Carolina wins 23rd women's soccer national championship

Carolina women's soccer players hug each other on the field after claiming the program's 23rd national title. — Carolina has won 22 of 43 NCAA titles, plus the 1981 AIAW title for 23 national championships. (Carolina Athletics)

National champions! The queens of college soccer have reclaimed their crown.

Carolina won the 2024 NCAA Division I women’s soccer championship, the program’s 23rd national title and first since 2012. The Tar Heels have now won 22 of 43 NCAA titles, plus the 1981 AIAW title for 23 total national championships. No other women’s soccer team owns more than four.

The second-seeded Tar Heels defeated fellow No. 2 seed Wake Forest, 1-0, on Monday night at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary. Olivia Thomas netted her ninth goal of the season off a free kick in the 62nd minute, in what came to be the title-sealing goal for the Tar Heels.

THE POWER BEHIND THIS 💥
📺 » https://t.co/UMWobQaPPy pic.twitter.com/AWYW182D1O
— UNC Women’s Soccer (@uncwomenssoccer) December 10, 2024

Trinity Armstrong and Linda Ullmark picked up NCAA All-Tournament team honors while Thomas earned Most Outstanding Offensive Player and Clare Gagne was named the Most Outstanding Defensive Player.

Gagne is the first Carolina goalkeeper to win most outstanding defensive player since Siri Mullinix in 1997. Gagne and Mullinix are the only two Carolina goalkeepers to ever win most outstanding defensive player.

Interim head coach Damon Nahas becomes the second coach in NCAA women’s soccer history to win a national championship in their first year as a head coach, joining UCLA’s Margueritte Aozasa from 2022.

Nahas is also the fourth Carolina head coach to win a national championship in their first season at the helm. Erin Matson (field hockey, 2023), Carlos Somoano (men’s soccer, 2011) and Dave Klarmann (men’s lacrosse, 1991) have also achieved the feat.

Following the win, the University now has 51 NCAA team championships across eight different sports. This is Carolina’s 62nd overall national championship.

UNC women's soccer team celebrating with trophy as confetti fills the air following their national championship victory.

The Tar Heels outscored their opponents 18-1 during the NCAA tournament and kept five shutouts in six games. (Carolina Athletics)

This marks the 26th women’s soccer national championship for the Atlantic Coast Conference, and 32nd among current membership. No other school outside the ACC has won more than two national titles.

This is Carolina’s sixth NCAA title as a No. 2 seed. Its last national title in 2012 was also as a second seed. The Tar Heels are the first non-No. 1 seed to win since Santa Clara in 2020 as the No. 11 seed.

The Tar Heels wrap up their remarkable 2024 campaign with a 22-5 (7-3 ACC) record, marking the 21st season in school history they have won 22+ games, and first since 2019. The Demon Deacons, who made their first ever title game appearance, finish the season at 16-4-4 (7-2-1 ACC).