North Carolina field hockey enters 2026 with the same expectation that has followed the program for years: play fast, attack with purpose and stack up trophies.
The Tar Heels open their 53rd season with 14 returnees and eight newcomers - seven freshmen and one transfer - as they go after a 10th straight ACC Tournament title, a 29th overall, and a 12th national championship. Carolina also has to replace 67% of its scoring from 2025, so there will be fresh faces asked to make an impact right away.
Two newly elected captains will help steady things. Charly Bruder and Grace Pottebaum bring veteran presence to a roster that returns six regular starters from last season.
Bruder is the centerpiece of the group. One of the sport’s most prolific scorers, she’s back for her fourth season in Carolina blue after producing at least 15 goals in each of her first three years.
Her 27-goal season in 2024 led the nation and ranked fourth all-time in a single season by a Tar Heel, tied with Erin Matson’s junior and senior years. Bruder also owns three All-ACC and three All-South Region selections, plus 2024 ACC Tournament MVP honors after scoring five times in three games.
She enters 2026 already in the program’s top 10 in goals and is close to cracking the top 10 in points, too.
Matson, of course, remains the program’s biggest name. Now in her fourth season as head coach, she spent five years as the on-field leader before taking over the sideline.
As a player, she won four national championships, three Honda Awards and five ACC titles. She is still the all-time scoring leader in ACC and NCAA Tournament history, and she led the NCAA in goals per game in each of her final four seasons as a player.
Matson is also the only player in any sport to win ACC Player of the Year five times, and she holds Carolina career records for goals, assists and points. After winning the national title in her first season, she became the youngest head coach in the ACC in any sport to win one, and she was named the 2024 ACC Coach of the Year.
The Tar Heels begin with a familiar pair of opponents in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge. They face No.
14 Michigan on Friday, August 28 at 3:30 PM ET, then No. 11 Iowa on Sunday, August 30 at 11 AM ET.
Carolina has opened against the Wolverines and Hawkeyes every year since 2002 except for two seasons, and it has gone 37-7 in those games combined.
The season schedule is short and sharp, with 17 regular-season games before postseason play starts in November. Carolina will host the 2026 ACC Tournament in Chapel Hill.
Another early fixture is the Conference Crossover weekend against Penn and Princeton, a pairing UNC has seen in the second weekend of the season in 10 of the last 11 years. The Tar Heels have won 18 straight in that stretch.
Carolina’s schedule is loaded with quality. Nine of the preseason NFHCA top 20 are on the slate, including four home games.
The preseason respect is there again, too. UNC was picked by ACC coaches as the league favorite for 2026, collecting four first-place votes. It’s the 13th time in the last 14 years the Tar Heels have earned that nod.
Bruder was the only Tar Heel named to the Preseason All-ACC team, which is the fewest preseason honorees Carolina has had since the awards began in 2008.
In Other News...
UNC Just Got A Huge Break In One Key TCU Matchup
North Carolinas season opener in Ireland just got a little easier to game-plan for, as TCU will be without its leading returning receiver, Jordan Dwyer, when the two teams meet to open 2026. Dwyer traveled with the Horned Frogs, but a foot injury has ruled him out of the matchup, removing one of TCUs most established pass-catching options before the first snap.
The Tar Heels are still preparing for a Power Four test in a game with plenty of early-season intrigue, but losing Dwyer changes the complexion of a key part of the matchup. TCU will also be missing defensive lineman Zach Chapman because of injury, leaving both sides to adjust before a game that already carried a bit of added attention on an international stage. [Read more 🡒]
North Carolina Just Caught A Break In Its Week 0 Opener
TCUs preparations for its Week 0 meeting with North Carolina in Dublin took a hit with the news that leading returning receiver Jordan Dwyer will be unavailable because of a foot injury. Dwyer still traveled with the team, but he will be inactive for the game, removing one of the Horned Frogs most established options from an opener that already carries plenty of uncertainty.
For North Carolina, it is at least a small early break in a matchup that will still ask plenty of its defense. Jaden Craig is set for his first FBS start without Dwyer available, which puts more of the burden on the rest of TCUs receiving group to settle in quickly, including Ed Small and Jeremy Scott, as the Horned Frogs try to sort out their offense on an overseas stage. [Read more 🡒]
UNC Just Made A Staff Move That Says Plenty About Its Momentum
Noah Goldmans rise at North Carolina picked up another step this week, with head coach Andrew DiBitetto promoting him to associate head coach of the Tar Heels mens golf program. Goldman arrived in Chapel Hill in 2023 and has quickly become part of a staff that has helped drive both team success and individual progress, a sign that the programs recent momentum is showing up not just in results, but in the way it is building for the future.
Goldman brings a strong background to the role, including previous coaching stops at Oregon State and a collegiate playing career at Mississippi State. For UNC, the move underscores continuity and confidence in what has been working, with Goldman already tied to multiple team titles and player breakthroughs during his time with the program. [Read more 🡒]