It was said at the beginning of the season that this team had one goal -- getting back to the College Cup.

The No. 12 Penn State women's soccer team is back in soccer's version of the Final Four for the first time since 1999, which was senior Christie Welsh's freshman season. Today at 5 p.m. at the University of Texas at Austin, the Nittany Lions (19-3-1) will face seven-time College Cup qualifier No. 9 Portland (18-4-2). The game is being televised live on ESPN2.

Now that the team is there, one thing has been made obvious: No one is expecting them to win. At a press conference yesterday, Penn State players were bombarded with questions about being big underdogs to Portland.

"At the 1999 NCAA College Cup, we were looked at as the ugly duckling," Welsh said "This is our second appearance, and we know the role we are in. I actually like being considered the underdog."

Junior Joanna Lohman echoed Welsh's sentiments and added that the team has no pressure on it.

The Lions' team that will battle Portland is very different from the Pilots on the offensive end of the field. The Pilots' scoring attack is basically a one player show with sophomore All-American Christine Sinclair outscoring her teammates 23 to 21 on the season.

"To neutralize Christine, we need to pay attention to where on the field she is at all times and deny her the ball," Penn State women's soccer coach Paula Wilkins said.

The counter-attack that Penn State will use against Portland is diverse. It features four different double-digit goal scorers led by junior Heidi Drummond with 14 and Welsh at 13. Welsh also has 13 assists to lead the team.

Lohman controls the pace of the offense and has 11 assists to go with her 10 goals. Welsh and Lohman have both been selected as finalists for Soccer Buzz Player of the Year.

Big Ten Freshman of the Year and Soccer Buzz Freshman of the Year finalist Tiffany Weimer provides a change of pace and is a threat in the box every time she touches the ball. She has scored 12 goals this season.

When Wilkins looks over to the other team's bench she will see a soccer coaching legend. Portland women's soccer coach Clive Charles is also the men's soccer coach. His .795 winning percentage puts him sixth among active coaches in Div. 1 women's soccer.

His Pilots have reached three straight College Cup's but have not reached the final in either of the last two seasons.

The season started off rocky for the Pilots with two straight losses, but it would have just two more losses the rest of the season. It shutout 16 of its 24 opponents this season.

The Pilots have yet to allow a goal in the tournament. Senior goalkeeper Lauren Arase has allowed just seven goals all season in 19 games and has a miniscule 0.36 goals against average.

"Defense wins championships," Charles said. "It's hard to score three goals every game. Even though we pride ourselves on passing the ball on offense, we have to win the defensive battle."

It advanced to the College Cup on penalty kicks, 4-2, over No. 1 seed Stanford in a scoreless game. The Pilots are seeded No .8 in this tournament.

The winner of this game will go on to face the winner of the game between No. 2 North Carolina and No. 6 Santa Clara which immediately follows the Penn State and Portland game. The championship game would take place on at 3 p.m. Sunday and is being televised live on ESPN.