UNC Women’s Soccer 2025-2026

3397char

All-Conference
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Jun 30, 2025
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Here are our current 2026 Commits:

  • Sealey Strawn Fwd - TX - Ignite Christian Academy - Solar Soccer Club - USA YNT training camp
  • Samantha Rich F - CA - Lamorinda Soccer Club - U15 USYNT
  • Wylie Roossien F - MA - FC Stars
  • Peyton Trayer GK - CA - Slammers HB Køge - IMG Top 150 for Class of 2026 (#72 overall; #5 GK)
  • Deus Stanislaus M - MD - Players Development Academy - U15 USYNT
  • Leah Kuklick D/M - NC - NC Courage Academy
  • Cali O'Neill D - NC - NC Courage Academy
  • Maggie Currie M/F - CA - Mountain View Los Altos SC (MVLA)
Eres Freifeld aka Charmion Freifeld F - CA - San Diego Surf (USA YNT) reclassified to 2025
 

3397char

All-Conference
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Jun 30, 2025
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My summary Of the roster for the upcoming season:

Transfers:

  • Soph MF Shaela Bradley from Rutgers: TDS #12 ranked NCAA freshman, B1G All Freshman team as a perep 1st team All-American, Wash Gatorade POY
  • Grad D Ryann Brown from Princeton: two-time 2nd team All-Ivy
  • Soph GK Liya Brooks from Wash St: played in only one game in two years at Was St, on the Senior Jamaican National Team that played in the 2023 FIFA World Cup (hence a redshirt), also U20 CONCACAF starter
  • Soph GK Emilie Maihs from Otero College: from Germany, started as a freshman at Otero
1st year:

https://prepsoccer.com/national/rankings/girls/2025-rankings/

Perhaps our top commit, Ava McDonald, bailed and enrolled at TX. This is not a top ACC recruiting class: FSU, Clemson and dook all higher. I am going to assume the coaching change turmoil really damaged our recruiting season, but hopefully we rebound in 2026 after the national title under Nahas.

Bradley is a major get in the portal and our GK hole will likely be filled with a transfer (my guess is Brooks). Will probably need a newcomer to step up as the 4th midfielder now that Shores went pro. But other than that, we are really looking to our returning roster to fill the entire starting lineup.

Top Drawer soccer ranks 4 returning UNC players in their 2024 postseasonj top 100 lists:

  • Faasse #1
  • Dellarose #11
  • Ullmark #6 freshman
  • Gaetino #14 freshman
My guess at the starting 11 in decreasing certainty:

  • F - Faasse, Thomas, Ullmark- 1st sub Freifield
  • M: Gaetino, Bradley, Pennie, Kennedy- 1st sub Devey
  • D: Dellarose, Alvarez, Mara- 1st sub Brown
  • GK: Brooks - could split halves with Johann
Like last year, this team will still lack depth at many positions. (not quite as bad, but we will get there quickly with just a few injuries) Nahas showed no interest in platooning like Dorrance was famous for, but he really did not have the players to do it. That may be true again this year and we still may not know if mass substitution is his preferred approach.

The D1 roster limit is now 28. We have 22 field players and 5 GK. So we are only 1 short of a full boat. But a few of those field players are probably not ACC caliber, based on their high school credentials, and tons of freshmen in general.
 

3397char

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Jun 30, 2025
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National - Pre-season Poll - July 31, 2025​

RankSchoolPrev1st VotesTotal PointsW-L-T
1University of North Carolina1820022-5-0
2University of Notre Dame6019014-4-4
3Florida State University13017715-2-4
4Duke University3017218-3-1
5University of Southern California5015818-1-4
6University of Arkansas9015416-2-3
7Stanford University4014116-5-2
8UCLA18012617-4-3
9TCU16012317-4-2
10Wake Forest University2011416-4-4
11Penn State University8011215-7-3
12Michigan State University14010714-3-5
13University of Iowa1209115-3-4
14Virginia Tech708714-6-3
15University of VirginiaRV07613-5-1
16Santa Clara University2007013-4-4
17Vanderbilt University1506710-4-7
18Ohio State University1106114-6-3
19University of Texas2105917-4-2
20Mississippi State University1004719-3-0
21University of South Carolina2304511-4-7
22Oklahoma State UniversityNR04314-5-3
23University of Wisconsin1903710-6-5
24University of Minnesota1702614-5-3
25Texas Tech University2402415-5-2
Records shown are final 2024 rankings.

Also receiving votes: Saint Louis University (17), University of Georgia (16), BYU (12), Auburn University (9), University of Memphis (9), Georgetown University (9), University of California (8), Clemson University (6), Pepperdine University (5), University of Kentucky (2)


That is an incredibly strong ACC. I suspect FSU may actually be the team to beat once they have everyone in Tallahassee.

And by the way, I absolutely love the cut and past capabilities on this forum!
 

3397char

All-Conference
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Jun 30, 2025
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Ring day!


Oprah You Get A Car GIF by Governor of Poker 3
 

Jriv23

Junior
Jul 31, 2025
504
318
63
I love it. This is a wonderful video to show recruits. This is what it is all about. Go Heels!
 
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Kleizaster

Sophomore
Aug 2, 2025
35
101
33
Guess it's time i joined the on3 party!

let's kickoff the site with some good news.

Ella Martinez, a 2026 Midfielder and a Colombian youth national team mainstay has flipped her commitment from Dook to UNC. After years of losing recruits to ACC rivals, UNC is the beneficiary for the first time in a long time. A new Era indeed. Damon continues to impress with how aggressive he is in recruiting and of his pursuit of players that Anson shied away from.

Also hearing he's about to reel in a big fish (or two) in the 2027 class..
 
Last edited:

Kleizaster

Sophomore
Aug 2, 2025
35
101
33

National - Pre-season Poll - July 31, 2025​

RankSchoolPrev1st VotesTotal PointsW-L-T
1University of North Carolina1820022-5-0
2University of Notre Dame6019014-4-4
3Florida State University13017715-2-4
4Duke University3017218-3-1
5University of Southern California5015818-1-4
6University of Arkansas9015416-2-3
7Stanford University4014116-5-2
8UCLA18012617-4-3
9TCU16012317-4-2
10Wake Forest University2011416-4-4
11Penn State University8011215-7-3
12Michigan State University14010714-3-5
13University of Iowa1209115-3-4
14Virginia Tech708714-6-3
15University of VirginiaRV07613-5-1
16Santa Clara University2007013-4-4
17Vanderbilt University1506710-4-7
18Ohio State University1106114-6-3
19University of Texas2105917-4-2
20Mississippi State University1004719-3-0
21University of South Carolina2304511-4-7
22Oklahoma State UniversityNR04314-5-3
23University of Wisconsin1903710-6-5
24University of Minnesota1702614-5-3
25Texas Tech University2402415-5-2
Records shown are final 2024 rankings.

Also receiving votes: Saint Louis University (17), University of Georgia (16), BYU (12), Auburn University (9), University of Memphis (9), Georgetown University (9), University of California (8), Clemson University (6), Pepperdine University (5), University of Kentucky (2)


That is an incredibly strong ACC. I suspect FSU may actually be the team to beat once they have everyone in Tallahassee.

And by the way, I absolutely love the cut and past capabilities on this forum!
Might be the strongest the conference has ever been. And that's saying alot. Clemson should be ranked. Even a team like Pitt is no slouch. Will be an exciting season. UNC is now the hunted
 

Jriv23

Junior
Jul 31, 2025
504
318
63
Hi Kleizaster, can you post her announcement that she is now going to UNC? Thanks.

 

rayram

Redshirt
Jan 26, 2011
24
46
12
Guess it's time i joined the on3 party!

let's kickoff the site with some good news.

Ella Martinez, a 2026 Midfielder and a Colombian youth national team mainstay has flipped her commitment from Dook to UNC. After years of losing recruits to ACC rivals, UNC is the beneficiary for the first time in a long time. A new Era indeed. Damon continues to impress with how aggressive he is in recruiting and of his pursuit of players that Anson shied away from.

Also hearing he's about to reel in a big fish (or two) in the 2027 class..
Thanks for the post. Could you explain what you mean by "players that Anson shied away from"?
 

UNCAlum83

Junior
Jul 17, 2025
149
247
43
Still nothing from the ticket office.
Just saw article for WSOC, MSOC & VB. No season ticket sales.

New for this season, Carolina will be offering only the opportunity to purchase single-game (or single-match) tickets for these sports and will no longer be offering season tickets. This change was made to be more consistent across sports, as well as to provide the operational flexibility to host these events at a high level and maximize the fan experience.

Each sport will continue to have reserved seating as well as general admission seating. All reserved seats will be $15, and all general admission seats will be $10. Pending availability, group rates will be available within these sections at a 20 percent discount (i.e. $12 for reserved seating and $8 for group seating).
Tickets On Sale Now For 2025 MSOC, WSOC & VB Seasons
 

UNCAlum83

Junior
Jul 17, 2025
149
247
43
Surely this isn’t a scheme to raise $ on transaction fees for each purchase?
No transaction fee charged; just ticket cost ($15/reserved) X tickets, so it's not that. Honestly, it made it tougher to purchase tickets since you had to go game by game. For soccer, you could at least add add'l games to the cart, but volleyball didn't have that option. I called the ticket office for those instead of checking out 15-20 times.
 

3397char

All-Conference
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Jun 30, 2025
603
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My guess is that they want more fill in on the better seats for better gameday atmosphere. Unused season tickets sitting empty are often a sore subject for WBB, as an example.
 
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JohnnyYen

Redshirt
Aug 4, 2025
24
49
13
Yeah, this is BS. I sent a strongly worded email to the ticket office after I had to buy 10 different sets of tickets. We can't get the same seats for every game, which is annoying. We were friends with the folks behind us last year. Who knows where they'll be. And despite tickets just going on sale, it's pretty weird how our seats from last season were already snapped up for almost every game. I think we missed one (4pm weekday) game last season. Yup, this sucks UNC.
 
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Nate1972

Freshman
Aug 1, 2025
30
54
18
We opened in a 3-5-2: Alvarez RB, Mara CB, Munson LB, Pennie at the 6 (Tessa is injured), Devey LM, Gaetino and Ullmark as 10s, Bradley as RM, Faasse and Thomas up top with Brooks in the goal. Gundry and Johann also got time in goal. I happened to sit next to Anson who said Pennie was the most improved player this year. Kennedy subbed in at the 6, and started the 2d half there. I think Alvarez and Devey were the only players who did not sub out in the 1st half. Alvarez played some on the left side when subs came in. Bradley played some in the center when subs came in. She looked very good. Munson, Devey, Freifeld and Kennedy all looked good as 1st years. We played some 4-4-2 in the 2d half with multiple subs in. Devey took all our corner kicks if she was on the field. We will have much more quality depth this year.
 

bradarb08

Sophomore
Aug 1, 2025
88
185
33
We only played one 6 in a 3-5-2? I assumed we’d see Gaetino and Tessa (Pennie today based on your note) at the 6, and then Ulmark at the 10. Then Faasse and Thomas up top at the 9s (for a 3-2-3-1 [3-5-2]).

I guess if you’re playing an inferior opponent I could see Gaetino play more attacking… but with three in the back it’s just risky to only have one 6.

Happy to hear all five goals came from different players! Were the defense and goalie tested at all tonight? I thought Mara had some great potential and great height, so I’m hoping she can handle being our starting CB this year.
 
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Nate1972

Freshman
Aug 1, 2025
30
54
18
yes, it looked like 3-1-4-2, at least with the starters. Defense and goalie not tested much. Johann made 1 nice save late. UNCW did not sub much, and clearly got tired at the end.
 
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Kleizaster

Sophomore
Aug 2, 2025
35
101
33
Thanks for the post. Could you explain what you mean by "players that Anson shied away from"?
Anson did not want to recruit California. Once Stanford came to prominence he admitted that he felt like he had little chance of beating them for instate players so he didn't bother. Damon has gone hard into California and landed several high profile players out of the state.

Anson also wasn't keen on players who wanted to reclassify..Damon encourages it if he feels like it makes sense for both the player and the school.

Damon also seems to be continuously recruiting players who have given verbals to other schools. leaving that door open. I don't think Anson flipped any player the last 10-15 years.

We all love and respect Anson and don't take this post as me bashing him..But he did seem to struggle to adapt to the changing landscape and the more modern version of the sport. Similar to Roy Williams.. I think Damon understood that and made it a point to have a slightly different approach.
 

Mtns2Sea

Freshman
Aug 7, 2025
30
61
18
Yeah, this is BS. I sent a strongly worded email to the ticket office after I had to buy 10 different sets of tickets. We can't get the same seats for every game, which is annoying. We were friends with the folks behind us last year. Who knows where they'll be. And despite tickets just going on sale, it's pretty weird how our seats from last season were already snapped up for almost every game. I think we missed one (4pm weekday) game last season. Yup, this sucks UNC.
We had the same situation, JohnnyYen! I went online within a couple of hours of the posting of the availability of tickets; our seats from last year were already gone!! I think parents must have gotten first dibs before the notice went public.... I went ahead and bought 4 - 2 for us and 2 for the out of town friends we sit with - to make sure that we could sit together. It was 11 clicks on the touchpad per seat for 4 seats x 10 games. So much more time spendt than if season ticket packages were available. And, since one of our friends couldn't make some of the 4pm weekday games, I opted out of those so actually bought fewer seats that I would have had season tickets been available. So the ticket office lost $$ on us.
 

Jriv23

Junior
Jul 31, 2025
504
318
63
How did the grad transfer from Princeton do? I think her name is Ryann Brown. Did she play at all or is she hurt?