By R.L. Bynum
CHAPEL HILL — The North Carolina women’s soccer team is headed across the Atlantic next week, and the trip carries plenty of challenges and history along with it.
The Tar Heels will travel to Dublin, Ireland, to face Shelbourne FC in an international friendly on Aug. 28 at 2 p.m. ET, a day before the UNC football team takes on TCU in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic. The games will be played in stadiums less than four miles apart, with the soccer match at Tolka Park and the football game at Aviva Stadium.
It will mark the program’s first trip abroad as a team in 15 years. The Tar Heels last ventured overseas in 2011, when they traveled to Germany and played matches against Leipzig and Bayern Leverkusen.
Third-year Carolina coach Damon Nahas said the trip grew out of a broader university initiative through Chancellor Lee Roberts tied to the football team’s game against TCU.
“They were doing a collaboration with the Irish delegation to do something regarding research and development, and they’re going to do something long-term with them,” Nahas said. “They wanted to be able to collaborate with American football, European football, a men’s team, a women’s team, and they presented the opportunity.”
The matchup carries a personal connection for Nahas because he was on the UNC coaching staff when Shelbourne FC midfielder Maggie Pierce (left) helped the Tar Heels reach the Women’s College Cup in 2019 and 2022.
“I coached her for a long, long time, and I’m really excited to see her,” Nahas said.
Pierce, 25, signed with Shelbourne FC in December after a season with the USL’s Carolina Ascent, following an earlier stint with the Reds in 2023 and 2024.
The No. 8 Tar Heels (2–0) will visit No. 10 Arkansas at 7:30 Thursday (ESPNU) and host No. 7 Michigan State at 1 p.m. Sunday before heading to Ireland for the match, which is 13 days before the ACC opener against California.
It’s in significant contrast to UNC’s 2011 games in Germany, which were played in the summer well before the season started.
“Not ideal regarding the timing of the year, but just like anything, they’re sending us over there, and we’re going to make the most of it,” Nahas said.
There will be additional challenges because UNC will lose defender Aven Alvarez and midfielder Hope Munson after the Michigan State game. They will also head across the Atlantic Ocean, but to Poland as part of the United States team at the U-20 Women’s World Cup. The team opens on Sept. 6 against Italy in Łódź, Poland, and the tournament runs through Sept. 27. Also on that team is Houston Dash midfielder Linda Ullmark, a former UNC star.
“It’s really a week of a mini preseason to figure out how we’re going to be without them,” Nahas said. “So, we’re going to take advantage of it, and we’re going to enjoy it, enjoy Ireland. It’s a great place, from what I hear. It’s my first time. I know the girls are excited, so we’re going to make the most of it.”
Shelbourne FC will provide a stiff test in a stadium that seats 6,450. Nahas expects a big atmosphere at Tolka Park.
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“I think Shelbourne will get one of the biggest crowds they’ve ever had in our game,” Nahas said.
The club is second in the League of Ireland Premier Division with a 10–5–1 record after Tuesday’s 1–0 victory over Wexford FC, the Reds’ last before facing Carolina. It has built a resume to match, winning the 2024 FAI Women’s Cup and the 2025 FAI Women’s President’s Cup while finishing as league runner-up in three consecutive seasons.
For a Carolina team still finding its identity early in the season, the Reds are expected to offer experienced, high-level competition ahead of conference play.
Sophomore forward Bella Devey, the ACC Offensive Player of the Week, pointed to the chance to test themselves against unfamiliar competition.
“Just really excited,” said Devey, who leads the team through two matches with five goals, equalling the total of her freshman season and has a team-high 10 points. “It’s really fun for our team, too, and we love being around each other, so it’ll be really fun. Also, playing a different type of team will be really cool too.”
Beyond the reunion with Pierce, Nahas sees the trip as a chance to grow the sport’s profile overseas.
“We want to highlight us, and we want to highlight our college game,” he said. “A lot of people in Europe don’t know it. So, for me, it’s putting on display, and maybe this will create opportunities for the future for our team, our program, and so we’re going to take full advantage of it.”
Carolina’s football team has 14 days before it plays again after its game in Dublin, but the women’s soccer team has only six days.
After the match against Shelbourne, the Tar Heels will be in the stands the next night for the football game before flying Sunday to Arizona. UNC plays at Arizona on Sept. 3 and at Arizona State on Sept. 6.
That will close out a whirlwind week abroad before turning their attention to ACC play on Sept. 10.
| Date | Month/day | Time/ score | Opponent (current rankings) | Record/ TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August | ||||
| 5 | Wednesday | W, 1–0 | vs. South Carolina | Exhib. |
| 13 | Thursday | W, 4–0 | vs. Fairfield | 1–0 |
| 16 | Sunday | W, 8–0 | vs. Quinnipiac | 2–0 |
| 20 | Thursday | 7:30 ET | at Arkansas | ESPNU |
| 23 | Sunday | 1 p.m. | vs. No. 5 Michigan State | ACCN |
| 28 | Friday | 2 p.m. ET | at Shebourne FC (Dublin, Ireland, exhibition) | |
| September | ||||
| 3 | Thursday | 10 p.m. ET | at Arizona | ESPN+ |
| 6 | Sunday | 1 p.m. ET | at Arizona State | ESPN+ |
| 10 | Thursday | 7 p.m. | vs. California | |
| 13 | Sunday | 1 p.m. | vs. NJIT | |
| 17 | Thursday | 8 p.m. | vs. No. 2 Duke | ACCN |
| 20 | Sunday | 1 p.m. | vs. Alcorn State | |
| 25 | Friday | 7 p.m. | at No. 13 Virginia | |
| October | ||||
| 2 | Friday | 6 p.m. | vs. No. 8 Notre Dame | ACCN |
| 9 | Friday | 7 p.m. | at No. 3 Florida State | ESPNU |
| 15 | Thursday | 8 p.m. | at No. 24 Clemson | ACCN |
| 18 | Sunday | 3:30 | at Wake Forest | ACCN |
| 23 | Friday | 6 p.m. | vs. No. 1 Stanford | ACCN |
| 29 | Thursday | 7 p.m. | vs. SMU | |
| November | ||||
| 5 | Thursday | 7 p.m. | at Louisville | |
| 8, 12, 15 | Sunday, Thur., Sun. | ACC tournament | Semifinals, final in Cary | |
| NCAA tournament | (first four rounds at campus sites) | |||
| 20-22 | Fri.-Sun | First round | ||
| 26 | Thursday | Second round | ||
| 29 | Sunday | Third round | ||
| December | ||||
| 4, 5 | Fri., Sat. | Quarterfinals | ||
| 10, 13 | Thur., Sun. | Women’s College Cup Cary |
Top photo by Jackson Gerding of graduate midfielder Summer Denigan; photo of Tolka Park via shelbounefc.ie
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