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For the first time since 2009, the North Carolina Tar Heels won the ACC Championship in women’s soccer, knocking off regular season champion Duke to claim the program’s 21st league title.
For comparison’s sake, head coach Anson Dorrance and the women’s program has won more than four times as many ACC Championships as the team second on that list (Florida State has won five ACC titles).
UNC is coming off another NCAA appearance and another No. 1 seed, but the Tar Heels fell during a third round overtime loss to Princeton. Carolina finished the season 17-3-2.
There is a lot of talent returning to the lineup in 2018. Carolina will return their top scorers from last year, forwards Alessia Russo and Bridgette Andrzejewski along with midfielder Dorian Bailey. Goalkeeper Samantha Leshnak, who started all games last season, returns as well.
When looking at the schedule, half of their 18 regular season opponents this season qualified for the 2017 NCAA Tournament. This includes an away match against defending national champion Stanford.
As with men’s soccer, the women’s team will not play at Fetzer Field due to construction. The women’s team will host home matches at their practice facility on Finley Fields South located on Old Mason Farm Road. Postseason games will be played at WakeMed Park in Cary or Fetzer Field if completed in time.
Take a look at their 2018 schedule below:
UNC Women’s Soccer Schedule
| Date | Time | Opponent | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Time | Opponent | Location |
| 8/8/2018 | 7:00 PM | NC State (exhibition) | Raleigh, NC |
| 8/12/2018 | 10:00 PM | Duke (exhibition) | Durham, NC |
| 8/16/2018 | 4:00 PM | Illinois (Carolina Nike Classic) | Chapel Hill, NC |
| 8/19/2018 | 4:00 PM | Ohio State (Carolina Nike Classic) | Chapel Hill, NC |
| 8/22/2018 | 5:00 PM | Texas | Chapel Hill, NC |
| 8/26/2018 | 2:00 PM | UCF | Chapel Hill, NC |
| 8/30/2018 | 4:30 PM | Providence (Duke Nike Classic) | Durham, NC |
| 9/2/2018 | 12:00 PM | Marquette (Duke Nike Classic) | Durham, NC |
| 9/7/2018 | 10:30 PM | Santa Clara | Santa Clara, CA |
| 9/9/2018 | 5:30 PM | Stanford | Stanford, CA |
| 9/14/2018 | 7:00 PM | Florida State | Tallahassee, FL |
| 9/20/2018 | 4:00 PM | Pitt | Chapel Hill, NC |
| 9/23/2018 | 1:00 PM | Clemson | Clemson, SC |
| 9/29/2018 | 12:30 PM | Louisville | Chapel Hill, NC |
| 10/4/2018 | 7:00 PM | Notre Dame | South Bend, IN |
| 10/7/2018 | 1:00 PM | Syracuse | Syracuse, NY |
| 10/13/2018 | 7:00 PM | Virginia Tech | Blacksburg, VA |
| 10/18/2018 | 3:00 PM | Boston College | Chapel Hill, NC |
| 10/21/2018 | 1:00 PM | Miami | Chapel Hill, NC |
| 10/25/2018 | 3:00 PM | Wake Forest | Chapel Hill, NC |
| 10/28/2018 | ACC Women's Soccer Championship | ||
| TBA | NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Tournament |
Are expectations higher this season for women’s soccer? What will they have to do to claim their 22nd NCAA national championship?