To continue the best postseason in program history the Colorado soccer team will have to do something no team has accomplished this year.

Today the Buffs must beat Notre Dame, the top-ranked team in the nation. The imposing Irish have not lost this season in 23 games. They have been tied only once. Neither team scored in that game.

So, how do you go about beating a team that has been unbeatable?

"We're still fine-tuning some things, and at this moment, you just have to go out and play," CU coach Bill Hempen said. "We just have to make sure we don't go in there with our jaws agape and play hard like we have all year."

Colorado has knocked off a top-10 team this season. The Buffs (14-5-4) beat No. 8 Texas A&M in the second round of the Big 12 Tournament in double overtime. And they showed they can overcome adversity against highly ranked teams. They were down 2-0 to the Aggies before rallying for a 3-2 win in that game.

But CU will be at the top of the college soccer world when they play at 5:30 p.m. The Irish were ranked No. 1 along with North Carolina in the final regular-season poll. The Aggies did prove it's possible for a Big 12 team to compete at the top. They beat North Carolina in the season opener, 1-0.

"I think it's better to play the best team because if you want to be competitors you have to play the best," senior Katie Griffin said. "A win over Notre Dame would make this year even sweeter, but we've already had a great year."

Notre Dame (22-0-1) has achieved the status to which every other program aspires. The Irish won a national championship two seasons ago on penalty kicks. They lost to eventual national champion Portland in the quarterfinals last season. They have advanced to the Sweet 16 for 12 of the last 14 years.

They also have returning All-Americans Jen Buczkowski and Kerri Hanks. Both are two of the final 15 candidates for the Hermann Trophy, soccer's version of the Heisman Trophy.

The Irish opened their bid for a national title in a big way last weekend. They blew out Oakland (Mich.) 7-1 in the first round. But they had a harder time with Wis.-Milwaukee and only won the second-round game 1-0.

"Part of our problem was what they did and the great job they did all year. I knew they were a good team," Notre Dame coach Randy Waldrum said about the close win against Wis.-Milwaukee. "But now it's past us, and we have to move on. We were fortunate enough to win and now have to get ready for the next game."

Colorado will also be walking onto one of the toughest fields to play on in the nation. The Irish have won 30 straight at Alumni Field, the sixth-longest streak in Division I. They have only lost three NCAA Tournament games there. But the Buffs have tried their best to ignore the aura around the Irish program and simply prepare for the game.

"We know no one has beaten them and they obviously they have a lot of experience," forward Alex Cousins said. "I just try to not worry about all the other stuff and concentrate on us and not worry about the other team."