UNC Women's Soccer 2026-2027
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Guy hasn't subbed all year and is messing up everything with the rotations.
Didn't deserve a red card. She struck the ball first in spite of what the blind announcers said.
another fine showing by our student athletes
Barely hit her leg, was obvi going for the ball. Hard to stop when you’re going full speed and it looks worse in slow mo.
There was zero malicious intent. They have to be better with that.
Just a dumb call when the game was essentially already over.
UN
24 minutes ago
“Guy hasn't subbed all year and is messing up everything with the rotations.”
we just got manning and deus back. Are you saying they shouldn’t play?
Can’t complain when he doesn’t sub and then complain when he does sub
It was a red card. "Serious foul play – making a tackle or challenge for the ball that endangers the safety of an opponent." It's irrelevant what her intentions were and whether she hit the ball first. It just comes down to was it sufficiently dangerous. If you dive into a challenge at a lot of speed with your studs up and hit the opponent's ankle, then that's a red card.
I don't think it'll make a difference — Strawn will only miss one game and we've got a lot of depth now Stanislaus and Manning are back.
Terrific win. Brilliant hat-trick I can't remember such a good one from a tar heel in recent memory (and only a bit behind this ridiculous one by Korbin Albert.)
I don't think it'll make a difference — Strawn will only miss one game and we've got a lot of depth now Stanislaus and Manning are back.
Terrific win. Brilliant hat-trick I can't remember such a good one from a tar heel in recent memory (and only a bit behind this ridiculous one by Korbin Albert.)
Yes, studs up, hard into the ankle deserved a red card.
Thank you Munson for bailing us out.
Why I'm not sold on Thayer? Did you watch the game? She did not move on the header goal. Then, she dropped the ball and kicked it into a Louisville player to score a goal on herself. That's a YSL play.
All 3 GKs have one high level talent:
Johann - reflexes
Thayer - positioning
Gundry - mentality
The problem? None of them have more than one. I want to see the three rotate. They can all help and hurt and should see the field based on the matchup. Johann and Thayer have played this year, but not Gundry. Look at what she did last year versus Alabama and FSU.
Why I'm not sold on Thayer? Did you watch the game? She did not move on the header goal. Then, she dropped the ball and kicked it into a Louisville player to score a goal on herself. That's a YSL play.
All 3 GKs have one high level talent:
Johann - reflexes
Thayer - positioning
Gundry - mentality
The problem? None of them have more than one. I want to see the three rotate. They can all help and hurt and should see the field based on the matchup. Johann and Thayer have played this year, but not Gundry. Look at what she did last year versus Alabama and FSU.
Lost the regular season because ND played more games. So dumb.
-It was a deserved red. You can’t go into someone’s leg with your studs up. You just can’t. That’s how legs are broken. You could argue she was fouled prior to that, but she went in recklessly (probably pissed off about being pushed down) and I do think her intent was for the ball first but she went in really hard and it is what it is. Had she kept her studs from being exposed it would’ve been a yellow, but that’s just automatically a red…has to be…injuries would be really bad if those tackles were not snuffed out of the game. I’ve seen one of those end up in a compound fracture before and can’t ever unsee that.
-DiMaria was never coming here and I tried to tell you all that weeks ago. She’s too good to play college soccer and was going to be offered too much money to turn down. I’m just shocked she landed on an NWSL team. I would have pushed her to go to Europe. Someone must be really bankrolling Angel City right now. We’ll be fine. Would have been amazing to see her in Carolina Blue but she really needs to be playing against the best of the best….USA will need her in the years ahead.
A bit if an odd game tonight…we played really impatiently and gave up the ball so uncharacteristically at times. Munson was spectacular with her finishing though. Thank goodness because Devey was completely taken out of the game by Lville’s defending and our midfield’s lack of composure/patience on the ball tonight. That second goal Lville had was an incredible fluke, I’m glad it didn’t cost us a bye in the ACCT. Hopefully we can find our edge in the postseason, it doesn’t quite feel like we’re playing our best right now collectively. Feel like I could say more but will save for later. Always happy to win. Terrific regular season ladies.
-DiMaria was never coming here and I tried to tell you all that weeks ago. She’s too good to play college soccer and was going to be offered too much money to turn down. I’m just shocked she landed on an NWSL team. I would have pushed her to go to Europe. Someone must be really bankrolling Angel City right now. We’ll be fine. Would have been amazing to see her in Carolina Blue but she really needs to be playing against the best of the best….USA will need her in the years ahead.
A bit if an odd game tonight…we played really impatiently and gave up the ball so uncharacteristically at times. Munson was spectacular with her finishing though. Thank goodness because Devey was completely taken out of the game by Lville’s defending and our midfield’s lack of composure/patience on the ball tonight. That second goal Lville had was an incredible fluke, I’m glad it didn’t cost us a bye in the ACCT. Hopefully we can find our edge in the postseason, it doesn’t quite feel like we’re playing our best right now collectively. Feel like I could say more but will save for later. Always happy to win. Terrific regular season ladies.
Wow, she has even graduated from high school yet. So how in the heck will she still be able to take classes in high school and play professionally. They should have least let the young lady finish her high school classes.Oh. Oh no!
I am pretty sure that she tried to reclassify to 2026 to play at UNC this year. That fell through for some reason and probably will be the missed opportunity for her to suit up for UNC.
I will keep her on the recruit list for now, absent full confirmation she will not defer her contract. But this seems like a pretty sure thing:
Angel City signs 17-year-old Maddie DiMaria to four-year deal
A two-time Gatorade girls’ national soccer player of the year, Maddie DiMaria scored 24 times in 23 appearances with the U.S. U-17 team.www.latimes.com
edit: looks like she is listed on their roster and will likely play immediately, so we will have all teh confirmation we need soon enough.
Player Roster | Players & Squad | Angel City FC
See the full Angel City FC roster. Player bios, positions, squad numbers, and stats for every player on the current NWSL squad.angelcity.com
Press release seems to say she may be activated their next game, which is in the playoffs on Saturday. Seems a little crazy that they allow new recruit signings during the playoffs. This is Sentnor's team FWIW
I agree it sucks. They need to make a rule where the player will have to at least play one year in college before they go to the professional ranks. The same way they do for men in college basketball.
Yeah, another form of bias on the referees when we play. The referees can call that one but they could not make a call when the girl from Stanford spit on Antonucci. I am still waiting to see what the league is going to do about that.
So Strawn gets a red card for her play and she will probably miss one game but when the girl from Stanford spit on Antonucci, there is not red card, no punishment from the league, and she does not miss any games. How does that happen? Can someone please explain that one to me because it just does not make any sense?
Me too. They need to be an age limit on when players coming from high school can play professionally. The young lady has not even graduated from high school yet.
That is a bunch of crap. We beat them head to head and that should count for something. Here again the ACC does not like to see us win in any sport. They are so bias against us it is a crying shame. They know good and well that you cannot play a blank game when there is a Hurricane in the area. This should be the last straw. I think it is about time for UNC to start looking to go to either the SEC or Big 10. At least they will treat us better than what we are seeing and getting from the ACC. I am still waiting for the league to make a decision on the girl from Stanford that spit on Antonucci. She did not get a red card during the game, she has not been suspended for any games, and the ACC has done nothing about it. It seems to me they are trying to sweep this under the rug and hope people forget about it.
Strawn wasn’t having the best night anyway. Missed on 4 good shots. And the bench is deep enough to absorb her for one game.
I really liked the substitutions. Kennedy was hurt apparently, and I think Scottie is a better at the six than 10. Bella at striker is growing on me, but she’s gotta finish those opportunities. And Manning brings the same threat on the wing that somehow looks a bit different from Munson.
Shout out Summer, who tracked all the way back to break up Louisville‘s offense three different times during critical possessions. Just a great effort.
I really liked the substitutions. Kennedy was hurt apparently, and I think Scottie is a better at the six than 10. Bella at striker is growing on me, but she’s gotta finish those opportunities. And Manning brings the same threat on the wing that somehow looks a bit different from Munson.
Shout out Summer, who tracked all the way back to break up Louisville‘s offense three different times during critical possessions. Just a great effort.
Two players back from USA, Devey back from injury. This is the level of substitution we saw in the brief periods of time most of the roster was available.
Thayer had a bad game today, no doubt. She immediately ran to Munson to give her i big hug at final whistle, which was probably telling.
She has had a great season though.
I don't mind rotating goalies as a season plan, but not something you start at tournament time. Gundry has made mistakes like we saw today more than once on the very few times she has played. it is a two person race at most.
We get the Wake/dook winner on Thursday. dook sneaks in on the tiebreak over Stanford.
2026 Women's Soccer Standings
| SCHOOL | Pts. | ACC | Pct. | GF-GA | Overall | Pct. | Home | Away | Neutral | Streak |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Notre Dame | 25 | 8-1-1 | .850 | 37-15 | 10-1-6 | .765 | 7-0-3 | 3-1-3 | 0-0 | W6 |
| North Carolina | 24 | 8-1 | .889 | 51-13 | 15-2 | .882 | 9-1 | 6-1 | 0-0 | W3 |
| Wake Forest | 22 | 7-2-1 | .750 | 33-10 | 14-2-1 | .853 | 9-1 | 5-1-1 | 0-0 | W4 |
| Florida State | 17 | 5-2-2 | .667 | 26-14 | 9-3-3 | .700 | 2-2-2 | 7-1-1 | 0-0 | L1 |
| Virginia | 17 | 5-3-2 | .600 | 33-10 | 9-3-4 | .688 | 7-1-2 | 2-2-2 | 0-0 | T1 |
| Duke | 16 | 4-2-4 | .600 | 40-13 | 9-2-5 | .719 | 5-0-3 | 4-2-2 | 0-0 | T1 |
| Stanford | 16 | 5-4-1 | .550 | 39-14 | 11-4-2 | .706 | 7-2-1 | 4-2-1 | 0-0 | W1 |
| Louisville | 15 | 4-3-3 | .550 | 43-22 | 10-4-3 | .676 | 6-3-1 | 4-1-2 | 0-0 | L3 |
| Miami | 14 | 4-4-2 | .500 | 24-18 | 10-5-3 | .639 | 3-2-3 | 7-3 | 0-0 | L2 |
| Virginia Tech | 14 | 4-4-2 | .500 | 30-25 | 8-5-5 | .583 | 3-4-3 | 5-1-2 | 0-0 | W2 |
| NC State | 13 | 4-5-1 | .450 | 40-21 | 11-5-2 | .667 | 6-2 | 5-3-2 | 0-0 | W1 |
| Boston College | 11 | 3-5-2 | .400 | 38-22 | 10-5-2 | .647 | 6-3 | 4-2-2 | 0-0 | L1 |
| Clemson | 10 | 2-4-4 | .400 | 27-17 | 6-5-6 | .529 | 4-2-3 | 2-3-3 | 0-0 | L1 |
| California | 8 | 2-6-2 | .300 | 17-23 | 5-8-5 | .417 | 3-4-3 | 2-4-2 | 0-0 | W1 |
| SMU | 6 | 1-6-3 | .250 | 34-31 | 6-7-5 | .472 | 5-2-5 | 1-5 | 0-0 | T1 |
| Pitt | 5 | 1-7-2 | .200 | 24-24 | 7-8-3 | .472 | 3-5-1 | 4-3-2 | 0-0 | T1 |
| Syracuse | 3 | 1-9 | .100 | 12-27 | 4-11-2 | .294 | 3-5-2 | 1-6 | 0-0 | L6 |
It doesn’t make any sense, but Strawn deserved the red card. Now the Stanford situation is a complete and utter failure by the league. That should have been a 3 game suspension in my opinion. Her action was both intentional and disgraceful (and considered assault on a legal basis). Just an unbelievable joke of an outcome. Thankfully karma intervened and Stanford missed the ACCT.
With all due respect to oldeast’s post about Trayer. If you want to criticize her for not coming out on the first goal, fine. But blaming her for that absolute fluke of a second goal is ridiculous. That’s like blaming someone for getting struck by lightning on a sunny day. That was a once in a lifetime kind of bad luck event, and something you could watch soccer your entire life and never see happen.
I trust Damon on the GK decision. He sees them in practice every day. All of those other GK’s you mentioned have had their chances as the starter, and none of them play perfect, mistake-free soccer. You obviously play who you think gives the best chance to win first and foremost. If they really are all similar, then you play the one with the longest term benefit to the program….in today’s version of college sports, like it or hate it (I mostly hate it), if you don’t play someone who is good, they are going to transfer to somewhere they will play most of the time. Trayer is a freshman and could lock down GK for the next 3 years for us, the others are nearly out of eligibility (Gundry Sr / Johann Jr).
I trust Damon on the GK decision. He sees them in practice every day. All of those other GK’s you mentioned have had their chances as the starter, and none of them play perfect, mistake-free soccer. You obviously play who you think gives the best chance to win first and foremost. If they really are all similar, then you play the one with the longest term benefit to the program….in today’s version of college sports, like it or hate it (I mostly hate it), if you don’t play someone who is good, they are going to transfer to somewhere they will play most of the time. Trayer is a freshman and could lock down GK for the next 3 years for us, the others are nearly out of eligibility (Gundry Sr / Johann Jr).
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Agree. As incredible as Kate and Bella have been, Hope definitely gave me flashbacks of Ally Sentnor last night!
I 100% agree on the 2nd goal. That was just bad luck and a fluke.
She could have done more on the first one, but it was really just a perfect ball and header by Louisville. Sometimes you just have to tip your hat to the other team.
Will just never understand the reasoning behind a 6-team tournament in a 17-team league. Meanwhile, all 15 men’s teams compete in their tourney.
We'd all have loved to see DiMaria play as a Tar Heel, but if we do that as a country (restrict who can go pro based on age), it would be a mistake. One of the brightest stars in MLS right now is Cavan Sullivan...he signed with Philadelphia Union at 14 years old. He made his debut for the US national team at 16, and scored a brilliant goal against Mexico a few months ago. He's 17 now and having a fantastic year as a full time starter, and I know was just called up again to play in the US's next round of matches. If we put age limits in place like you suggest, you know where he'd be playing right now? Europe. Not college (or high school).
Restraining our best and brightest would mean cutting off our domestic pro leagues at the kneecaps. MLS and NWSL would lose out on the top American players. Europe has no age limits like you suggest. We're always going to lose some to Europe (especially on the men's side), but we need to be doing what we can to keep as many as we can here.
And your comment about how can she finish her high school work if she's already going pro? For elite athletes now, many of them take their classes remotely, and there are even special schools set up now for kids who want to focus on sports....Crossroads Flex Academy (in Cary) is just down the road from UNC, and it's literally set up for elite athletes to focus on their training, and gives them very flexible learning schedules so they can complete graduation requirements on a nontraditional schedule. Aven Alvarez and Riley Kennedy both went there. And even for kids who go to traditional high schools, many graduate in 3 years or 3.5 years so they can go pro or to college as quickly as possible (because playing against other high school aged players is slowing their development). It's just a different world now. Someone like DiMaria needs to be playing pro ASAP...I'd argue that she should have already been there (or at least reclassified last year and have played one year at UNC this year and then go pro).
I guess my biggest point is that the US is in a fierce competition with Europe for talent (not only keeping our best domestic players, but also attracting overseas talent to come here)...we can't have arbitrary age limits and restrictions that Europe does not have. It won't attract more top players to college, it will push them overseas. College is like the minor leagues in baseball, and a small group of players are just so special they really shouldn't be wasting time there. If we had the next Einstein in science, we wouldn't force that kid to finish high school and then college first before they go out and change the world would we? Nope, they'd be done with all of that at the earliest age possible and on to whatever keeps them developing at the extraordinary pace they are capable of.
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