UNC Women’s Soccer 2025-2026
- Thread starter 3397char
- Start date
And…UNc scores on a failed JMU goal kick as I was typing?
goal by OT! She blocked the Goalie’s clear right into goal
goal by OT! She blocked the Goalie’s clear right into goal
I can’t stress how well OT has played today:
7 goals now on the season
- goal 1 was all hustle to block the Goalie’s clear.
- On goal 2 she hustled to deflect a clear/pass by the JMu left defender which we then intercepted and 2 passes later a goal against an unsettled d-line.
- Perfectly timed run from midfield, well placed
7 goals now on the season
Ullmark hits another post. Beautiful shot but no dice. I think that is 6 off the woodwork for her this season?
brooks in goal for 2nd half so still a 3-way tie for starting goalkeeper
brooks in goal for 2nd half so still a 3-way tie for starting goalkeeper
Great win. We just have to keep stacking wins one game at a time. I have one question. Did coach play more players this game? or did he have a majority of our players play a lot of minutes again? I hope the two players who are playing with team USA will be back soon to help take some minutes off of the starters.
Kennedy and Malsom were back for the Alabama, and have started both games since returning.
Yeah Jriv23, Malsom and Kennedy are already back, Malsom scored against JMU and Kennedy assisted Thomas’ second goal with a perfect through ball over the top.
But most the core starters (of which Kennedy and Malsom are part of) still played the lion’s share of the minutes, and that’s not going to change this year. There is a clear rotation of players that Damon trusts to play when it really matters, and there is a noticeable drop off in quality and speed when we get more than a couple of players into our bench. Playing a ton of players like Anson did is not a luxury we have right now and likely never will be in the NIL era…players good enough to play big minutes can transfer so easily now, you just aren’t going to see many potential stars content to sit around and wait. The opportunities to get into professional teams earlier (now that there is no college draft and everyone is a free agent) is also another thing that has spread out the top talent at the college level in the womens’ game.
It is what it is and I’ve seen enough from the team at this point to agree with Damon’s approach on who is getting meaningful playing time and who is not at this point. We’re going to have play a lot of our core lineup big minutes the entire year.
The one position where I think Damon is over subbing though is GK. He needs to go with Gundry and stick with her when it really matters. I don’t trust Brooks as much with the ball at her feet considering how much we build out of the back, and she’s gotten caught way too far off her line in prior games (that cost us the first goal in the Tennesee loss where they got an open net from 30 yards out…a goal that never should/would have been conceded had she been back on her line). They all make mistakes but so far Gundry looks the steadiest back there by far. Once ACC play starts we need to stick with her, which I think we’ll happen. Damon left her in the whole Alabama game, and has only changed GKs in the other recent games when we were facing weaker opponents. The two early losses are a different story where I don’t think he was sure who was the clear #1 yet. Now it seems fairly clear who has won the job.
But most the core starters (of which Kennedy and Malsom are part of) still played the lion’s share of the minutes, and that’s not going to change this year. There is a clear rotation of players that Damon trusts to play when it really matters, and there is a noticeable drop off in quality and speed when we get more than a couple of players into our bench. Playing a ton of players like Anson did is not a luxury we have right now and likely never will be in the NIL era…players good enough to play big minutes can transfer so easily now, you just aren’t going to see many potential stars content to sit around and wait. The opportunities to get into professional teams earlier (now that there is no college draft and everyone is a free agent) is also another thing that has spread out the top talent at the college level in the womens’ game.
It is what it is and I’ve seen enough from the team at this point to agree with Damon’s approach on who is getting meaningful playing time and who is not at this point. We’re going to have play a lot of our core lineup big minutes the entire year.
The one position where I think Damon is over subbing though is GK. He needs to go with Gundry and stick with her when it really matters. I don’t trust Brooks as much with the ball at her feet considering how much we build out of the back, and she’s gotten caught way too far off her line in prior games (that cost us the first goal in the Tennesee loss where they got an open net from 30 yards out…a goal that never should/would have been conceded had she been back on her line). They all make mistakes but so far Gundry looks the steadiest back there by far. Once ACC play starts we need to stick with her, which I think we’ll happen. Damon left her in the whole Alabama game, and has only changed GKs in the other recent games when we were facing weaker opponents. The two early losses are a different story where I don’t think he was sure who was the clear #1 yet. Now it seems fairly clear who has won the job.
Notice how they've been one-touching on shots rather than phaffing about?
Thanks for all the input and information.
UNCBullMarket thanks for the information. After reading it, than it does make sense that Damon has to do what he needs to do in order for this team to win. I agree with his decision now. Also, the GK situation seems to be worked out as well. I would stick with Gundry then.
Spectacular move. There's a lot to like about that whole sequence, but a really important part is how well she recieves a feed with pace. That's just solid fundamentals.
Ullmark Named To TopDrawerSoccer Team Of The Week - University of North Carolina Athletics
TopDrawerSoccer released its Women's Team of the Week Monday afternoon. The 11-player roster featured sophomore midfielder Linda Ullmark .
This VT color analyst is such a homer. Has not seen a call against VT he has liked yet.
0-0 at half
unc leads shots 5-3, but VT shanked a chippie in front of an open goal early.
VT once again playing UNC closer than they should with physical play and good ball pressure. UNC looks bothered at times.
#3 (left wing) for VT is a baller. #4 (holding midfielder) is bruiser, 5 fouls in one half.
unc leads shots 5-3, but VT shanked a chippie in front of an open goal early.
VT once again playing UNC closer than they should with physical play and good ball pressure. UNC looks bothered at times.
#3 (left wing) for VT is a baller. #4 (holding midfielder) is bruiser, 5 fouls in one half.
all 3 goals left footed. dont see that very often
This is why some of us were clamoring for depth. Bradley is out for the year. Munson is out for a while, hopefully not the year.
Dellarose is going to be fully healed and ready to start soon. Now, who is coming off the bench? Is Mara starting or is Brown? Bretzer and Freifeld have to be ready to play significant minutes. After that, its Tongberg and Smith.
Now, here's the most difficult stretch of the season in the next two games against two of the best teams in the country. Hope we're ready
Dellarose is going to be fully healed and ready to start soon. Now, who is coming off the bench? Is Mara starting or is Brown? Bretzer and Freifeld have to be ready to play significant minutes. After that, its Tongberg and Smith.
Now, here's the most difficult stretch of the season in the next two games against two of the best teams in the country. Hope we're ready
Both goals were one touches. They're finishing so much better.
I am a little confused by your post. Is that “I hope Munson is OK?” Or “I heard Hope Munson is OK.”
As you should be now that I re-read it. I'm just hoping Hope Munson is ok, don't know anything. Sorry for confusion
This summer NCAA roster limits went into effect, holding teams at 28. It will require significant adjustments: no more luxury depth pieces for insurance and no more walk-on lesser talents just because you admire their hustle and team building skills.
We have 27 currently, only one under the limit. And we were a full boat 28 before Shores went pro super late, after the recruiting cycle ended. I would not have supported scraping the bottom of the barrel for a replacement leftover still in the portal considering how precious roster spots are these days.
the main issue I see with our current roster construction is 4 goalies. That is too many in this era. 3 max.
I would disagree that "they're finishing so much better"....we absolutely dominated possession last night, our biggest problem was finishing. We had 11-12 corner kicks and several other free kick just outside the box and converted none. Thomas had a point blank shot in the first half she missed wide. Faase was surprisingly a total non-factor in the game last night and failed to convert a couple of almost point blank opportunities (credit to JMU's GK though)...we need more from the defending national player of the year than we got yesterday.
The two goals by Dellarose and Thomas were both absolutely brilliant strikes, no doubt about it. They saved us from a big letdown against a far outmatched team that was playing without a couple of their key starters.
But we have to get better in the attacking third...we are leaving too many opportunities on the table, and were extremely fortunate to escape last night with the last minute win. The competition is about to get significantly more difficult.
Not trying to be overly pessimistic, but we were one play away from a really big disappointment last night and it was reminiscent of the Tennessee and Georgia losses where we were the better team and dominated possession, but left the door open because we could not convert in the attacking third. That's the type of flaw that can cost you an early/unexpected exit in the NCAAs. Let's hope that the team got the wakeup call. This is certainly a young team that will have it's ups and downs, but our 3 primary attackers (Faase, Thomas, Ullmark) are all veteran players and we need them to be difference makers. VT is a team we should have comfortably beaten, so last night's performance has me a bit uneasy.
Losing Munson for any significant amount of time would really hurt. She has been playing terrific in the back. Her speed is something we cannot replace back there....Mara came in as a sub and was playing where Munson was, and she's a good player, but does not have the closing or recovery speed that makes Munson such a valuable asset in the back.
As for the depth thing....I'll say it again, we have a significant dropoff after a few players. You can clamor for it all you want, but the coaches know from practice who they can count on when it matters, and who is going to be a liability. The games of playing bench players to develop them are about over on the schedule now that ACC play has begun. VT was one of the easier ACC opponents and it took a goal in the last 3 minutes of the game to save us. We just aren't 20 players deep like we used to be in the past. Transferring for playing time (or going pro earlier instead of staying 4 years) is too easy for really good players now. They don't stick around to sit on the bench and watch if they are high D1 talents.