No. 2 North Carolina closes out its regular-season home slate Thursday night with SMU coming to Chapel Hill for a 7 p.m. kickoff at Dorrance Field at Play2Dream Legacy Stadium. The matchup will stream on ACCNX, and it marks the 12th all-time meeting between the Tar Heels and the Mustangs.
Carolina has turned Dorrance Field into a tough stop this fall. The Tar Heels are 8-1 at home, with six of those wins coming by shutout, and they’ve outscored opponents 36-6 on their own pitch. SMU arrives with a 1-4 road record.
UNC is also riding the momentum of a polished 1-0 win over No. 7 Stanford.
In that game, Peyton Trayer made seven saves and kept the Cardinal off the board, while Izzi Stratton anchored the back line and picked up the assist on the winning goal. Bella Devey supplied the finish, scoring her 16th goal of the season and moving into first place alone in the ACC in scoring.
The Tar Heels enter the week sitting atop the ACC standings at 6-1 with 18 points in league play. They lead the conference with 46 goals and a 3.07 goals-per-game average, and they’ve outscored opponents 46-11 overall.
Devey has been at the center of that offensive surge all season. She has earned ACC Offensive Player of the Week honors three times, was named to the Preseason All-ACC Team, and ranks second in the NCAA in total goals. Summer Denigan joined her on the MAC Hermann Mid-Season Watch List.
Carolina’s balanced attack has also gotten production from Lilliah Blum, who scored her first career brace against Duke and now has five goals this season. Blum was named ACC Offensive Player of the Week and TopDrawerSoccer Team of the Week on Sept.
- She and Amari Manning lead the team with five assists apiece.
In goal, Trayer has posted 10 wins and 21 saves while adding four clean sheets. She was named ACC Freshman and Goalkeeper of the Week on Oct.
- Cali O'Neill picked up her first career weekly honor on Oct. 6 after being named ACC Defensive Player of the Week, and Stratton earned ACC Co-Defensive Player of the Week on Oct.
UNC’s presence in the national rankings has remained strong as well. The Tar Heels are No. 2 in the latest United Soccer Coaches Poll, and four players appeared in the Midseason TopDrawerSoccer Top 100 Rankings: Devey at No.
2, Blum at No. 19, Denigan at No. 29 and Ashley Pennie at No.
- Three freshmen made that outlet’s Midseason Top 100 Freshmen list, with O'Neill at No.
1, Manning at No. 22 and Scottie Antonucci at No. 42.
The preseason recognition ran deep, too. Denigan, Stratton and O'Neill were named to TopDrawerSoccer’s preseason Best XI teams, with Denigan on the first team, Stratton on the third team and O'Neill on the freshman team. Carolina was picked fifth in the ACC preseason poll.
The Tar Heels also had a trio of players on the U-20 WNT roster for the 2026 U-20 FIFA Women's World Cup: Aven Alvarez, Hope Munson and Sealey Strawn. The three helped the national team reach the round of 16.
In Other News...
UNC Freshman Nyqir Helton May Be Forcing His Way Onto The Field
Nyqir Heltons first career start for North Carolina came against Syracuse, and it was earned the old-fashioned way. The true freshman wide receiver got the nod because of what he had shown in practice, not because of an opening created by someone else, a sign that the Tar Heels are beginning to trust him as more than just a long-term project.
Helton has been building toward this moment through steady work in practice, scout team reps and the programs developmental Sunday Night Football sessions, and the payoff was a career-high 67 snaps. For a young receiver trying to carve out a role, that kind of usage says plenty about where he stands right now, even if his path to a permanent spot is still unfolding. [Read more 🡒]
UNC Heads Into No. 1 Miami With A Pressure Point Fans Feel
North Carolina heads into a matchup with No. 1 Miami carrying more than just the usual road-game pressure. The Tar Heels have spent the week trying to steady an offense that has leaned heavily on Drake Edwards Jr., even as his recent struggles have helped fuel losses and put a spotlight on his role moving forward. For a team trying to keep pace in the ACC race, this is the kind of game where every possession feels magnified.
Miami brings the sort of attack that can expose any hesitation, with Darian Mensah directing the offense and Toney giving the Hurricanes another dangerous target on the outside. North Carolinas defense has already shown some cracks against the run and in the secondary, which makes the challenge even steeper as the Tar Heels try to avoid getting stretched on both sides of the ball. However this one unfolds, it has the feel of a game that could sharpen the conversation around where UNC stands right now and where it goes next. [Read more 🡒]
UNC's Frontcourt Problem Is Still Hanging Over The Season Opener
The wait around Cameron Fens has become one of the quiet but persistent storylines hanging over North Carolina as the season opener approaches. The transfer is practicing with the team, but he has not been cleared to play in exhibition games while the NCAA continues to sort through eligibility decisions tied to ongoing lawsuits, leaving the Tar Heels without a clear answer on a player they hoped would matter in the frontcourt.
Coach Michael Malone has already made no secret of his frustration with how long the process has dragged on, and the uncertainty is now bleeding right into the start of the season. Fens still does not have a final ruling in hand, which leaves his status for opening night unresolved and keeps a potentially important piece of the rotation in limbo for a team trying to get its footing. [Read more 🡒]