CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Riding a 3-0 victory over UNC Wilmington Friday night in first-round action, the No. 25 Georgia soccer team is set to take on the host North Carolina Tar Heels Sunday afternoon in the second round of the 2009 NCAA Tournament at Fetzer Field.

The No. 1 seeded and defending national champion Tar Heels moved on with a 1-0 victory over High Point Friday, setting up the fourth match-up between Georgia and UNC in their histories. The Tar Heels have a 3-0 advantage in that series, while the squads last met in 2008 and UNC came away with a 4-0 win in Durham, N.C.

“We are very excited about the opportunity to compete against UNC tomorrow afternoon,” said head coach Patrick Baker. “They are the defending national champions for a reason and are vey talented at every position, plus they have a lot of depth.”

“Our players understand the challenges before them and are looking forward to playing one of the top seeds in the NCAA Tournament. We know we have to defend well individually and collectively, play well in transition, and then look to create quality scoring opportunities. I feel like our best soccer is still to be played and hopefully we will see that performance tomorrow.”

The 2009 postseason marks the first time in program history in which the Bulldogs have appeared in three straight tournaments and the team is now 5-6-1 all-time in tournament games and 5-2 in the first round.

Georgia moves on to Sunday’s contest after defeating UNC Wilmington by a 3-0 score in first round action on Friday. Georgia got two goals from Ashley Miller and one from Carrie Patterson, posting the team’s first shutout in NCAA Tournament history while limiting the Seahawks - who were making their first trip to the postseason - to just one shot. Miller’s two-goal effort made her just the fourth Bulldog ever to score twice in an NCAA Tournament game and was the second multi-goal game of her career.

UGA is one of six SEC schools to have made the field and four remaining - as Florida, South Carolina, and LSU are all still alive.

Sunday will mark the fourth Georgia team to play in the second round, as both the 2001 and 003 squads did so as well as the 2007 team. The current junior and senior classes will have been a part of two of those four teams.

As one of the four No. 1 seeds in the bracket, North Carolina posts an overall record of 18-3-1 and has now posted six straight shutouts. North Carolina has won an unparalleled 20 of 28 NCAA Tournaments in women’s college soccer. They are the second top-five team Georgia has faced in 2009 (No. 5 South Carolina) and their sixth ranked opponent total. The Tar Heels have allowed just 10 goals this season and are led by Casey Nogeuira’s eight goals and seven assists for 23 points. Jessica McDonald has also scored eight goals, while two other players have scored five on the year. Starting keeper Ashlyn Harris has posted 38 saves on the year and is allowing just 0.42 goals per game.

Georgia is led by Patterson, who has a team-best 11 goals on the season after scoring Georgia’s second vs. UNCW on Friday. Miller stands with 18 points on six goals and six assists while Jamie Pollock boasts 13 points (6g, 1a) and Alex Hooker has five goals and one assist for 11 points. Seven other Georgia players have scored at least once in what has been a balance season offensively for Georgia, while keeper Michelle Betos has eight shutouts and 80 saves on the year.

Betos now ranks first and second all-time at Georgia for wins in a season.

As a team, the Bulldogs have scored three or more goals in 7 of 21 games. Their 15 wins is tied for second most all-time in a single season in program history (1997), behind only the 2007 season which posted 18.

Live audio of tomorrow’s second round contest will be available on Georgiadogs.com beginning at 12:45 p.m.