Familiar territory: UNC women’s soccer holds off Duke, will face Wake Forest in NCAA final
No. 2 seed North Carolina women’s soccer delivered a commanding performance in its 3-0 College Cup semifinal victory over top-seeded Duke on Friday night, securing the 28th national championship appearance in program history.
UNC, facing the Blue Devils for an unprecedented fourth time this season, dominated from start to finish, with goals from Maddie Dahlien, Olivia Thomas and Kate Faasse. The loss marked the end of Duke head coach Robbie Church’s storied career — which saw him transform the program into a perennial contender over 24 seasons. At the same time, North Carolina’s dominance may solidify Damon Nahas’ case to lose the “interim” label as UNC’s head coach.
“He has molded their team, taken a lot of new players and he’s gotten them in the national championship game,” Church said of Nahas. “So I think he’s done one of the best coaching jobs in the country.”
In the 12th minute, Faasse started things for the Tar Heels by converting a penalty kick after Dahlien earned a foul on Duke defender Nicky Chico. The goal was Faasse’s 20th of the season, making her the nation’s top scorer.
“Gosh, if she’s not player of the year — I don’t know how she’s not,” Nahas said. “I mean, it’s pretty extraordinary.”
In the 24th minute, Thomas doubled UNC’s lead. Freshman Bella Gaetino delivered a long ball over the middle, and Thomas soon outpaced Chico to take control. As Duke goalkeeper Leah Freeman, the ACC Goalkeeper of the Year, rushed off her line, Thomas slotted the ball into the back right corner. That marked the sophomore’s eighth goal of the season and third of the tournament.
The Tar Heels capped the scoring in the 59th minute with a dominant team effort. Goalkeeper Clare Gagne launched a kick from her box, and Thomas won the battle in the midfield to push the ball forward. She passed to Faasse, who soon found Dahlien. Despite being double-teamed, Dahlien created space, shimmied her hips and rifled a shot into the net for the three-goal lead.
“I think Damon put together a really good tactical plan for us,” Faasse said. “I think, playing [Duke] now for the fourth time, we knew what we were expecting… we went in with no fear. That was our motto today — no fear. I think from the get go, we just had momentum with us and we didn’t let down.”
UNC has now defeated three or more opponents by at least three goals in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2018.
Duke, which had not conceded a goal throughout the tournament, struggled on both sides of the ball. The Blue Devils managed 17 shots but failed to find the back of the net as Gagne, a graduate transfer from Brown, recorded five saves and the clean sheet for the Tar Heels.
The dominant victory extends North Carolina’s storied legacy despite coaching turnover.
Under Nahas, who took over after legendary coach Anson Dorrance’s sudden retirement in August, the Tar Heels have exceeded expectations. Despite losing all but one starter to professional contracts or the transfer portal, UNC posted a 7-3 record in the ACC — the nation’s most competitive conference — and finished as ACC tournament runners-up.
“For this group to do what they’ve done this year, I don’t know, this would be a good documentary one day maybe,” Nahas said. “This is all about the players making the decision to make the commitment… this group has loved each other. We’ve had tears. We’ve gone through the ups and downs.”
For UNC, the focus now shifts to redemption after falling 3-2 in double overtime to UCLA in the 2022 championship game. North Carolina will face fellow No. 2 seed Wake Forest on Sunday in pursuit of its 23rd NCAA title.
“It’s surreal,” Faasse, who was a freshman in 2022, said. “I think it’s an unbelievable moment for us to be back in a position like this. You don’t get that very often… I don’t think we could be more excited to be on a platform like this. You work every day to be in an opportunity like this.”
This story was originally published December 6, 2024 at 10:05 PM.