DURHAM, N.C. (WNCN) — After finishing the season unbeaten in Atlantic Coast Conference play and with just two total losses, the Duke women’s soccer team earned the top seed in the NCAA Division I Tournament.
The Blue Devils (14-2-1 overall, 9-0-1 ACC) received the No. 1 overall seed for the first time in program history after previously earning three other No. 1 seeds. It will be Duke’s 29th appearance in the championship tournament and the eighth time in the last 10 seasons that the Blue Devils have entered as a top-16 national seed, according to the school’s athletic department.
North Carolina, the winningest program in the sport and the only team to have appeared in every NCAA women’s soccer tournament since the first one in 1982, also earned a high seed. The Tar Heels (14-2-3, 7-3) are a No. 2 seed this postseason, their first since legendary head coach Anson Dorrance retired in August. According to UNC athletics, the team was also a No. 2 seed in 2012, the last time they won a national title.
The NCAA revealed the tournament’s 64-team bracket on Monday. Joining Duke as a No. 1 seed is fellow ACC team Florida State. The Seminoles are the reigning national champions and have won three of the last six titles. The USC Trojans and Mississippi State Bulldogs are the other two No. 1 seeds.
Joining UNC on the No. 2 line are Wake Forest, Arkansas and UCLA, who beat the Tar Heels in overtime in 2022 to claim the NCAA championship.
No. 1 Duke will open the tournament at home against Howard on Friday night. The match is set to kick off at Koskinen Stadium at 6 p.m.
The No. 2 Tar Heels are also set to play their first-round game at 6 p.m. Friday. They will host USC Upstate at Dorrance Field.
Like the last two seasons, the NCAA Women’s College Cup — the soccer equivalent of the Final Four — will be played at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary. The semifinals are scheduled for Dec. 6, with the national championship game set for Dec. 9.