University of North Carolina Athletics
Thursday, September 10
Chapel Hill, N.C.
7 p.m.
North Carolina
vs
Cal
Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati
Women’s Soccer To Begin ACC Play Thursday Night
September 8, 2026 | Women's Soccer
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – After two weeks on the road, no. 7 Carolina women's soccer makes its return to Dorrance Field at Play2Dream Legacy Stadium Thursday night. The Tar Heels are set to begin ACC play as they host Cal this week. The Tar Heels and Bears will kick off at 7 p.m. ET with streaming available through ACCNX.
UNC welcomes Cal to Chapel Hill for their 13th meeting in program history. The Tar Heels own an 11-0-1 all-time record against the Bears including a 4-0 record at home. Across their previous matches, Carolina has tallied six shutouts while outscoring Cal 33-8.
Thursday's matchup marks the ACC opener for both teams this season. The Tar Heels were picked to finish fifth in the ACC Preseason Poll while the Bears were selected 10th.
As Carolina heads into ACC action, the team will continue to look towards Summer Denigan and Bella Devey as offensive leaders. The duo has recorded six goals each so far this season while Denigan recently extended her scoring streak to five consecutive matches.
Tar Heel Tidbits
UNC welcomes Cal to Chapel Hill for their 13th meeting in program history. The Tar Heels own an 11-0-1 all-time record against the Bears including a 4-0 record at home. Across their previous matches, Carolina has tallied six shutouts while outscoring Cal 33-8.
Thursday's matchup marks the ACC opener for both teams this season. The Tar Heels were picked to finish fifth in the ACC Preseason Poll while the Bears were selected 10th.
As Carolina heads into ACC action, the team will continue to look towards Summer Denigan and Bella Devey as offensive leaders. The duo has recorded six goals each so far this season while Denigan recently extended her scoring streak to five consecutive matches.
Tar Heel Tidbits
- Carolina improves to 5-1 on the season with a record of 3-0 on the road.
- Summer Denigan has now scored in five consecutive matches, including three goals from PK's.
- Carolina ranked no. 7 in the recent United Soccer Coaches Poll.
- Bella Devey was tabbed ACC Player of the Week after leading the nation in scoring with five goals and 10 points during week one of the season. The honor marks the first ACC weekly award of her career. She was also named to the Preseason All-ACC Team.
- Hope Munson and Summer Denigan have each recorded a brace this season. Denigan also leads the team with three assists and 15 points.
- Five Tar Heels were featured in the Preseason TopDrawerSoccer Top 100 Rankings (Summer Denigan - no.4, Izzi Stratton - no. 24, Bella Gaetino - no. 35, Bella Devey - no. 68, Hope Munson - no. 77).
- 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).
- Both Summer Denigan and Izzi Stratton were named to the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List.
- 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 upcoming 2026 U-20 FIFA Women's World Cup. The trio of Heels will compete with the national team Sept. 5-27 in Poland.
Players Mentioned
Defender
/ Women's Soccer
Midfielder
/ Women's Soccer
Midfielder/Forward
/ Women's Soccer
Defender
/ Women's Soccer
Defender
/ Women's Soccer
Defender
/ Women's Soccer
Defender
/ Women's Soccer
Forward
/ Women's SoccerTuesday, September 08
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