BY SCOTT FRENCH, senior editor in Dallas There’s a touch of deja vu at the NCAA Women’s College Cup soccer championships this weekend at Southern Methodist University, where North Carolina seeks its 18th national title, Florida its second, Santa Clara its first semifinal victory and Portland another shot at the crown. The top-ranked Tar Heels, unbeaten but not at its best in recent weeks, are, as always, the team to beat, and No. 3 Portland will get first shot at it Friday evening at Ford Stadium. “Don’t even ask me how I’m going to beat Carolina,” Pilots coach Clive Charles said Thursday. “‘Cause I don’t know.” No. 2 Santa Clara and No. 6 Florida face off in the second game of the semifinal doubleheader, and if all this sounds familiar, think back to 1998, when the College Cup semifinals pitted North Carolina against Portland and Santa Clara against Florida. The Gators, with an experienced team featuring strong defense and a dominant goalscorer, beat North Carolina in the final. For her second final-four trip, Becky Burleigh brings an impressive group of seniors, solid defense, and in Abby Wambach the top scorer in Division I women’s soccer. Nonetheless, Florida is the dark horse in this crowd, fortunate to be in Dallas following a double-overtime quarterfinal victory over UCLA that the Bruins dominated everywhere except the scoreboard. The loss of All-American defender Keisha Bell, who torn an ACL the day before the UCLA match, will hurt against a potent Santa Clara attack led by All-Americans Aly Wagner and Veronica Zepeda and freshman star Leslie Osborne. The Broncos sport the best central defense combo in college soccer, with midfielder Devvyn Hawkins patrolling in front of Danielle Slaton — a four-time All-American — and Anna Kraus. Erin Sharpe, one of Santa Clara’s two principal goalkeepers, is out after breaking two bones in her left hand during the Broncos’ training session Thursday at SMU. Santa Clara has been to seven previous final fours, heading to the 1998 and 1999 College Cups still unbeaten, and have yet to get to the final. North Carolina’s talent, depth and tradition — they’ve been to every NCAA final four and 18 of 19 finals — are unmatched, but the Tar Heels have not been at their best the past month or so. They had to overcame a deficit to win its third-round game against Rutgers and needed a fluke goal in the closing minutes to shake off Penn State in the quarterfinals. Portland, making its sixth final-four appearance, is the hottest team in Texas, reaching the final four after blowing through the toughest bracket with impressive victories over Washington, Nebraska and Texas A&M. Its star is Christine Sinclair, a Canadian national-teamer who may be the most complete forward in college women’s soccer although she is only a freshman. The Pilots, who lost to Notre Dame in the 1995 final, are 0-5 against Carolina; the Tar Heels are 13-1 against Santa Clara and 5-1 vs. Florida. “We’re maybe a little more technical than in the past, more well-rounded in terms of talent,” Charles said. “Before, when we’d play North Carolina, we thought if we keep it tight, maybe we’ll be able to steal something. With the team [we have] this year, it would be a disservice if I didn’t go and tell them to win the game. This year’s team, whether or not they can, certainly are going to try [to beat Carolina].” The final will be played Sunday at 3 p.m. CST. ESPN2 is broadcasting the semifinals on a delayed basis Saturday and Sunday, and the title game will be live on ESPN. A look at the matchups: North Carolina (23-0) vs. Portland (20-3) Game time: 5 p.m. CST. Television: ESPN2 (Saturday, noon EST). North Carolina: Atlantic Coast Conference champion, ACC tournament champion. SA ranking: 1. Seeded: 1. Previous AIAW/NCAA final fours: 20 (1981 through 2000). Champions: 17 (1981-82-83-84-86-87-88-89-90-91-92-93-94-96-97-99-2000). Runners-up: 2 (1985-98). Coach — Anson Dorrance (23 years, 510-22-11). Key players — F Elizabeth Ball (9-5), D Danielle Borgman (0 goals-7 assists), MF Jena Kluegel (8-8), F Anne Morrell (8-7), F Alyssa Ramsey (15-18), MF Sara Randolph (2-3), D Catherine Reddick (3-7), F Anne Remy (10-14), MF Maggie Tomecka (8-4), MF Jordan Walker (3-10). Outlook — The Tar Heels wear opponents down with a combination of skill, physical play and the deepest bench in college sport. Off the field comes one national-teamer, another steps in. Reddick, a sophomore, is the key figure on the back line, and Kluegel has, Coach Anson Dorrance says, “redefined” the winger position in college women’s soccer. Even with Susan Bush sidelined, Carolina has more quality forwards than most conferences: Ramsey is the most deadly. The spark in the playoffs has been sophomore midfielder Jordan Walker, who scored the winners against Duke and Rutgers and got an assist on Ramsey’s winner vs. Penn State. It’s a fact — North Carolina lost twice this season, both exhibitions. Nebraska scored a 1-0 victory in Chapel Hill on Aug. 24, a preseason friendly, and the Tar Heels lost to their alumni, 7-5, on Oct. 20. Portland: Second (tied with St. Mary’s) in West Coast Conference. SA ranking: 3. Seeded: 4. Previous NCAA final fours: 5 (1994-95-96-98-2000). Runners-up: 1 (1995). Coach — Clive Charles (13 years, 206-47-11). Key players — MF Betsy Barr (9 goals-0 assists), F Lisa Casagrande (7-4), MF Erin Misaki (4-6), MF Kristen Moore (2-8), D Brooke O’Hanley (0-6), D Lauren Orlandos (2-2), F Christine Sinclair (23-8). Outlook — The Pilots have been unstoppable since a 2-1 loss at Santa Clara on Nov. 2, and the primary — but hardly lone — reason is Sinclair. The freshman forward has scored important goals all season, but she’s been striking early during the past month or so, creating cushions that Portland, with Charles’ customary defensive strength, turns into victories. Erin Misaki, who makes things click in midfield, has been at 100 percent during the postseason following an injury-marred campaign. Betsy Barr, who makes plays in the back and scores key goals, is in excellent form, and Lauren Orlandos is among the nation’s best central defenders. Emphatic victories over Nebraska (4-0) and Texas A&M (4-1) leading to the College Cup has the Pilots in position to win the title, regardless of its opposition. It’s a fact — Charles’ teammates with the NASL’s Portland Timbers in the late ’70s and early ’80s included Brian and Bruce Gant, Sinclair’s uncles. Prediction — Common sense says otherwise, but a perfect night for Portland — Sinclair goal in the first half hour, superb defense the rest of the way — seems more than possible. Portland 1 North Carolina 0. Santa Clara (21-2) vs. Florida (21-3-1) Game time: 7:30 p.m. CST. Television: ESPN2 (Sunday, noon EST). Santa Clara: West Coast Conference champion. SA ranking: 2. Seeded: 2. Previous NCAA final fours: 7 (1989-90-92-96-97-98-99). Coach — Jerry Smith (15 years, 240-60-15). Key players — D Jessica Ballweg (4 goals-4 assists), F Kristi Candau (8-3), MF Kerry Cathcart (3-4), MF Devvyn Hawkins (4-2), F Bree Horvath (5-1), D Anna Kraus (0-0), F-MF Leslie Osborne (12-16), D Danielle Slaton (2-11), F Taline Tahmassian (8-5), MF Aly Wagner (16-18), F Veronica Zepeda (9-7). Outlook — The Broncos are freshman-heavy, starting five first-years and giving three more significant playing time, with a veteran core down the middle. Slaton and Kraus are the best central-defender tandem in college women’s soccer, and the midfield — with Wagner, Hawkins and Cathcart — may also be unsurpassed. Wagner is the pivot, a playmaker of remarkable vision and poise, extremely gifted and defensively sound. She’s nearly impossible to dispossess, and combines nicely with Osborne, the best of the freshmen, and the oft-ailing Zepeda, a master dribbler. Shin splints have slowed Zepeda during the playoffs, and Wagner has been bothered by a groin injury that is product of a longstanding hip-flexor ailment. When Santa Clara is clicking, it’s capable of jaw-dropping stuff, the kind of possession soccer that aficionados drool over. And this club, Smith says, has greater mental toughness, and is better able to pull out ugly wins, than previous Bronco squads. It’s a fact — Aly Wagner, Danielle Slaton and Anna Kraus, all from San Jose or nearby, grew up playing for the same club, Central Valley Mercury. Their team won three national titles, going 82-0-2 during the span, prior to their Santa Clara arrival. Slaton and Wagner also were teammates at Presentation High School in San Jose, which lost to Kraus’ school, St. Francis (Mountain View), in the playoffs their senior season. Florida: Southeastern Conference-Eastern Division champion, SEC tournament champion. SA ranking: 6. Seeded: 6. Previous NCAA final fours: 1 (1998). Champion: 1 (1998). Coach — Becky Burleigh (Seventh year, 140-24-4; overall: 222-47-10 in 12 seasons at Berry, Ga., and Florida). Key players — F Crystal Frimpong (3-5), F Christine Johnson (8-7), D Karyn Hall (0-5), MF Casey Hamel (4-10), G Jordan Kellgren (0.51 GAA, 7 shutouts), D Danielle Murphy (0-10), MF Andi Sellers (13-10), F Abby Wambach (31-13). Outlook — The Gators are 18-1, with just 10 goals surrendered, after a 3-2-1 start, and they’ve scored 40 times in the past 11 matches. Wambach, the nation’s No. 1 scorer, jumped into the 2001 season fresh from a fantastic showing at the Nordic Cup, and she’s been nearly unstoppable all fall. Midfielder Andi Sellers has been overshadowed but is dangerous on attack. Danielle Murphy has been a key supplier out of the back, but the Gator defense must overcome the loss of senior Keisha Bell to a torn ACL suffered six days ago. A constant in Santa Clara’s semifinal defeats has been outstanding goalkeeping from the opposition, and Jordan Kellgren is as good a keeper as the Broncos have faced. She’s got 14 clean sheets and is No. 3 in the nation in goals-against average. It’s a fact — Abby Wambach owns every Florida career scoring record: goals (96), assists (49), points (241), gamewinning goals (24), hat tricks (11) and shots (466). She’s No. 5 in games (92) and minutes played (7,243). No. 1 in both categories: senior defender Karyn Hall. Prediction — Santa Clara is capable of shredding Florida’s Keisha Bell-less back line, but Wambach should find herself in tough against Slaton and Kraus. Santa Clara 2 Florida 0.