Every athlete dreams of a national championship. Whether it is driving in the game-winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning in Game 7 of the World Series or scoring on the final penalty kick at the Women's World Cup, nothing can top the feeling of knowing that you are indisputably the best.

As a college soccer player at Emory University, being the best has been my goal since the first day I stepped on campus as a freshman. Along with my teammates, I put in the effort, the sweat and the tears. And I always believed that my goal could be reached if I put in the work.

For my final year, I co-captained what I believe is the best team my school has ever seen. We proved it time and again as we beat high-caliber opponents. Unfortunately, we suffered a heart-breaking last-minute conference loss in the middle of the season, which ended a nine-game unbeaten streak. At that point, our hopes for an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament were shot, but our focus did not stray. We took every game even more seriously, knowing how competitive it is to get one of those coveted at-large bids. So we reeled off another nine-game unbeaten streak to end the season with a school-record 17-1-1 slate and the ninth-best winning percentage in the nation.

While the regular season was an achievement in itself, it was not enough. It was not my final goal and I wanted more; I yearned for an NCAA championship. I wanted to show the country how good my team was.

But before we even had a chance, our world was shattered. Late one Sunday night, I stared at my computer screen, confused and shocked at the NCAA tournament selections. Did I miss it? Where was our name? Is this a mistake? How did we not get in? It just did not, and still does not, make sense.

I came to learn that the villain that ended my season prematurely was "the system." There was no individual I could blame; I couldn't even blame the NCAA selection committee, which had an extremely difficult assignment. My enemy had no face.

So that was the end. The end of my season.

The end of my career. I could sit here and tell you about how unfair it is or list all the teams with worse records that were in the tournament, but that will not change the fact that my team never got a chance to play for the national title.

And while I am graduating in the spring and will not be back next season, I cannot leave without saying something on behalf of the team to which I dedicated the last four years. What are they supposed to do next season? How can they improve to make the tournament? Is 18-1-0 good enough to get an at-large berth? Or does it have to be 18-0-1? Or is 19-0-0 (and an automatic berth) their only hope? What does it take for the opportunity to prove that you are one of the top teams in the country?

If there are going to be automatic berths in the NCAA tournament to reward teams from lesser conferences, there also should be a sufficient number of berths for teams like us with legitimate national title hopes. Otherwise, we are punished for playing in a competitive conference with other national-caliber teams. In 2000, five out of the eight teams in our conference (the University Athletic Association) were ranked in the top 25 nationally at one time or another during the season. More at-large berths would open the doors for deserving teams that might otherwise be locked out of the tournament because of the existing NCAA championship structure.

At the NCAA Convention in January, there is a proposal to modify the championship structure to achieve both objectives. The proposal would mandate that at least 50 percent of the championship field originally designated for the sport shall be reserved for at-large berths.

But I guess when I think about it now, I know that I do not need any championship to understand that I was part of something special. My only hope is that no deserving team gets overlooked again because it is an experience that no one should have to go through. I had earned my shot at the dream, but the "system" disagreed. It needs to be changed.

Erika Sorgatz is completing her senior year at Emory University and was a four-year starter at sweeper on the women's soccer team.