University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Women's Soccer

After leading the Tar Heels to their 23rd national championship, Damon Nahas was officially named head coach of the University of North Carolina women’s soccer team in December 2024. He is the second head coach in program history, succeeding the legendary Anson Dorrance. Nahas spent the entirety of the 2024 season as interim head coach following Dorrance’s retirement on August 11. He has been part of the Tar Heels’ coaching staff since 2015, first serving as an assistant coach before being elevated to associate head coach in 2021. "Damon Nahas has been an integral part of Carolina Soccer for nearly a decade, and the way he has led, mentored, taught and inspired this year's team as its head coach has been outstanding,'' said UNC Director of Athletics Bubba Cunningham. "He is committed to developing players who win as both students and athletes and give back to the community, and he is dedicated to continuing the championship legacy of so many incredible soccer icons who have played at Carolina." During his interim head coach season in 2024, Nahas guided the Tar Heels to their 23rd national title and first since 2012. He became the second coach in NCAA women's soccer history to win a national championship in their first year as head coach, joining UCLA's Margueritte Aozasa from 2022. Along with Erin Matson (field hockey, 2023), Carlos Somoano (men's soccer, 2011) and Dave Klarmann (men's lacrosse, 1991), Nahas is the fourth UNC head coach to win a national championship in their

The 2024 season will mark Anson Dorrance’s 48th year as a head coach at UNC, including 46 seasons as the women’s head coach – the only head coach in program history. A 1974 Carolina graduate, Dorrance has won a combined 1,106 games at his alma mater while coaching the men and women. Heading into the 2024 season, he owns a career record of 1,106-152-74, including a 934-88-53 mark as the women's head coach. His 934 victories as head coach of the UNC women’s program are the most in the sport’s history. He won his 1,000th game as a collegiate head coach, including 172 wins as UNC’s men’s head coach from 1977-88, when the Tar Heels defeated Ohio State on August 18, 2018. It was his 828th victory as the UNC women’s coach. Dorrance captured his 900th win as Carolina’s women’s coach against Notre Dame in the 2021 home finale on Oct. 24. Dorrance was presented with the prestigious Werner Fricker Builder Award in 2016 from United States Soccer, given to an individual who has dedicated at least 20 years of service to the sport, working to establish a lasting legacy in the history and structure of soccer in the United States. He was inducted in the National Soccer Hall of Fame in August 2008 on the “Builders of the Game” ballot, being inducted in his first year of eligibility. In 2012, Dorrance led Carolina to its 20th NCAA Championship, making him the first coach in NCAA history to win 20 NCAA championships in a single sport. He is the all-time leader in Division I NCAA championships in

Brandi Schwane joined the UNC staff as an athletic trainer in the fall of 2018. Her primary clinical responsibility at UNC is with the women’s soccer program...

The upcoming 2026 season marks Chris Ducar’s 30th season as a member of the University of North Carolina women's soccer program. In 2024, Ducar was part of t...

Corey Emerick was named the program’s Assistant Director of Women’s Soccer Operations in the summer of 2017. Previously, he served as a student manager for t...

Elena Cantu joined the UNC women’s soccer staff as a full time Director of Sport Science and Performance coach in the fall of 2025 after two seasons of worki...

A vital component of the University of North Carolina women’s soccer scene since 1992, Tom Sander was named the program’s Director of Women’s Soccer Operatio...

Three-time University of North Carolina women’s soccer national champion Tracey Bates Leone, a pioneer in the sport’s growth in the United States, returned to Chapel Hill as an assistant coach ahead of the 2024 season. She brings with her over three decades of coaching and playing experience at the collegiate and international level. “We are thrilled to welcome Tracey back to Chapel Hill as an assistant coach,” said head coach Anson Dorrance. “She has a proven track record of building winning programs and leading her teams to new heights. Tracey understands what it takes to be successful on the collegiate and international stage, and her experience will be invaluable for our student-athletes.” A standout midfielder under Dorrance in the late 1980s, Leone – then known as Tracey Bates – led the Tar Heels to three national championships (1986, 1987, 1989) and one runner-up finish (1985). She scored the game-winning goal against Colorado College in 1986. She was named the 1989 NCAA College Cup Defensive MVP and was twice tabbed to the All-NCAA College Cup Team. Leone graduated as a three-time All-America selection, All-ACC honoree and served as team captain during her senior year. In 2002, she was selected to the Atlantic Coast Conference 50th Anniversary Team as one of the best players in league history. “I would like to thank Bubba Cunningham and Anson Dorrance for providing me this amazing opportunity,” said Leone. “It is so rare and special to have the chance to coach at your