Olympians Heather O'Reilly and Lindsay Tarpley and U.S. national team midfielder Lori Chalupny, among the final cuts from the Olympic squad, give top-ranked North Carolina three players on Soccer America's 2004 College Women's Preseason All-America Team.
Chalupny is among a half-dozen players on the 11-woman team who last month helped the United States' under-21 team to its sixth successive Nordic Cup title.
Tarpley, Soccer America's 2003 College Women's Player of the Year, has been outstanding in midfield for the U.S. women in Greece, and O'Reilly — the 2003 Freshman of the Year — scored the overtime winner Monday in the Americans' 2-1 semifinal victory over Germany.
Santa Clara's Leslie Osborne also was among the last cuts from Olympic team, and Rutgers' Carli Lloyd — another U-21 standout — had a brief stint in the national team's Olympic Residency in Carson, Calif.
Portland has two players on the squad — 2002 Player of the Year Christine Sinclair, returning following a redshirt year last fall, and Lindsey Huie, a playmaker for the Pilots who played on the backline at the Nordic Cup.
Other U-21 selections are Stanford goalkeeper Nicole Barnhart, Tennesee defender Keeley Dowling and UCLA defender-midfielder Jill Oakes. Osborne declined an invitation to play in the Nordic Cup.
Sinclair redshirted last season to play in the Women's World Cup for Canada. Notre Dame defender Melissa Tancredi also is part of the Canadian national team pool.
SOCCER AMERICA 2004 COLLEGE WOMEN'S
PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA TEAM
G Nicole Barnhart (Stanford), Sr.
D Keeley Dowling (Tennessee), Sr.
D/M Jill Oakes (UCLA), Jr.
D Melissa Tancredi (Notre Dame), Sr.
M Lori Chalupny (North Carolina), Jr.
M Lindsey Huie (Portland), Jr.
M Carli Lloyd (Rutgers), Sr.
M/F Leslie Osborne (Santa Clara), Sr.
F Heather O'Reilly (North Carolina), Soph.
F Christine Sinclair (Portland), Jr.
F/M Lindsay Tarpley (North Carolina), Jr.