From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base
2023 North Carolina Tar Heels women's soccer team
| 2023 North Carolina Tar Heels women's soccer |
|---|
| Atlantic Coast Conference |
| No. 8 |
| No. 6 |
| 13–2–8 (5–0–5 ACC) |
| Anson Dorrance (47th season) |
| Damon Nahas (8th season) |
| Nathan Thackeray (2nd season) |
| Alexandra Kimball (1st season) |
| Dorrance Field |
The 2023 North Carolina Tar Heels women's soccer team represented the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill during the 2023 NCAA Division I women's soccer season. It was the 47th season of the university fielding a program. The Tar Heels were led by 47th year head coach Anson Dorrance and played their home games at Dorrance Field in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
The Tar Heels started off the season as the 2nd ranked team in the United Soccer Coaches Poll. They would draw two of their three opening games, one against tenth-ranked Penn State and another against unranked Wisconsin. They would then play four more ranked teams during their non-conference schedule, defeating number 24 USC, number 8 Arkansas and number 10 South Carolina and drawing with number 12 Alabama. They finished their non-conference season 5–0–3 and played seven Power 5 opponents. Their ACC season started with two wins before a draw against number three Florida State. Two more wins were followed by three draws. The Tar Heels finished the season with a dominant 6–1 win against Syracuse and a disappointing draw with last-place Boston College.
The Tar Heels finished the season 13–2–8 and 5–0–5 in ACC play to finish in fourth place. As the fourth seed in the ACC Tournament, they hosted Pittsburgh in the first round and were upset 1–2 in overtime. They received an at-large bid to the 2023 NCAA Division I women's soccer tournament where they were the third-seed in the BYU Bracket. They defeated Towson in the first round, six-seed Alabama in a second-round rematch, and second-seed Texas Tech in the Round of 16. They then had to travel to Provo, Utah to face one-seed BYU in the Quarterfinals. The Tar Heels raced out to a 3–0 lead in the first twenty minutes of the match, but surrendered four goals, three in the last ten minutes to lose 3–4 to end their season.
The Tar Heels finished the season 20–5–1 and 8–2–0 in ACC play to finish in a tie for first place. As the first seed in the ACC Tournament, they hosted rival Duke in the semifinal after receiving a first-round bye and drew 0–0. The Tar Heels won the ensuing penalty shoot-out 7–6 to advance to the final where they lost to Florida State. They received an at-large bid to the 2022 NCAA Division I women's soccer tournament where they were the second seed in the Notre Dame Bracket. They defeated Old Dominion in the first round, seven-seed Georgia in the second round, and six-seed BYU in the Round of 16. They then had to travel to Notre Dame to face one-seed Notre Dame. The Tar Heels advanced with a 2–0 win to the College Cup, where they would face Florida State again. The Tar Heels won the rematch of the ACC Tournament Final 3–2 and advanced to the national title game against UCLA. North Carolina lost a tight match 3–2, with UCLA scoring goals in the 80th and 89th minutes to force overtime and scoring the game winner in the 107th minute.
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abby Allen | 2 | DF | 5'9" | Junior | Austin, Texas | Transferred to Texas |
| Ruby Grant | 3 | MF | 5'3" | Sophomore | London, England | Signed professional contract with Häcken |
| Rachel Jones | 10 | FW/MF | 5'2" | Graduate Student | Lawrenceville, Georgia | Graduated |
| Lauren Wrigley | 11 | MF | 5'3" | Sophomore | Newton, New Jersey | Transferred to Maryland |
| Aleigh Gambone | 16 | MF/FW | 5'3" | Senior | Clifton, Virginia | Graduated |
| Marz Josephson | 17 | GK | 5'7" | Senior | Apex, North Carolina | Graduated |
| Libby Moore | 20 | MF | 5'3" | Senior | Wilmington, North Carolina | Graduated |
| Tori Hansen | 22 | DF | 5'10" | Senior | Raleigh, North Carolina | Graduated; Drafted 25th overall in the 2023 NWSL Draft |
| Maggie Pierce | 28 | MF | 5'4" | Senior | Cary, North Carolina | Graduated; signed professional contract with Shelbourne |
| Emily Murphy | 35 | FW | 5'6" | Sophomore | Windsor, England | Transferred to Wake Forest |
| Sarah Bayer | 82 | FW | 5'4" | Graduate Student | Merrick, New York | Graduated |
| Madelyn Galbus | 98 | FW | 5'7" | Freshman | Wilmington, Delaware | Transferred to Syracuse |
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Year | Hometown | Previous school |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alexa Wojnovich | 44 | DF/MF | 5'7" | Graduate Student | Chapel Hill, North Carolina | Villanova |
Source:
| Name | Nationality | Hometown | Club | TDS Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abby GundryGK | Wake Forest, North Carolina | North Carolina Courage | ||
| Savannah KingDF | West Hills, California | Slammers FC HB Koge | ||
| Mia OliaroFW | Chapel Hill, North Carolina | North Carolina Courage | ||
| Melina RebimbasFW | Warren, New Jersey | PDA | ||
| Evelyn ShoresDF | Atlanta, GA | Tophat SC | ||
| Ella SmithFW | Charlotte, North Carolina | Charlotte Independence SC | ||
| Olivia ThomasFW | Grosse Pointe, Michigan | Michigan Hawks |
As of November 29, 2023
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 | No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | GK | USA | Nona Reason | ||||
| 2 | DF | USA | Evelyn Shores | ||||
| 3 | DF | USA | Savy King | ||||
| 4 | DF | USA | Paige Tolentino | ||||
| 5 | FW | USA | Maddie Dahlien | ||||
| 6 | MF | USA | Emerson Elgin | ||||
| 7 | DF | USA | Julia Dorsey | ||||
| 8 | FW | USA | Emily Moxley | ||||
| 9 | FW | USA | Tori DellaPeruta | ||||
| 10 | MF | USA | Samantha Meza | ||||
| 11 | MF | USA | Makenna Dominguez | ||||
| 12 | DF | USA | Sydney Cheesman | ||||
| 13 | FW | USA | Isabel Cox | ||||
| 14 | MF | USA | Kai Hayes | ||||
| 15 | FW | USA | Avery Patterson | ||||
| 16 | MF | USA | Melina Rebimbas | ||||
| 18 | MF | USA | Bella Sember | ||||
| 19 | MF | USA | Emily Colton | ||||
| 20 | FW | USA | Olivia Thomas | ||||
| 21 | FW | USA | Ally Sentnor | ||||
| 22 | FW | USA | Mia Oliaro | ||||
| 23 | MF | USA | Maci Teater | ||||
| 24 | FW | USA | Talia DellaPeruta | ||||
| 25 | DF | USA | Maycee Bell | ||||
| 26 | FW | USA | Kate Faasse | ||||
| 30 | DF | USA | Kayleigh Herr | ||||
| 31 | MF | USA | Ella Smith | ||||
| 32 | GK | USA | Emmie Allen | ||||
| 33 | MF | USA | Riley Quinlan | ||||
| 34 | DF | USA | Tessa Dellarose | ||||
| 39 | FW | USA | Asha Means | ||||
| 40 | GK | USA | Abby Gundry | ||||
| 44 | DF | USA | Alexa Wojnovich |
| Position | Staff |
|---|---|
| Athletic Director | Bubba Cunningham |
| Head coach | Anson Dorrance |
| Associate head coach | Damon Nahas |
| Assistant Coach | Nathan Thackeray |
| Assistant Coach | Alexandra Kimball |
| General Manager | Chris Ducar |
| Director of Operations | Tom Sander |
Source:
Source:
| DateTime, TV | Rank# | Opponent# | Result | Record | Site (Attendance) City, State |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 71:00 p.m. | No. 2 | College of Charleston | W 8–1 | – | Dorrance Field Chapel Hill, North Carolina |
| August 126:00 p.m. | No. 2 | East Carolina | W 2–0 | – | Dorrance Field Chapel Hill, North Carolina |
| August 177:00 p.m., BTN | No. 2 | at No. 10 Penn State | T 0–0 | 0–0–1 | Jeffrey Field (3,102)University Park, Pennsylvania |
| August 201:00 p.m., ACCNX | No. 2 | California | W 3–1 | 1–0–1 | Dorrance Field (3,792)Chapel Hill, North Carolina |
| August 244:00 p.m., ACCNX | No. 3 | Wisconsin | T 0–0 | 1–0–2 | Dorrance Field (3,335)Chapel Hill, North Carolina |
| August 271:00 p.m., ACCNX | No. 3 | No. 24 USC | W 4–0 | 2–0–2 | Dorrance Field (2,869)Chapel Hill, North Carolina |
| August 317:00 p.m., ACCNX | No. 4 | Gardner–Webb | W 5–0 | 3–0–2 | Dorrance Field (2,751)Chapel Hill, North Carolina |
| September 32:00 p.m., ACCN | No. 4 | No. 8т Arkansas | W 3–1 | 4–0–2 | Dorrance Field (2,732)Chapel Hill, North Carolina |
| September 77:00 p.m., ESPNU | No. 3 | at No. 10 South Carolina | W 2–1 | 5–0–2 | Stone Stadium (4,550)Columbia, South Carolina |
| September 107:00 p.m., ESPNU | No. 3 | at No. 12 Alabama | T 1–1 | 5–0–3 | Alabama Soccer Stadium (1,421)Tuscaloosa, Alabama |
| September 153:30 p.m., ACCNX | No. 2 | Virginia Tech | W 1–0 | 6–0–3(1–0–0) | Dorrance Field (4,298)Chapel Hill, North Carolina |
| September 217:00 p.m., ACCNX | No. 1 | at No. 22 Virginia | W 1–0 | 7–0–3(2–0–0) | Klöckner Stadium (2,674)Charlottesville, Virginia |
| September 2412:00 p.m., ESPNU | No. 1 | No. 3 Florida State | T 3–3 | 7–0–4(2–0–1) | Dorrance Field (4,079)Chapel Hill, North Carolina |
| September 307:00 p.m., ACCNX | No. 1 | at NC State Rivalry | W 4–0 | 8–0–4(3–0–1) | Dail Soccer Field (3,972)Raleigh, North Carolina |
| October 57:00 p.m., ACCNX | No. 1 | Miami (FL) | W 1–0 | 9–0–4(4–0–1) | Dorrance Field (2,892)Chapel Hill, North Carolina |
| October 84:00 p.m., ACCN | No. 1 | at No. 22 Duke Rivalry | T 1–1 | 9–0–5(4–0–2) | Koskinen Stadium (3,467)Durham, North Carolina |
| October 137:00 p.m., ACCNX | No. 3 | at Wake Forest | T 1–1 | 9–0–6(4–0–3) | Spry Stadium (1,280)Winston-Salem, North Carolina |
| October 198:00 p.m., ACCN | No. 3 | No. 12 Notre Dame | T 1–1 | 9–0–7(4–0–4) | Dorrance Field (2,378)Chapel Hill, North Carolina |
| October 221:00 p.m., ACCNX | No. 3 | Syracuse | W 6–1 | 10–0–7(5–0–4) | Dorrance Field (4,175)Chapel Hill, North Carolina |
| October 267:00 p.m., ACCNX | No. 3 | at Boston College | T 1–1 | 10–0–8(5–0–5) | Newton Campus Soccer Field (1,268)Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts |
| October 298:00 p.m., ACCN | (4) No. 3 | (5) No. 20 Pittsburgh First round | L 1–2 2OT | 10–1–8 | Dorrance Field (1,174)Chapel Hill, North Carolina |
| November 106:00 p.m., ESPN+ | (3) No. 13 | Towson First round | W 3–1 | 11–1–8 | Dorrance Field (1,889)Chapel Hill, North Carolina |
| November 173:30 p.m., ESPN+ | (3) No. 13 | vs. (6) No. 24 Alabama Second round | W 1–0 | 12–1–8 | John Walker Soccer Complex (2,346)Lubbock, Texas |
| November 192:00 p.m., ESPN+ | (3) No. 13 | at (2) No. 4 Texas Tech Round of 16 | W 1–0 | 13–1–8 | John Walker Soccer Complex (2,558)Lubbock, Texas |
| November 248:00 p.m., ESPN+ | (3) No. 13 | at (1) No. 6 BYU Quarterfinals | L 3–4 | 13–2–8 | South Field (3,487)Provo, Utah |
| *Non-conference game. #Rankings from United Soccer Coaches. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern. |
| Recipient | Award | Date | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maycee Bell | Pre-season All-ACC Team | August 10 | |
| Sam Meza | |||
| Ally Sentnor | |||
| Sam Meza | Hermann Trophy Preseason Watchlist | August 17 | |
| Savy King | ACC Defensive Player of the Week | August 22 | |
| Sam Meza | August 29 | ||
| Savy King | September 5 | ||
| Avery Patterson | ACC Offensive Player of the Week | September 12 | |
| Maycee Bell | ACC Defensive Player of the Week | September 19 | |
| Ally Sentnor | ACC Offensive Player of the Week | September 26 | |
| Ally Sentnor | ACC Midfielder of the Year | November 1 | |
| Avery Patterson | All-ACC First Team | ||
| Ally Sentnor | |||
| Maycee Bell | All-ACC Second Team | ||
| Savy King | |||
| Sam Meza | |||
| Savy King | All-ACC Freshman Team | ||
| Evelyn Shores | |||
| Ally Sentnor | United Soccer Coaches All-America Third Team | December 1 | |
| Avery Patterson |
North Carolina had six players selected in the 2024 NWSL Draft. The six players tied the NWSL record for number of selections from a single school in a draft. North Carolina also had the first and second overall picks for the second time in school history.
| Player | Team | Round | Pick # | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ally Sentnor | Utah Royals | 1 | 1 | MF |
| Savy King | Bay FC | 1 | 2 | DF |
| Maycee Bell | NJ/NY Gotham FC | 1 | 14 | DF |
| Sam Meza | Seattle Reign FC | 2 | 17 | MF |
| Avery Patterson | Houston Dash | 2 | 19 | FW |
| Julia Dorsey | North Carolina Courage | 3 | 40 | DF |
Ask Mako anything about 2023 North Carolina Tar Heels women's soccer team — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.
Research with MakoFree with your Surf account
Create a free account to save articles, ask Mako questions, and organize your research.
Sign up freeThis content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.
Report