A winless Miami women’s soccer team finds itslef searching for a result against the reigning national champion No. 23 North Carolina this Thursday at Cobb Stadium.
UNC are the most successful team in NCAA women’s soccer history, having won 23 national titles out of the championship’s 43-year lifetime. The Tar Heels are marked by their immense attacking play, having two of the best forwards in the country in No. 13 Kate Faasse and No. 33 Olivia Thomas.
Faasse is the reigning Hermann Trophy winner, the most prestigious award in women’s college soccer. She was also named to the United Soccer Coaches’ All-American First Team in 2024 and led the nation’s scoring charts with 20 competitive goals that campaign. This season, she has tallied eight goals and four assists in 15 starts, despite being repositioned out wide.
Faasse’s replacement up-front has been star-striker Thomas, who has found the net 11 times so far this season. To take the position of the best player in the country last season is no easy feat, but upon watching Thomas play, it is clear as to why she has been prioritized. Her ball-striking is among the best in the nation, her ball-carrying is elite, and her physicality in hold-up and on-running situations is top-tier.
This duo at the helm of UNC’s frontline is more than formidable, and with the immensely creative No. 7 Linda Ullmark supporting from the 10 position, the Tar Heels pose a considerable threat to the ‘Canes’ back four.
However, UNC are severely underwhelming defensively. Their only clean sheet in the ACC came against SMU (who were also the only team Miami held to a shutout), and when reviewing their fixtures, the defense and midfield’s constant failure to track opposition runners is astounding. Lackadaiscal marking on corners and transitions have been a common theme throughout all of UNC’s ACC matches, causing them to concede four goals to Notre Dame, three to Duke, and even concede against offensively poor teams like Boston College and Pitt.
These defensive frailties will provide Miami with consistent opportunities to create chances in-transition, a game-state that heavily suits the Hurricanes’ style. This potential strength, alongside the fact that Miami have nothing else to lose this ACC season, means that the Hurricanes can express themselves and play on the front foot this game, helping to bring out their best qualities of ball-delivery and forward-running.
Obviously, Miami should look to keep the same strong out-of-possession play that they showed against Stanford. Yet, the objective should always be to play progressively, as playing within themselves will only result in the opposition compounding chances and eventually finding the net, as was the case another strong attack in FSU.
To achieve this forward-minded play, a potential lineup could look like:
Defense – No. 33 Atlee Olofson, No. 5 Amanda Peck, #2 Emilie Simpson, No. 14 Taylor Maxwell
Midfield – No. 13 Crosby Nicholson, No. 8 Ciara Alarcon, No. 16 Sarah Greiner
Attack – No. 12 Teegan Melenhorst, No. 22 Brie Severns, No. 17 Moira Flynn
This lineup feels like a culmination of the best performances from Miami’s last few games, with Melenhorst’s dynamism, Severns’s goalscoring, and Flynn’s impressive hold-up play making up a well-balanced front three to exploit UNC’s rocky back four.
Of course, scraping a result against the reigning NCAA champions will be no easy feat, and despite UNC’s defensive weaknesses, their possessional play is immense. Still, Miami should look to this game with excitement, as the Hurricanes have an opportunity to prove their offensive potential, while building on some of the qualities demonstrated last game.
Miami will take on the Tar Heels at Cobb Stadium on Thursday, October 23rd, at 7 p.m. in a game that will be streamed live on ACCNX.
