WOMEN’S SOCCER
Bella Devey leads a statement opening week
Twelve goals, two clean sheets and a sophomore forward who has already matched her scoring total from last season.
North Carolina could hardly have scripted a cleaner opening week. The No. 8 Tar Heels defeated Fairfield 4–0 and Quinnipiac 8–0, pairing an aggressive attack with two matches in which the opposition never placed a shot on goal.
Bella Devey supplied the headline performance Sunday. Her first-half hat trick was the first by a Tar Heel since 2021, and it lifted her to five goals through two matches—the same total she scored during her entire freshman season.
The production was not isolated to one player. Graduate transfer Summer Denigan recorded two goals and two assists against Quinnipiac, Hope Munson added a goal and two assists, and Lilliah Blum and Logan Tongberg scored their first goals in Carolina blue.
The next two matches should reveal considerably more. Carolina visits Arkansas on Thursday before returning home to face Michigan State on Sunday. After overwhelming two opening opponents, the question becomes how well this attack translates against stronger resistance.
SOURCING & TRANSPARENCY
Sources
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UNC AthleticsDevey records hat trick as UNC beats Quinnipiac, 8–0↗UNC Athletics2026 UNC women’s soccer schedule↗