By R.L. Bynum
CHAPEL HILL — Forty days after its only loss, top-ranked North Carolina is looking unbeatable.
Since then, sophomore forward Bella Devey has kept churning out goals, and the Tar Heels have kept rolling after getting three players returned from the U20 World Cup three games ago.
It took Devey less than 17 minutes to earn her fourth brace of the season as UNC extended its win streak to eight with a 4–1 victory over No. 12 Notre Dame on a steamy night before 3,871 fans at Dorrance Field. She leads the ACC and is second in the country with 14 goals.
Devey said she would not have predicted that kind of production before the season began, and she quickly credited the teammates who set her up, including senior forward Lilliah Blum and freshman midfielder Amari Manning.
“Honestly, no, I would not believe it. But I know I put in the work before the season, and my teammates push me,” Devey (top photo) said. “These goals aren’t scored on my own. They’re from my teammates, like Lil and Amari. They’re always driving [to the] end line, playing it across. I’m just there to finish it.”
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While the offense was cooking, the defense, led by several impressive plays from freshman Cali O’Neill and junior goaltender Hannah Johann, kept the clamps on the Irish.
UNC coach Damon Nahas singled out the back line.
“A lot of times the press and all the recognition goes to our attackers, and rightfully so,” Nahas said. He added that the defenders deserved the spotlight, saying, “We don’t win that game if they weren’t doing what they did.”
For the second time in three home matches, UNC (11–1, 4–0 ACC) gave a ranked team its first loss. Carolina became the first team this season to score more than two goals on the Irish (4–1–6, 2–1–1), who had allowed only eight goals in 10 games.
Nahas called the performance “just an overall collective performance,” and he had plenty of respect for the opponent.
“That’s a heck of a Notre Dame team, and they’re going just to keep getting better,” Nahas said.
Nahas said the buildup to the Notre Dame match began with a conversation after the 3–1 win last Friday at Virginia.
“I asked them [if they are] willing to let me coach them really hard this week,” Nahas said. “The consensus was absolutely. So, they gave me the freedom, along with the rest of the staff, to do that, and they’re giving me that license to do that in a manner that, when they say that, they absorb it much better.”
The results were evident.
Junior Aven Alvarez is back at center back, and fellow USA teammates, sophomore midfielder Hope Munson and freshman forward Sealey Strawn, are settling in for UNC. Their last game before leaving for the World Cup in Poland was that 3–2 loss Aug. 23 to now No. 2 Michigan State.
The Tar Heels never lost their edge while the trio was away, and O’Neill said the absence fueled the players who stayed behind.
“When they were gone, it almost gave us more motivation to work for them,” O’Neill said. “And then when they came back, it was also just more firepower for us collectively as a team.”
Devey took a hard crossing pass from Blum in the 13th minute. Devey slithered a hard, close-in shot between midfielder Reese Canada and goaltender Sonoma Kasica. She did backflips in celebration on her way back to the bench, and just over 4½ minutes later, Devey converted a penalty shot.
“It was Lil driving down the line, and then she just played it to me. It came to my chest and came down,” Devey said. “I just was like, keep it down, keep it low and then I just hit it to the back of the net.”
In the 25th minute, Canada launched a long free-kick pass that midfielder Abby Mills headed off the left post and in from 15 yards out in a highlight-reel goal for the Irish.
It took less than six minutes for UNC to regain a two-goal edge. Freshman midfielder Amari Manning, who came off the bench, made a beautiful crossing pass that Blum converted in front of the net for her fifth goal.
The quick answer was the moment Devey pointed to when asked what defined the night.
“After they scored, we all knew that wasn’t good enough,” Devey said. “We knew that we could change the game right there.”
Blum delivered a nice crossing pass in the 68th minute, and the ball went off the chest of graduate midfielder Summer Denigan, who was parked in front of the goal, for a score.
Denigan began the match on the bench, and Nahas said the decision came from the week of preparation and the opponent. He said she handled it exactly the way he hoped.
“She gets a result off of Lil. So much respect for that, and she’ll be better off for that, as will the next player,” Nahas said.
It was Johann’s second straight match starting in goal, filling in for regular starter Peyton Trayer, who has been sick.
Johann looked sharp, allowing only one goal in the second straight game. She stayed in the game after Strawn inadvertently kicked her in the leg in the 71st minute, and Johann was down for a few minutes.
Nahas said Trayer is still working her way back, with a return timeline of a week or two, and he was pleased with how Johann handled the opportunity.
“Credit to Hannah being ready for the moment,” Nahas said.
UNC controlled possession 63–37% and has now outscored opponents 40–7 this season, numbers that O’Neill said reflect a back line that has grown more connected as the schedule has gone on.
“We’re progressively getting better, and it really showed today,” O’Neill said.
O’Neill said the team’s commitment to each other drives her work in front of the goal.
“We have to put ourselves on the line, and I love this team, and our entire team works for each other,” O’Neill said.
Devey returned the compliment when asked about her teammate’s style of play.
“She makes those tackles in the box, and she has this aggression to her that no one else has, and she’s always willing to put her body on the line for the team,” Devey said.
Both players used the same word to describe the group, and Devey said it is about more than soccer. “We’re around each other 24/7, so it’s just like a family,” Devey said.
Nahas said he doesn’t push that idea on his players because he believes it has to come from them. After the match, he pointed to the cheers that rang out when senior Ella Smith learned she had landed a job after missing practice earlier in the week for an interview. “You are either a family or you’re not, and it’s got to happen organically,” Nahas said.
Nahas was not entirely satisfied with the finish, and he said the lessons will carry into the next week of preparation even after the win. “It’s four to one, but it’s not about the win in that moment. It’s about how we manage that so that we’re professional and don’t do the wrong things,” Nahas said.
That demanding approach, he said, is the reason UNC refuses to coast during a streak that has now reached eight games. “I always tell them there’s no guarantee in getting a result, but we want to make sure that we don’t let anything go by chance,” Nahas said.
Notes
— UNC gets a week off before visiting Florida State (4–1–3, 0–0–2) at 7 p.m. Friday (ESPNU). The Seminoles, who have tied their last three games (1–1 against Rice, 2–2 against N.C. State and 0–0 against Louisville), visit No. 23 Clemson at 3:30 Sunday (ACCN).
— The only Division I player with more goals than Devey is Oklahoma’s Kayla Keefer with 15. Just behind Devey are Vanderbilt’s Sydney Watts and N.C. State’s Jade Bordeleau, both with 13.
— The Tar Heels handed Duke, now No. 6, its first, and still only, loss, 4–2 on Sept. 17 at Dorrance Field.
— UNC defender Izzi Stratton, who got hit in the head in the Duke game, was cleared to play Thursday and could have played if she was needed.
— Manning and midfielder Deus Stanislaus leave Thursday to join the USA U17 team that will compete in the World Cup in Morocco beginning Oct. 17.
— Carolina leads the all-time series with Notre Dame 24–8–4, including 7–5–2 in Chapel Hill.
No. 1 UNC 4, No. 12 Notre Dame 1
ACC standings
| Team | Points | ACC | All |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. 1 North Carolina | 12 | 4–0–0 | 11–1–0 |
| No. 25 Louisville | 8 | 2–0–2 | 8–1–2 |
| N.C. State | 7 | 2–1–1 | 9–1–2 |
| No. 23 Clemson | 7 | 2–1–1 | 6–2–3 |
| No. 12 Notre Dame | 7 | 2–1–1 | 4–1–6 |
| Boston College | 7 | 2–2–1 | 9–2–1 |
| No. 4 Wake Forest | 6 | 2–1–0 | 9–1–0 |
| Virginia Tech | 6 | 2–1–0 | 6–2–3 |
| Miami | 6 | 2–2–0 | 7–3–1 |
| No. 6 Duke | 5 | 1–1–2 | 6–1–3 |
| No. 8 Stanford | 4 | 1–2–1 | 7–2–2 |
| California | 4 | 1–2–1 | 4–4–4 |
| No. 16 Virginia | 3 | 1–2–0 | 5–2–2 |
| Syracuse | 3 | 1–3–0 | 4–5–2 |
| Florida State | 2 | 0–0–2 | 4–1–3 |
| Pittsburgh | 1 | 0–3–1 | 6–4–2 |
| SMU | 1 | 0–3–1 | 5–4–3 |
Friday’s matches
No. 1 North Carolina 4, No. 12 Notre Dame 1
Boston College 3, SMU 1
Saturday’s matches
California at No. 6 Duke, 5 p.m.
Miami at Pittsburgh, 7 p.m.
Syracuse at Virginia, 7 p.m.
No. 25 Louisville at Virginia Tech, 7 p.m.
Sunday’s matches
Florida State at No. 23 Clemson, 3:30, ACCN
N.C. State at No. 4 Wake Forest, 5 p.m.
Thursday’s matches
Pittsburgh at N.C. State, 6 p.m.
Virginia at No. 12 Notre Dame, 7 p.m., ACCN
Virginia Tech at SMU, 7 p.m.
No. 8 Stanford at Syracuse, 7 p.m.
Next Friday’s match
No. 1 North Carolina at Florida State, 7 p.m., ESPNU
| Date | Month/day | Time/ score | Opponent (current rankings) | Record/ TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August | ||||
| 5 | Wednesday | W, 1–0 | vs. No. 11 South Carolina | Exhib. |
| 13 | Thursday | W, 4–0 | vs. Fairfield | 1–0 |
| 16 | Sunday | W, 8–0 | vs. Quinnipiac | 2–0 |
| 20 | Thursday | W, 2–0 | at Arkansas | 3–0 |
| 23 | Sunday | L, 3–2 | vs. No. 2 Michigan State | 3–1 |
| 28 | Friday | W, 3–0 | at Shelbourne FC | Friendly |
| September | ||||
| 3 | Thursday | W, 2–1 | at Arizona | 4–1 |
| 6 | Sunday | W, 1–0 | at Arizona State | 5–1 |
| 10 | Thursday | W, 3–0 | vs. California | 6–1, 1–0 ACC |
| 13 | Sunday | W, 5–0 | vs. NJIT | 7–1 |
| 17 | Thursday | W, 4–2 | vs. No. 6 Duke | 8–1, 2–0 |
| 20 | Sunday | W, 5–0 | vs. Alcorn State | 9–1 |
| 25 | Friday | W, 3–1 | at No. 15 Virginia | 10–1, 3–0 |
| October | ||||
| 2 | Friday | W, 4–1 | vs. No. 12 Notre Dame | 11–1, 4–0 |
| 9 | Friday | 7 p.m. | at Florida State | ESPNU |
| 15 | Thursday | 8 p.m. | at No. 23 Clemson | ACCN |
| 18 | Sunday | 3:30 | at No. 4 Wake Forest | ACCN |
| 23 | Friday | 6 p.m. | vs. No. 8 Stanford | ACCN |
| 29 | Thursday | 7 p.m. | vs. SMU | ACCNE |
| November | ||||
| 5 | Thursday | 7 p.m. | at No. 25 Louisville | ACCNE |
| 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 |
Photos courtesy of UNC Athletics Communications
