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 and No. 4 Florida State each received three. UNC received one first-place vote.

In addition to the preseason poll, the ACC also announced its preseason all-conference team. Sophomore forward Bella Devey represents the Tar Heels on the team after finishing her freshman season with five goals (including three match winners) and four assists. She started all 21 of the team’s matches in 2025, one of just four Tar Heels and the only freshman to do so.

Notably, UNC will play all four teams picked above it in the ACC this season. Carolina will host Notre Dame (Oct. 2), Stanford (Oct. 23) and Duke (Sep. 17), and the Tar Heels will visit the defending national champion Seminoles in Tallahassee Oct. 9. Additionally, UNC will play at No. 6 Virginia (Sep. 25), No. 7 Wake Forest (Oct. 18), No. 8 Clemson (Oct. 15) and No. 9 Louisville (Nov. 5). You can view Carolina’s full schedule here.

In addition to the ACC news, UNC was also ranked No. 8 in the preseason United Soccer Coaches Poll. The top four of No. 1 Stanford, No. 2 Notre Dame, No. 3 Duke and No. 4 Florida State are all ACC schools. No. 5 Vanderbilt, No. 6 TCU and No. 7 Michigan State also feature above Carolina. You can view the full preseason poll here.

The 2026 season is the program’s third under the leadership of head coach Damon Nahas. Nahas helped lead the Tar Heels to the 2024 national title while still in an interim role. In 2025, Carolina finished 13-6-2 and reached the third round of the NCAA Tournament before falling to TCU in a penalty shootout.

The Tar Heels will host a preseason exhibition against South Carolina at Dorrance Field Wednesday at 6 p.m. and will open the regular season at home against Fairfield Wednesday, August 12 at 7 p.m.

 

Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications

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