Brianna Pinto

Julia Ashley, Brianna Pinto, Rachael Dorwart

Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati

Position:
Midfielder
Height:
5-5
Class:
Sophomore
Hometown:
Durham, N.C.
High School:
Charles E. Jordan

Dorrance on Brianna: “Pinto will be one of the top players in the collegiate game despite the fact she will only be a sophomore. What she brings us is a remarkable athletic platform where you can combine everything like her speed element, her quickness element and her agility element. All of these factors put her in the top one percent of all the collegiate players in the country. She has a fabulous skill set. She’s great in possession. She’s a complete player with the ability to attack. She is outstanding at defending and playmaking. She and Taylor Otto will be a part of the best midfield pairing in the country.”

Junior Year (2020): No. 3 Overall pick in the NWSL Draft (Sky Blue FC) • First-team All-ACC selection for third-straight year • Started all 12 games of the 2020 season • played a total of 782 minutes • scored six goals in 12 games • ranked fourth nationally and second in the ACC for game winning goals, with three on the season • attempted 32 shots, including 19 shots on goal to accumulate a shots on goal percentage of 0.594 • scored against Wake Forest, Virginia Tech, Boston College, Notre Dame, Virginia Tech, and in the ACC Championship against Florida State.

Sophomore Year (2019): First-team All-ACC selection for second-straight year • Hermann Trophy semifinalist • one of five finalists for 2019 U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year Award • Attended U.S. Women’s National Team training camp scheduled for December 9-14 • preseason All-ACC selection as well • participates in the Richard A. Baddour Carolina Leadership Academy as part of the Accelerate Program and also as a part of the Cultivate Program • two-year starter in the midfield for Carolina • started all 27 games for Carolina, playing 1,801 minutes, the fourth highest total on team and the most minutes of any non-defender • had 11 goals and six assists for 28 points • lead UNC in points this season • ranks second on the team in goals scored with 11, just one behind Alessia Russo’s 12 goals • tied for fourth on the squad in assists with six • played 68 minutes against Indiana and 67 minutes versus Duke • scored a pair of goals in 3-0 win over Hoosiers • tallied in the 18th minute to put the Heels up 2-0 • followed that up with a world class goal from the top of the box in the 81st minute of play • was named the offensive Most Valuable Player of the Husky Invitational the following weekend • assisted on two goals in 3-2 come-from-behind win over Washington • had assist on game-tying goal at 36:29 and then assisted on game-winner at 70:24 • played all 90 minutes against the Huskies • started and played 68 minutes in win over Portland • scored her third goal of the season at 50:38 in 4-0 win over the Pilots • started both games in Duke Nike Classic • played all 90 minutes against LSU and scored game-winning goal at 70:20 of the match in a 1-0 victory • started against UNLV, scoring goals in the 10th and 23rd minutes • was named to Top Drawer Soccer National Team of the Week for her play in the Duke Nike Classic • assisted on Alessia Russo’s game-winning goal at Louisville •, scored what was easily the season’s most creative goal, a back heel flick at 60:59 of 3-0 win over Notre Dame • also scored the game-tying goal at 48:05 of the match in a 3-1 come-from-behind win at Pittsburgh • scored on a breakaway to provide separation in Carolina’s 2-0 victory over fifth-ranked Florida State • tallied the game-winning goal in the 84th minute of 3-2 win at Miami • assisted on Alessia Russo’s game-winning goal in the NCAA second round • had an assist on a goal by Isabel Cox in NCAA third round win over Michigan • notched her 11th goal of the season in NCAA quarterfinals, scoring in 59th minute on a header to give UNC a 2-1 lead in an eventual 3-2 triumph.

Freshman Year (2018): One of the best freshmen in the country • rewarded with membership on Top Drawer Soccer postseason Freshman Best XI Team • named first-team All-ACC and also was a member of All-Tournament Team at ACC Tournament • also tapped for freshman All-ACC Team • named United Soccer Coaches second-team All-Atlantic Region squad • chosen for 2018 All-ACC Academic Team in women’s soccer • qualified for the 2018-19 ACC Academic Honor Roll • ranked as the #3 freshman in the country by Top Drawer Soccer on its 2018 Top 100 list of newcomers • joined team for Ohio State game after playing for U.S. team at U20 World Cup in France in August • one of four Tar Heels called into U.S. U20 National Team training camp in December 2018 • in the strength and conditioning area she won the team’s top newcomer award • played 61 minutes versus Ohio State and scored the game-winning goal on a direct free kick in the 37th minute • started at forward in four games before moving to a starting role in midfield on West Coast trip against Santa Clara and Stanford • assisted on game-tying goal in 53rd minute against Texas by Taylor Otto • notched the game-tying goal in the 78th minute against Stanford • played 1,904 minutes in 26 games, including a season high 101 minutes against UCLA in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals • one of just 10 Tar Heels to play more than 1,000 minutes during the season • sixth on team in minutes played • was second on team in points with 20 • shared team lead in goals scored with six • ranked second on team in assists with eight • notched her third goal of the season in 3-0 win over Pitt • was spectacular in game at Syracuse, earning five points • she assisted on the first two goals, one on a free kick and one on a corner kick, scored a goal in the 69th minute to give UNC a three-goal lead and then assisted on another tally later in the second half • recorded a pair of assists in NCAA first round win over Howard • opened the scoring in the 12th minute in 4-1 win over Kansas in the NCAA second round and then added an assist against the Jayhawks on a goal by Rachael Dorwart in the 44th minute • against Virginia Tech in the NCAA Tournament third round, she scored an insurance goal in the 49th minute and assisted on a goal which provided further separation by Dorian Bailey in the 56th minute.

High School: Graduated in 2018 from Charles E. Jordan High School in Durham, N.C. • played one year of high school soccer before concentrating on her club and national team commitments • tapped as 2015 North Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year • National Soccer Coaches Association of America All-America selection • Pac 6 Player of the Year as well as All-Conference, All-Region and All-State honoree • scored 24 goals and had eight assists in only season of high school soccer • four-year honor roll student at Jordan • Fellowship of Christian Athletes member • earned membership in National Honor Society and National Society of High School Scholar Members.

Club/National Team: Played with CASL ECNL as midfielder and forward from 2014-17 • competed for NTH Tophat Development Academy as midfielder and forward in 2018 • trained with U14, U17, U19, U20, U23 and Senior Women’s National Teams • was the youngest player in the modern era to make a tournament roster for the senior women’s national team at the She Believes Cup in March 2017 • 2016 U17 WNT CONCACAF Women’s World Cup qualifying member where she was named to tournament Best XI Team at St. George’s, Grenada • member of 2016 U17 WNT Women’s World Cup roster for tournament in Amman, Jordan • 2018 U20 CONCACAF Women’s World Cup qualifying member for tournament in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago • member of U.S. Team competing in FIFA U20 World Cup in August 2018 in France • served as U.S. Soccer youth representative in Moscow, Russia for the 2026 FIFA World Cup United bid • featured in Sports Illustrated Faces in the Crowd in July 2015 • also featured in May 2018 issue of Sports Illustrated for Kids as a women’s soccer honoree.

Personal: Full name is Brianna Alexis Smalls Pinto • the daughter of Hassan and Meleata Pinto • stands 5-5 tall • has two siblings, Hassan, 22, and Malik, 17 • has not yet declared a major • was born in May 2000 in New Haven, Conn. • her father Hassan played soccer at Carolina and also played for U.S. U18 MNT • he owns Duke-Carolina: The Blue Blood rivalry brand • her mother Meleata played softball at Carolina, earned an MBA at Duke and is an Emmy Award winning producer at ESPN • brother Hassan graduated from Elon, starting at right back for soccer team • brother Malik graduated from Jordan High School in 2019 and played as a midfielder for NC Fusion Development Academy.