# 2023 North Carolina Tar Heels women's soccer team

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.

## Previous 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.

## Offseason
### Departures

Departures :
| 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 |
| 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 | — |

### Incoming Transfers

Incoming Transfers :
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
| Alexa Wojnovich | 44 | DF/MF | 5'7" | Graduate Student | Chapel Hill, North Carolina | Villanova |

### Recruiting class

Source:
| Name | Hometown | Club |
| Abby Gundry GK | Wake Forest, North Carolina | North Carolina Courage |
| Savannah King DF | West Hills, California | Slammers FC HB Koge |
| Mia Oliaro FW | Chapel Hill, North Carolina | North Carolina Courage |
| Melina Rebimbas FW | Warren, New Jersey | PDA |
| Evelyn Shores DF | Atlanta, GA | Tophat SC |
| Ella Smith FW | Charlotte, North Carolina | Charlotte Independence SC |
| Olivia Thomas FW | Grosse Pointe, Michigan | Michigan Hawks |

## Squad
### Roster

    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 |
| 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 |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 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 |

### Team management

| 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:

## Schedule

Source:
| Date Time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site (Attendance) City, State |
| Exhibition ||||||
| August 7 1:00 p.m. | No. 2 | College of Charleston | W 8–1 | – | Dorrance Field Chapel Hill, North Carolina |
| August 12 6:00 p.m. | No. 2 | East Carolina | W 2–0 | – | Dorrance Field Chapel Hill, North Carolina |
| Non-conference Regular season ||||||
| August 17 7:00 p.m., BTN | No. 2 | at No. 10 Penn State | T 0–0 | 0–0–1 | Jeffrey Field (3,102) University Park, Pennsylvania |
| August 20 1:00 p.m., ACCNX | No. 2 | California | W 3–1 | 1–0–1 | Dorrance Field (3,792) Chapel Hill, North Carolina |
| August 24 4:00 p.m., ACCNX | No. 3 | Wisconsin | T 0–0 | 1–0–2 | Dorrance Field (3,335) Chapel Hill, North Carolina |
| August 27 1:00 p.m., ACCNX | No. 3 | No. 24 USC | W 4–0 | 2–0–2 | Dorrance Field (2,869) Chapel Hill, North Carolina |
| August 31 7:00 p.m., ACCNX | No. 4 | Gardner–Webb | W 5–0 | 3–0–2 | Dorrance Field (2,751) Chapel Hill, North Carolina |
| September 3 2:00 p.m., ACCN | No. 4 | No. 8т Arkansas | W 3–1 | 4–0–2 | Dorrance Field (2,732) Chapel Hill, North Carolina |
| September 7 7:00 p.m., ESPNU | No. 3 | at No. 10 South Carolina | W 2–1 | 5–0–2 | Stone Stadium (4,550) Columbia, South Carolina |
| September 10 7:00 p.m., ESPNU | No. 3 | at No. 12 Alabama | T 1–1 | 5–0–3 | Alabama Soccer Stadium (1,421) Tuscaloosa, Alabama |
| ACC Regular Season ||||||
| September 15 3:30 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 21 7:00 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 24 12:00 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 30 7:00 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 5 7:00 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 8 4:00 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 13 7:00 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 19 8:00 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 22 1:00 p.m., ACCNX | No. 3 | Syracuse | W 6–1 | 10–0–7 (5–0–4) | Dorrance Field (4,175) Chapel Hill, North Carolina |
| October 26 7:00 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 |
| ACC Tournament ||||||
| October 29 8:00 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 |
| NCAA Tournament ||||||
| November 10 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | (3) No. 13 | Towson First round | W 3–1 | 11–1–8 | Dorrance Field (1,889) Chapel Hill, North Carolina |
| November 17 3:30 p.m., ESPN+ | (3) No. 13 | (6) No. 24 Alabama Second round | W 1–0 | 12–1–8 | John Walker Soccer Complex (2,346) Lubbock, Texas |
| November 19 2:00 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 24 8:00 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. ||||||

## Awards and honors

| Recipient | Award | Date |
| Maycee Bell | Pre-season All-ACC Team | August 10 |
| Sam Meza | Pre-season All-ACC Team | August 10 |
| Ally Sentnor | Pre-season All-ACC Team | August 10 |
| Sam Meza | Hermann Trophy Preseason Watchlist | August 17 |
| Savy King | ACC Defensive Player of the Week | August 22 |
| Sam Meza | ACC Defensive Player of the Week | August 29 |
| Savy King | ACC Defensive Player of the Week | 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 | November 1 |
| Ally Sentnor | All-ACC First Team | November 1 |
| Maycee Bell | All-ACC Second Team | November 1 |
| Savy King | All-ACC Second Team | November 1 |
| Sam Meza | All-ACC Second Team | November 1 |
| Savy King | All-ACC Freshman Team | November 1 |
| Evelyn Shores | All-ACC Freshman Team | November 1 |
| Ally Sentnor | United Soccer Coaches All-America Third Team | December 1 |
| Avery Patterson | United Soccer Coaches All-America Third Team | December 1 |

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking ( ) = First-place votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | Final |
| United Soccer | 2 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 (7) | 1 (8) | 1 (8) | 3 | 3 | 3 | 13 | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | 8 |
| TopDrawer Soccer | 2 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 8 | 14 | 12 | 11 | 6 | 6 | 6 |

## 2024 NWSL Draft

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 |