No. 9 Carolina women’s soccer is back on the road Thursday night, and the Tar Heels will step into a rare matchup when they face Arizona in Tucson.
Kickoff is set for 10 p.m. ET, with the game available on ESPN+.
UNC arrives in Arizona looking to settle back into the regular season after a week overseas in Ireland. The Tar Heels wrapped that trip with a 3-0 victory over Shelbourne FC, then turned the page to the next stop on the schedule.
Thursday’s game will be only the second meeting between Carolina and Arizona in program history. The teams last played in 2024 in Chapel Hill, where the Tar Heels earned a 2-0 win. This time, UNC will be making its first appearance in Tucson.
Carolina enters the matchup at 3-1 and has been piling up goals early, outscoring opponents 16-3. Summer Denigan has scored in three straight matches, and she continues to be one of the focal points of the attack with a team-high 11 points and three assists. Hope Munson and Denigan have both logged braces this season.
Bella Devey’s fast start also stands out. She was named ACC Player of the Week after putting up five goals and 10 points in week one, which led the nation in scoring. It was the first ACC weekly honor of her career, and she also earned a spot on the Preseason All-ACC Team.
The Tar Heels come into the week ranked No. 9 in the United Soccer Coaches Poll and were picked fifth in the ACC preseason poll. Their roster has also drawn plenty of preseason recognition, with five players landing in the TopDrawerSoccer Top 100: Summer Denigan at No.
4, Izzi Stratton at No. 24, Bella Gaetino at No.
35, Bella Devey at No. 68 and Hope Munson at No. 77.
Three Tar Heels were selected for TopDrawerSoccer’s Best XI teams as well, with Denigan on the First Team, Stratton on the Third Team and Cali O’Neill on the Freshman Team. Denigan and Stratton were also placed on the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List.
UNC’s depth is showing beyond the college season, too. Aven Alvarez, , and Sealey Strawn were named to the U-20 WNT roster for the upcoming 2026 U-20 FIFA Women’s World Cup, with the trio set to compete with the national team from Sept. 5-27 in Poland.
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