Taline Tahmassian had every reason to be spooked as she took the field for Santa Clara last Sunday in the championship game of women's soccer's College Cup.

A freshman forward for the Broncos, she was about to face North Carolina - the nation's premier women's soccer team and arguably its finest female athletic program of any kind. And then there was that eerie feeling of deja vu. Last May, her Langley High School team played for its first-ever Group AAA state title - and lost 2-1 to W.T. Woodson, bringing Tahmassian's superlative high school career to a bitter conclusion.

In three previous meetings last spring, the Saxons notched two wins and a tie against the Cavaliers. Langley entered the state final undefeated at 19-0-2.

"That game still haunts me," Tahmassian concedes. "We were that close to a state championship."

But with her college seeking its first national championship, Tahmassian and her teammates refused to back down against the 16-time NCAA champion Tar Heels, getting a goal in the 41st minute from midfielder Aly Wagner and then playing UNC dead even in the second half to capture the title with a 1-0 victory. For the Tar Heels, the championship match ended a 34-match winning streak. For Tahmassian, it was the happy ending she had hoped for - just a few months delayed.

"It was indescribable," she says. "I'll never forget it."

The championship-game victory was the culmination of a freshman season in which Tahmassian's impact was felt early and often. After scoring 35 goals her senior year at Langley - and 98 for her high school career - she was in the Broncos' starting lineup for their season-opener against Cal Poly and recorded two assists. In the team's second game, an 8-0 win over San Jose State, she scored twice and added another assist.

Tahmassian finished her first season with eight goals and five assists - her 21 points placed her fourth on the team's scoring list. She also played in all 25 of Santa Clara's games - one of five freshmen to do so - and started 16 times.

While all freshmen must undergo an adjustment process during their first seasons at the collegiate level, Tahmassian was used to competing against high-level competition. In addition to playing for the Chantilly Hotspurs, one of the state's top club teams, she was also a member of the U.S. 18-and-under national team and hopes to play in the 19-and-under World Cup next fall.

"With college, no matter the ability of the player, the work ethic is always there," Tahmassian says. "I think I was at an advantage to play [at the national level.]"

Santa Clara's coach, Jerry Smith, agrees.

"She has had so much experience with U.S. national teams," Smith says. "She's used to being in these situations."

Her success has been a particular treat for Langley coach Melissa Bibbee, who keeps in touch with Tahmassian mostly via e-mail. She hopes some of Santa Clara's future schedules may include some games closer to the Virginia area. Tahmassian's success at the next level came as no surprise to Bibbee.

"She was definitely the most technically sound player at Langley," Bibbee says. "I'm just real proud of her."

Having played for the state title and the national title in the span of eight months, Tahmassian will continue to pursue her long-term goal - excellence on the international stage. In addition to next fall's 19-and-under tournament, she hopes to at some point play for the U.S. National Team in the World Cup, following in the footsteps of players such as her current coach's wife - Santa Clara graduate and assistant coach Brandi Chastain.

This final step in her career, of course, will probably be the hardest. The next World Cup will be contested in 2003 - after Tahmassian's sophomore year in college. Active collegiate players rarely play for the National Team in the World Cup. In fact, Santa Clara's own Danielle Slaton - a senior this year - is the only active college player to have played for the National Team in the Olympics last year.

But then again, few players - past or present - can boast of having beaten North Carolina in an NCAA title game. And besides, after 2003, there will be another World Cup in 2007. Tahmassian has only begun to make her mark on American soccer. Her career is still young.

It's just her accomplishments that make her seem like a seasoned veteran.