Women’s Soccer Welcomes SMU Thursday Night - University of North Carolina Athletics

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – In its final home game of the regular season, No. 2 Carolina women's soccer will host SMU Thursday night. The Tar Heels and Mustangs are set for a 7 p.m. kickoff from Dorrance Field at Play2Dream Legacy Stadium with streaming on ACCNX.

UNC and SMU are prepped for their 12^th meeting in program history. The Tar Heels last welcomed the Mustangs to Chapel Hill in 1993 during the NCAA Tournament where they picked up a 4-1 win. Carolina boasts an 8-1 home record this season, including a pair of top 10 wins. SMU enters the matchup with a 1-4 record on the road.

The Tar Heels are coming off a well-rounded performance in their win over No. 7 Stanford. Defensively, Peyton Trayer notched seven saves in goal to keep the Cardinal scoreless while Izzi Stratton led the backline and assisted on the game-winning goal. Yet again, Bella Devey led the Carolina offense with her 16th goal of the season, becoming the outright scoring leader in the ACC.

Tar Heel Tidbits

Carolina sits first in the ACC standings with a 6-1 record and 18 points in league action. The Tar Heels also lead the ACC with 46 total goals and a 3.07 goals per game average.
The Tar Heels recently picked up their sixth ACC win of the season over No. 7 Stanford, 1-0.
Carolina ranked No. 2 in the recent United Soccer Coaches Poll.
The Tar Heels have outscored their opponents 46-11 this season.
UNC holds an 8-1 record at home with six wins coming in shutouts. The Tar Heels have outscored their opponents 36-6 on Dorrance Field.
Summer Denigan and Bella Devey were named to the MAC Hermann Mid-Season Watch List.
Bella Devey leads the team with 16 total goals. She has earned ACC Offensive Player of the Week honors three times this season and ranks first in the ACC in total goals. In the NCAA, she ranks second for total goals. She was also named to the Preseason All-ACC Team.
Cali O'Neill earned her first career weekly award Oct. 6 after being tabbed ACC Defensive Player of the Week.
Lilliah Blum recorded her first career brace in the match against Duke. She now has five goals this season. Blum was tabbed ACC Offensive Player of the Week and TopDrawerSoccer Team of the Week on Sept. 22.
Lilliah Blum and Amari Manning lead the Tar Heels with five assists each.
Peyton Trayer leads Carolina in goal with 10 wins and 21 saves. She has notched four clean sheets this season. Trayer was tabbed ACC Freshman and Goalkeeper of the Week Oct. 27.
Izzi Stratton was named ACC Co-Defensive Player of the Week Oct. 27.
Four Tar Heels were featured in the Midseason TopDrawerSoccer Top 100 Rankings (Bella Devey – No. 2, Lilliah Blum – No. 19, Summer Denigan – No. 29, Ashley Pennie – No. 32).
Three Tar Heels were featured in the Midseason TopDrawerSoccer Top 100 Freshmen Rankings (Cali O'Neill – No. 1, Amari Manning – No. 22, Scottie Antonucci – No. 42)
Three Tar Heels were named to the Preseason TopDrawerSoccer Best XI Teams (Summer Denigan - First Team, Izzi Stratton - Third Team, Cali O'Neill - Freshman Team).
The Tar Heels were selected fifth in the ACC Preseason Poll.
Aven Alvarez, Hope Munson, and Sealey Strawn were named to the U-20 WNT roster for the 2026 U-20 FIFA Women's World Cup. The trio of Heels helped the national team advance to the round of 16 at the World Cup.
Amari Manning and Deus Stanislaus were called up for the U-17 WNT roster for the U-17 FIFA World Cup in Morocco Oct. 17-Nov. 7.

Stay up to date with UNC women's soccer by following the Tar Heels on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

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Players Mentioned

Aven Alvarez

Scottie Antonucci

Lilliah Blum

Summer Denigan

Bella Devey

Amari Manning

Hope Munson

Cali O'Neill

Ashley Pennie

Deus Stanislaus

Izzi Stratton

Sealey Strawn

Peyton Trayer

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University of North Carolina Athletics