The Tar Heels are back on top.

A 62nd-minute free-kick goal from Olivia Thomas was all Carolina needed to gut out a 1-0 win against Wake Forest in the national championship match in Cary on Monday night. It’s UNC’s 23rd national title and first since 2012.

“What an amazing group of women that I’ve been fortunate to coach over the course of this year,” said head coach Damon Nahas, whose interim tag was removed Monday morning by athletic director Bubba Cunningham. “A lot of people say their team deserves it. This is a special group.”

Wake Forest controlled much of the possession throughout a tense first half. The Demon Deacons sent three shots toward the Carolina net in a span of six minutes early in the half, but Tar Heel keeper Clare Gagne was up to the task each time. The half ended with Wake Forest holding a 5-1 edge in shots.

“I told them, ‘We won that first half,'” Nahas said. “What I mean by that is, Wake Forest dominated us. We won being 0-0… that, to me, was the biggest message.”

UNC controlled more possession in the second half and found its best chance of the night when the Demon Deacons were assessed a yellow card just outside their own 18-yard box. Thomas stepped in to take the free kick and blasted it into the Wake Forest net for the night’s only goal. It turned out to be Carolina’s final shot on goal of the evening.

“I don’t know how to put it into words, honestly,” Thomas said. “In the moment, I blacked out.”

Despite Wake Forest pressing ferociously for the remaining 28 minutes, the Tar Heel defense did not allow another shot on goal. The Demon Deacons only accounted for two total shots in the second half, while Carolina had five. The 1-0 win is UNC’s fifth shutout in six matches in the NCAA Tournament. Overall, the Tar Heels allowed just one total goal during their tournament run.

Gagne was named the College’s Cup’s Defensive Most Outstanding Player, while Thomas took home Offensive Most Outstanding Player honors.

The championship win breaks a run of three straight losses in national title matches for the Tar Heels since their last title in 2012. Carolina came up short in 2018, 2019 and 2022. Monday’s victory was also the second win for Carolina against the Demon Deacons this season. UNC beat Wake Forest 1-0 on September 12 in Chapel Hill.

The 2024 title is the first won by the program without head coach Anson Dorrance, who retired just days before the season started. Though Dorrance was not in attendance for Monday’s game, Nahas said he found a way to get his old mentor involved.

“I FaceTimed Anson as soon as the game [ended],” Nahas said. “This is a gift for him. They love him and he’s around us all the time, and he deserved to be a part of this with us.”

UNC finishes the season 22-5 overall. Nahas is the 15th different head coach to win a national championship with the Tar Heels, and the title is the school’s 51st overall in any sport.

 

Featured image via NCAA Soccer on Twitter

Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.

Related Stories
‹
UNC Soccer: Women Win at Arizona State, Men Draw at Cal
Both the UNC men’s and women’s soccer teams were playing out west Sunday. The women used a penalty kick goal to beat Arizona State 1-0 in Tempe, while the men battled to a 2-2 draw against Cal in Berkeley. On the women’s side, the Tar Heels and Sun Devils combined for just seven total shots […]
UNC Women's Soccer Beats Arizona in First Game of Western Trip
A pair of second half goals from Summer Denigan and Bella Devey helped UNC beat Arizona 2-1 in Tucson Thursday night. Found a way 👏#GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/iLokMXQPye — UNC Women's Soccer (@uncwomenssoccer) September 4, 2026 The two teams went into halftime tied at 0-0 despite UNC controlling most of the chances. The Tar Heels […]
UNC Women's Soccer Beats Irish Professional Side in Dublin Exhibition
The UNC women’s soccer team got the Tar Heels’ visit to Dublin, Ireland off on the right foot. Carolina defeated Irish professional side Shelbourne F.C. 3-0 in an exhibition match at Tolka Park Friday. The match was played in conjunction with the football team’s game against TCU in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic […]
UNC Women's Soccer Suffers First Loss of 2026 vs. No. 5 Michigan State
Despite outshooting No. 5 Michigan State 21-7, UNC fell to the Spartans 3-2 Sunday at Dorrance Field. It’s Carolina’s first loss of the 2026 season. The Spartans took the lead midway through the first half on a goal by Kennedy Bell, but UNC’s Summer Denigan answered less than three minutes later to tie the score […]
UNC Soccer: Women Beat Arkansas, Men Draw at No. 5 Georgetown
Both UNC soccer teams earned quality results on the road Thursday night, as the men drew at No. 5 Georgetown and the women won 2-0 at Arkansas. On the men’s side, the Tar Heels took an early advantage in the season opener after Rutgers transfer Joschi Schelb headed in a cross from Luca Nikolai for […]
UNC Women's Soccer Scores Most Goals Since 2019 in Win vs. Quinnipiac
UNC’s Bella Devey recorded a hat trick in less than 15 minutes to help the Tar Heels on their way to an 8-0 win against Quinnipiac at Dorrance Field Sunday. The eight goals are Carolina’s most in a single match since 2019. Heels are 𝙧𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 👏#GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/hHYDCWkCjK — UNC Women's Soccer (@uncwomenssoccer) August […]
UNC Women's Soccer Beats Fairfield in 2026 Season Opener
Sophomore defender Hope Munson bagged the first two goals of her collegiate career in the first half as UNC defeated Fairfield 4-0 at Dorrance Field in the 2026 season opener Thursday night. Game 𝙒𝙊𝙉 😏#GoHeels x @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/VWOUvguLeH — UNC Women's Soccer (@uncwomenssoccer) August 14, 2026 Munson collected her brace in just over a half […]
UNC Women's Soccer Picked 5th in ACC; Bella Devey Named Preseason All-ACC
UNC has been picked to finish fifth in the ACC’s preseason women’s soccer poll, which was released Monday. The Tar Heels were one of five teams to receive at least one first-place vote. Notre Dame sits in first place in the poll with seven of 17 first-place votes, while No. 2 Stanford, No. 3 Duke […]
UNC Women's Soccer Releases 2026 Regular Season Schedule
The UNC women’s soccer program released its schedule for the 2026 regular season Monday, which includes matches across seven states and two countries. Mark your calendars, the 2026 schedule is here 👏 Ticket information coming soon!#GoHeels pic.twitter.com/D0FR4zWhkb — UNC Women's Soccer (@uncwomenssoccer) July 20, 2026 UNC begins with a preseason exhibition against South Carolina at […]
UNC Soccer and Lacrosse Venue Christened Dorrance Field at Play2Dream Legacy Stadium
Dorrance Field, the home venue for the UNC soccer and lacrosse programs, has expanded its name to Dorrance Field at Play2Dream Legacy Stadium. The expanded name comes in recognition of a gift from Kathleen Welsh and Gary Loveman, parents of two former UNC women’s soccer players. UNC describes Play2Dream as “a private family foundation” founded […]
›