Four UNC products have been included in the 18-player roster for the 2008 Olympic women's soccer team, including former Tar Heel All-Americas Heather O'Reilly, Lindsay Tarpley and Lori Chalupny and current UNC standout Tobin Heath. Defensive star Cat Reddick Whitehill, who has anchored the American back four in recent years, is injured and will miss the competition. Meanwhile, another former Tar Heel great, Kacey White, is one of the team's four alternates.

Nine players on the roster were members of the U.S. team that won the gold medal four years ago in Athens, Greece. The USA will open play at the 2008 Beijing Olympics on Aug. 6 against Norway in Qinhuangdao, China. The USA will then face Japan on Aug. 9, also in Qinhuangdao, before finishing Group G play against New Zealand on Aug. 12 in Shenyang.

Six with sticks on American side

Six North Carolina field hockey players have been selected for the U.S. Olympic team. Tar Heel program alums Kate Barber, Rachel Dawson, Jesse Gey, Carrie Lingo and Amy Tran and rising sophomore Katelyn Falgowski are among the 16 who earned spots on the roster.

Dawson, Falgowski and Gey were members of Carolina's 2007 NCAA Championship squad, which finished the season 24-0. Dawson, the Honda Award winner as the national player of the year, graduated with distinction in December. Gey will return to UNC this fall to finish her degree after taking the spring away from school to train with the National Team.

The 2007 team was invited to the White House to meet the President on Tuesday.

Falgowski is the youngest member of the U.S. team and the only one with college eligibility remaining. She earned Atlantic Coast Conference Freshman of the Year honors last season while leading the nation in assists.

The U.S. opens Olympic Games competition on Aug. 10 against 2007 Pan American champion Argentina. The United States is slotted in Pool B with Argentina, Germany, Great Britain, Japan and New Zealand.