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North Carolina Tar Heels women's soccer

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North Carolina Tar Heels
women's soccer
2024 North Carolina Tar Heels women's soccer team
UniversityUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Head coachDamon Nahas (1st season)
ConferenceACC
LocationChapel Hill, North Carolina
StadiumDorrance Field
(Capacity: 4,200)
NicknameTar Heels
ColorsCarolina blue and white[1]
   
Home
Away
NCAA Tournament championships
1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2024
NCAA Tournament runner-up
1985, 1998, 2001, 2018, 2019, 2022
NCAA Tournament Semifinals
1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2024
NCAA Tournament appearances
1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 [2]
Conference Tournament championships
1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2017, 2019
Conference Regular Season championships
1987, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022

The North Carolina Tar Heels women's soccer team represent the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the Atlantic Coast Conference of NCAA Division I soccer.[3]

North Carolina is one of the most successful women's college soccer teams, having won 22 of the 36 Atlantic Coast Conference championships, and 22 of the 43 NCAA national championships. The team has participated in every NCAA tournament.[4]

History

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The UNC women's soccer team began as a club team established by students looking for high level competition. In 1979, they petitioned the UNC Athletic Director, Bill Cobey, to take the club to the varsity level. Cobey asked Anson Dorrance, then the UNC men's soccer coach to assess the club's ability to transition to varsity status. Dorrance was impressed enough by the club, then coached by Mike Byers, to recommend that the school form a women's soccer team. Cobey agreed and hired Dorrance as head coach, with Byers as an assistant, for the 1978 season. That year, the Tar Heels played an essentially club schedule, including games against high school teams. However, in 1979, the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women, at the prompting of Dorrance and University of Colorado coach, Chris Lidstone, established a national women's soccer program.[5]

North Carolina Tar Heels celebrate winning the 2006 Women's College Cup

At the time, UNC had the only varsity women's soccer team in the Southeast and this allowed Dorrance to recruit the top talent in the region. In 1981, he recruited one of the most talented freshman squads in the history of women's soccer. Eight of those recruits won starting positions and took the team to the first, and only, AIAW national championship. This group would set the tone for Tar Heels soccer for down through its history. As Dorrance recalls it, "These were the true pioneers. They were given nothing. They were accustomed to taking things and so they weren't as genteel as the sort of young ladies we can recruit now. . . They were the sort of girls who would go downtown, burn it to the ground, . . . But then, they were on time for every single practice and in practice they worked themselves until they were bleeding and throwing up. They had a tremendous commitment to victory and to personal athletic excellence. And for that I admired them because they were a tremendous group. And even though, off the field, I think they all hated each other. But once the game began, there was a collective fury that just intimidated everyone they played against."[6] Building on that competitive drive, the Tar Heels went on to win the first three NCAA championships, and dominate the sport for years to come.

All-time record

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Year Head coach Overall ACC ACC
tourn. 		NCAA
tourn.
1979   Anson Dorrance   10–2–0 – – –
1980 21–5–0 – – AIAW Semifinals
1981 23–0–0 – – AIAW Champions
1982 19–2–0 – – Champions
1983 19–1–0 – – Champions
1984 24–0–1 – – Champions
1985 18–2–1 – – Runner up
1986 24–0–1 – – Champions
1987 23–0–1 3–0–0 – Champions
1988 18–0–3 1–0–1 Runner up Champions
1989 24–0–1 4–0–0 Champions Champions
1990 20–1–1 4–0–0 Champions Champions
1991 24–0–0 4–0–0 Champions Champions
1992 25–0–0 4–0–0 Champions Champions
1993 23–0–0 4–0–0 Champions Champions
1994 25–1–1 5–1–0 Champions Champions
1995 25–1–0 7–0–0 Champions Semifinals
1996 25–1–0 7–0–0 Champions Champions
1997 27–0–1 7–0–0 Champions Champions
1998 25–1–0 7–0–0 Champions Runner up
1999 24–2–0 7–0–0 Champions Champions
2000 21–3–0 4–3–0 Champions Champions
2001 24–1–0 7–0–0 Champions Runner up
2002 21–2–4 4–1–2 Champions Semifinals
2003 27–0–0 7–0–0 Champions Champions
2004 20–1–2 9–0–0 Runner up Third round
2005 23–1–1 9–1–0 Champions Quarterfinals
2006 27–1–0 10–0–0 Champions Champions
2007 19–4–1 9–1–0 Champions Third round
2008 25–1–2 9–0–1 Champions Champions
2009 23–3–1 9–3–0 Champions Champions
2010 19–3–2 9–3–0 Semifinals Third round
2011 13–5–2 6–3–1 Quarterfinals Third round
2012 15–5–3 6–3–1 Quarterfinals Champions
2013 20–5–0 10–3–0 Semifinals Quarterfinals
2014 14–4–2 9–0–1 Semifinals Third round
2015 15–5–1 7–3–0 Semifinals Second round
2016 17–4–4 6–2–2 Runner up Semifinals
2017 17–3–2 8–0–2 Champions Third round
2018 21–4–2 10–0–0 Runner up Runner up
2019 24–1–2 9–0–1 Champions Runner up
2020 18–2–0 8–0–0 Runner up Semifinals
2021 12–3–3 5–2–3 — First round
2022 20–5–1 8–2–0 Runner up Runner up
2023 13–2–8 5–0–5 Quarterfinals Quarterfinals
2024 Damon Nahas 22-5-0 7-3-0 Runner up Champions

Players

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Current roster

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As of August 15, 2024[7]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
0 GK United States USA Clare Gagne
1 GK Germany GER Hannah Johann
2 DF United States USA Evelyn Shores
3 DF United States USA Trinity Armstrong
4 DF United States USA Aven Alvarez
5 FW United States USA Maddie Dahlien
6 MF United States USA Emerson Elgin
7 MF United States USA Linda Ullmark
8 MF United States USA Bella Gaetino
11 MF United States USA Makenna Dominguez
13 FW United States USA Kate Faasse
14 MF Canada CAN Eden Bretzer
16 MF United States USA Olivia Migli
17 DF United States USA Caitlin Mara
No. Pos. Nation Player
18 MF United States USA Bella Sember
19 MF United States USA Aria Nagai
20 MF United States USA Ashley Pennie
21 GK United States USA Marisa Shorrock
22 DF United States USA Avery Look
23 DF United States USA Raegan Williams
25 FW United States USA Logan Tongberg
31 MF United States USA Ella Smith
33 FW United States USA Olivia Thomas
34 DF United States USA Tessa Dellarose
39 FW United States USA Asha Means
40 GK United States USA Abby Gundry
44 DF United States USA Alexa Wojnovich

Individual honors

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National Coach of the Year:

ACC Coach of the Year:

  • Anson Dorrance – 1982, 1986, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2018, 2019
Mia Hamm won numerous awards with the Tar Heels

Hermann Trophy:

ACC Player of the Year:

ACC Defensive Player of the Year:

Yael Averbuch, ACC Defensive Player of the Year in 2006

ACC Offensive Player of the Year:

ACC Rookie of the Year:

NCAA Tournament MVP:

Offensive Player of the NCAA Tournament:

Defensive Player of the Tournament:

First Team All-America Selection: As of 2011, North Carolina had 70 players gain first-team All-American recognition. The next two schools with the greatest number of All-Americans were tied with twenty-two each.[8]

Notable alumnae

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See also: Category:North Carolina Tar Heels women's soccer players

Honours

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National

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Conference

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  • Atlantic Coast tournament (22): 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2017, 2019

References

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  1. ^ "Primary Identity" (PDF). Carolina Athletics Brand Identity Guidelines. April 20, 2015. Retrieved March 4, 2024.
  2. ^ "2009 North Carolina Women's Soccer Media Guide." "tarheelblue.com." Retrieved on May 20, 2010.
  3. ^ "2007 North Carolina Women's Soccer Media Guide." tarheelblue.com. Retrieved on March 23, 2009.
  4. ^ 2024 Women's Record Book on goheels.com
  5. ^ EXPLAINING VARIATION IN THE SEX COMPOSITION OF COACHES FOR WOMEN’S INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETIC TEAMS[permanent dead link‍]
  6. ^ Interview with Anson Dorrance, June 11, 1991
  7. ^ "2024 Women's Soccer Roster". University of North Carolina Athletics. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
  8. ^ "Official 2012 NCAA Men's and Women's Soccer Records Book." ncaa.org. Retrieved on March 23, 2008.
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