, there is
still one player on the roster with
enough talent to make up for all of
the defections: senior midfielder
Heather O’Reilly.
A gold-medal Olympian and U.S.
National Team starter, O’Reilly led
the ACC with 18 goals and 47 points
and was named the conference’s
Offensive Player of the Year.
“I have to up my standards every
practice and every game,” she said.
“You like to say that you always give
it your all, but you really have to
hold yourself to the utmost stan
dards possible.”
As one of four seniors on the
team, she will be looked up to
greatly. Though it’s a role she said
she’s ready for, it’s not one she’s
accepting based on class.
“I just want the freshmen to be
confident and step up and take it,”
she said. “It doesn’t matter how old
you are as long as you earn respect
on the field. That’s all that mat
ters.”
Soccer Buzz, a national soccer
magazine, named O’Reilly its pre
season player of the year.
Fresh faces give O'Reilly
support
There is a long-withstanding
reputation for North Carolina
women’s soccer they win.
But coach Anson Dorrance and
his dynasty face anew challenge
this year.
UNC lost 10 players to graduation,
five of which comprised possibly the
top set of starters in the program’s
history: midfielders Kacey White
and Lori Chalupny, forward Lindsay
Tarpley, defender Kendall Fletcher
and goalkeeper Aly Winget.
“I think most programs would
look at a year like this as a rebuild
ing year,” Dorrance said. “We don’t
have that luxury given our tradition
that we’ve built.
“But we think by mid-October,
November, we’re going to be a for
midable team and we’ll give any-
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STUDENT STORES
GAMES YOU
CANT MISS
Sept. 10 at Portland
Sept. 21 vs. Florida State
Oct. 5 at Virginia
■ Oct. 8 at Duke
body a run.”
None of the Tar Heels’ incoming
players seems to fit the rookie stereo
type of inexperience or immaturity.
Freshmen Casey Nogueira
of Raleigh and Tobin Heath of
Basking Ridge, N.J., were both
ranked in the top 10 incoming
freshmen in the nation by Soccer
Buzz and are expected to put to
use their scoring and “Brazilian
like” dribbling skills for the Tar
Heels.
However, they will miss the first
five games of the season, playing
in Russia for the U.S. Under-20
National Team.
When the two freshmen return
they will join a team that is out to
prove it’s doubters wrong.
“We love it when we’re not
ranked high,” Dorrance said.
“This is one of those ‘you suck’
Golfers on the hunt for success
BY BRANDON STATON
SPORTS EDITOR
As sophomore North Carolina
golfer Lauren Hunt will tell you,
there aren’t many sports other
than golf that you can play with
an 80-year-old man and still have
fun.
Unless you’re Tiger Woods, golf
isn’t about the money.
“I play for the competition,” said
Hunt, who said she recognizes the
difficulty of making it to the profes
sional level in her sport.
“For some players ... they work
so hard and get to this peak point
and get over top of it. I feel like if
you want it bad enough, you will
gb over top of it, that peak, one
day.
“It’s just a matter of time. I’m
pretty good with patience, but am
starting to get a little irritated with
patience because I’m ready to go
COURTESY OF UNC ATHLETICS
Heather O'Reilly carries a deplet
ed UNC women's soccer team
that will begin the season ranked
No. 3, despite losing 10 players.
motivations, and there’s no bet
ter motivation in sport than that.
We’re going to be pumping that
vein as long as we possibly can.”
Contact the Sports Editor
at sports@unc.edu.
over that peak.... I will be success
ful in tournaments.”
Hunt’s game echoes her senti
ment. She’s quiet and unimposing
until she hits the tee box.
At the 2006 Women’s U.S.
Amateur earlier this month, Hunt
was on the fringe of achieving that
success —one year after joining the
college ranks.
Amid a seven-player playoff for
five spots to qualify for match play,
Hunt posted a bogey on each of the
last two holes to fall short.
“I’ve played those 18 holes over
and over again in my head,” she
said.
“But to know that I was so close
makes me want to work even hard
er.”
Confidence is key concern
In addition to Hunt, UNC boasts
Sports
Mann, Miller to fuel UNC
BY DAVID ELY
ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR
Senior forward Karen Mann’s
game could easily be compared to
a 2006 BMW M 5.
Much like the M 5, Mann is
powerful yet glamorous, and com
mands attention whenever she is
on the field.
In 2004, Mann’s junior year, she
finished second on the team with 11
goals and two assists.
The Tar Heels can expect to
have that kind of production now
that Mann is back at UNC after
taking the 2005 season off to play
for the Canadian national team at
the Junior World Cup in Santiago,
Chile.
“Just getting a chance to play
against international competition
was really.great,” Mann said.
“I got to see some of the top
players in our age group in the
world play, and just watching the
game played at a really fast speed
was really great.”
Mann’s speed and aggressive
play should pay big dividends for a
Tar Heel squad that was eliminat
ed last year in the Ist round of the
NCAA tournament by Indiana.
“She gives us a big impact, she
is an aggressive forward, she’s got
good speed, she’s a leader up front,
she’s improved significantly since
she’s been away” head coach Karen
Shelton said. “She brings us some
energy and enthusiasm up front
a cast that should put them on the
NCAA radar.
Freshman Kate Thomas, one of
the top junior players in Australia;
junior Ann Laney, who finished
sixth in the ACC tournament her
freshman year; and senior Katie
Miller, an All-ACC selection that
same year, are just a few of the
weapons that will help the Tar
Heels take aim at knocking oppo
nents down the leader board.
“I think we can be a top-15 team
maybe even better, depending
on how we progress,” Coach Sally
Austin said.
“I feel like coming in this year,
we’re coming in with confidence,”
she said. “And we realize how good
we can be— we don’t have to take
a back seat to anybody.”
Contact the Sports Editor
at sports@unc.edu.
GAMES YOU
| CAN'T MISS
■ Sept. 17 vs. Virginia
■ Sept. 23 at Duke
■ Sept. 30 vs. Wake Forest
• Oct. 22 at Maryland
and a scoring punch.”
Brooke Miller —a silent
assassin
For all of Mann’s flair and goal
scoring prowess, UNC senior defend
er Brooke Miller counters with grit,
unselfish play and leadership.
She received the Marjorie Moses
Schwab Unsung Hero award for
the second consecutive year.
“Brooke’s outstanding,” Shelton
said. “I think she’s unsung because
she’s kind of quiet but when she
gets the ball, she’s flashy.”
“She’s been, for a long time, one
of our best players.”
And, like a true leader, Miller
was modest when asked about
MILLER
FROM PAGE 1B
time single-season and career
strikeout leader, fanning 133 last
season, giving him 325 in his three
seasons as a Tar Heel.
In July, the junior was awarded
the Roger Clemens Award, given to
the nation’s top collegiate pitcher.
He was named the national player
of the year by Baseball America.
But did the Tigers move Miller
to the big leagues too fast?
Forbes isn’t worried.
“I think the Tigers know what
they’re doing,” he said. “I don’t
think they’re gonna rush Andrew.
“Obviously (a September call
up) is in his contract that might
be for purposes we don’t know.”
Those purposes are likely
because of contract negotiations
that act as loopholes to a Major
League system that is doing what
it can to lower the ceiling on sign
ing bonuses.
Whatever the case may be, a 6-
foot-6-inch left-hander does won
ders for the bullpen.
“If they pitch him in a big league
game, then he’s ready.” Forbes said.
Contact the Sports Editor
at sports@unc.edu.
Daily ®or
the award, giving the credit to her
teammates.
“I think it should really have
been awarded to the whole defense
because we’re a unit,” Miller said.
“And I’m just really lucky to be
surrounded by really good players
that I can work off of really well.”
Having two players of the cali
ber of Mann and Miller is enough
to make any coach excited for the
upcoming season, but UNC has a
strong freshmen class that already
includes four projected starters.
“I’m excited about them, they’re
making a statement,” Shelton said
of the freshmen.
Despite facing a difficult ACC
schedule, Shelton is confident.
“I think that we’re capable of
beating any team in the country.”
Contact the Sports Editor
at sports@unc.edu.
BOBCATS
FROM PAGE IB
will be available only for the Oct.
17 game, when the Bobcats will
be the home team. Because the
Hawks will be the home team for
the Oct. 27 game, student seating
will change.
About 400 students will sit in
the area where the risers normally
are, which is equitable to the num
ber of students who stand in the
risers during UNC games.
While the risers will not be
moved out for seating, students
can sit in the normal stadium
chairs.
Promoters for the Bobcats origi
nally made the proposal to have a
special student section because
the organization wanted to create
a college atmosphere at an NBA
game.
Where to buy tickets?
Fans interested in attending the
games can purchase tickets through
the UNC Athletic Box Office at the
Smith Center, by phone af 1-800-
722-4335 or online at TarHeelßlue.
com.
The distribution for student
tickets has not been decided yet,
but that information will be avail
able soon, said Angie Bitting,
managing director of the Smith
Center.
Contact the Sports Editor
atsports@ung.edu.