The Georgia soccer team faces its toughest challenge in the
program’s seven-year history tonight when it faces No. 1 ranked
North Carolina in Chapel Hill in the first round of the Duke Adidas
Classic.

This match marks the first time in program history that Georgia
has faced a top-ranked opponent.

It also will be the first time that Georgia has faced North Carolina,
which has won 17 national championships.

In a meeting with players Thursday, head coach Sue
Montagne-Patberg impressed upon her team that the pressure
was on the defending national champion Tarheels.

“We have nothing to lose,” Patberg said. “They have this great
tradition of being a perennial powerhouse to live up to every
game.”

Junior defender Carolyn Cayard said the team will be nervous
when it takes the field, but they know what they have to do to
compete.

“We have to play quickly and move the ball around,” Cayard said.
“We are going to have to work hard for 90 minutes because we
know they will.”

Georgia could be without forward Jessica Winton and midfielder
Andrea Velasco Friday, according to Patberg.

“For us, it’s just a matter of moving some players around,” Patberg
said. “I think everybody is excited to play and ready to play. There
are just going to be some players playing out of position.”

The team will have to pick up the slack in the absence of Winton
and Velasco as they face North Carolina’s trademark relentless
pressure.

“They’ll be the most physical team we play,” said freshman
midfielder/forward Elizabeth Metherell.

Metherell said the Bulldogs were somewhat intimidated when they
lost to Connecticut 2-0 Sept. 9.

Patberg addressed the possibility of her team being intimidated by
North Carolina in the team meeting Wednesday.

“What I expect of my players is to go out on the field and compete,”
Patberg said. “I want us to play to win.”

In order to pull off the upset, the Lady Bulldogs will have to do
something no other team has done against the Tarheels this
season — score a goal.

North Carolina is 3-0 on the season, defeating eighth-ranked
Penn State and No. 20 Texas on its way to a 3-0 start.

After tonight’s match, the team will make a short trip to Durham to
take on Duke Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m. The meeting is the first
between the programs.