More than one UNC football team will be making the journey to Ireland this August. The UNC women’s soccer team will play an exhibition match against Shelbourne FC Friday, August 28 in Dublin, the day before the Tar Heel football team faces TCU in the 2026 Aer Lingus College Football Classic.

“We’re incredibly excited for the opportunity to take our program to Ireland this fall,” head coach Damon Nahas said in a statement. “It presents a special opportunity for our team and university to have this experience alongside the football program… we’re grateful for the opportunity and looking forward to what’s to come for UNC football and women’s soccer in Ireland.”

The women’s soccer team’s match against Shelbourne will kick off at 2 p.m. Eastern time (7 p.m. Ireland time) in Dublin’s Tolka Park. A kickoff time for the football game between the Tar Heels and Horned Frogs the next day at the Aviva Stadium – roughly 2.5 miles away from Tolka Park – has not yet been set.

This will be the first international trip for the UNC women’s soccer program since 2011, when it visited Germany for the FIFA Women’s World Cup and played two exhibition matches against Leipzig and Bayer Leverkusen. Shelbourne F.C. currently competes in the League of Ireland Premier Division and is 3-0-1 to start its season. It has finished as the league’s runner-up in the last three seasons while winning the 2024 Football Association of Ireland (FAI) Women’s Cup and the 2025 FAI Women’s President’s Cup.

In a statement, Shelbourne FC CEO Tomás Quinn said his club is “absolutely delighted” to welcome the Tar Heels to Dublin.

“It’s a great opportunity for our players and our supporters to enjoy a unique fixture showcasing the continued growth of the women’s game here in Ireland,” Quinn said.

There is a connection between the Tar Heels and Shelbourne. Maggie Pierce, who played for the Tar Heels from 2019 through 2022 and appeared in 80 matches, currently plays as a midfielder for Shelbourne. She helped UNC reach the NCAA College Cup in 2019 and 2022.

“Those connections are what make Carolina women’s soccer so special,” said Nahas.

Fans who want to purchase tickets to the women’s soccer game can do so on the Shelbourne F.C. website here. Travel, hotel options and tickets for the football game against TCU the next day are available here.

 

Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications/Jeffrey A. Camarati

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
‹
Former UNC Star Tobin Heath Leaving Manchester United, Returning to NWSL
Following the completion of her one-year contract with Manchester United in England, former UNC star Tobin Heath is returning to the United States to play in the NWSL. Heath made 11 appearances and scored four goals for Manchester United before suffering an ankle injury in training back in mid-January. She injured her knee during her […]
Mia Hamm to be Inducted Into National Women's Hall of Fame
Former UNC women’s soccer and U.S. National Team star Mia Hamm was among nine women selected Monday to be inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame. Hamm is widely considered to be the best female soccer player of all-time, having scored 158 goals for the U.S. National Team from 1987-2004. During that time, she […]
Former UNC Star Cindy Parlow Cone Takes Over as New President of U.S. Soccer Federation
Following the sudden resignation of Carlos Cordeiro, the U.S. Soccer Federation announced Friday that former UNC standout Cindy Parlow Cone will take over as the new president of the organization–the first female to ever be in charge of the organization. Parlow Cone will serve as the president until the 2021 U.S. Soccer Annual General Meeting next […]
Crystal Dunn, Lucy Bronze Each Rated Among Top 10 Performers at 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup
In ratings put together by the FIFA Technical Study Group following this past summer’s FIFA Women’s World Cup, a pair of former Tar Heels were listed among the top 10 performers throughout the event. Crystal Dunn–one of four Americans on the list–joined England’s Lucy Bronze in representing the Tar Heels among the top 10. Although Dunn […]
Lucy Bronze Named to England's 2019 Women's World Cup Roster, 7th Tar Heel Selected for Event
Former UNC standout Lucy Bronze was selected Monday to England’s roster for the upcoming 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, becoming the seventh Tar Heel alumnus to earn a spot in the event. Bronze played at UNC during the 2009 season and helped lead the Tar Heels to a national championship that year. She has been […]
Former Tar Heel Katie Bowen Named to New Zealand Women's World Cup Team
Former UNC standout midfielder Katie Bowen was selected to the 23-player roster for the New Zealand national team for the upcoming 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup in France. This will be Bowen’s second World Cup appearance with the team known as the “Football Ferns.” In three years playing at UNC from 2013-15, Bowen scored one […]
Women's Soccer: UNC Sophomore Emily Fox Added to U.S. National Team Roster
The 26-player roster for the U.S. National Women’s Soccer team was released on Tuesday by head coach Jill Ellis for the squad’s upcoming training camp, which will be held in Portugal. Included among those selected was UNC sophomore defender Emily Fox, who was one of two collegiate players selected to the team. She is also […]
North Carolina Courage Trade for Former UNC, U.S. National Team Star Heather O'Reilly
A legendary former Tar Heel is coming back home. Heather O’Reilly–who starred at UNC and has made 231 appearances for the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team–was traded Thursday from the Utah Royals to the North Carolina Courage. The Courage also gained a 2019 NWSL Draft selection in the deal, while sending Makenzy Doniak and a 2019 […]
Multiple UNC Teams Post Perfect Academic Progress Rates, New Report Says
Several UNC sports programs posted perfect single-year and multi-year academic progress rates for the 2024-25 academic year, according to the NCAA’s latest report. Academic progress rate (APR) is used to track performance of scholarship students who compete on varsity teams, and the score measures eligibility and retention each semester. A perfect score is 1000, and […]
UNC Women's Soccer to Play Exhibition Match August 28 in Ireland
More than one UNC football team will be making the journey to Ireland this August. The UNC women’s soccer team will play an exhibition match against Shelbourne FC Friday, August 28 in Dublin, the day before the Tar Heel football team faces TCU in the 2026 Aer Lingus College Football Classic. Luck of the Heels […]
›