UNC women's soccer reconciles with first road loss against Duke in history

DURHAM — The final whistle went, and the feeling was weird. The end of a streak always is. The longer one persists, the more it feels like it will continue in perpetuity. And this one was long.

Prior to Thursday night, the UNC women’s soccer team had never lost to the Duke Blue Devils in Durham. 35 years. 20 games. In a sport that is so fickle and where the margins are often so thin, one might think over the 1,800 total minutes played Duke would have been able to nick one win. Maybe a bounce here. A deflection there.

In game 21, it was a deflection. With under one minute to play in the first half, out of nowhere, Maggie Graham was in on goal. She kept her composure and slid the ball past UNC goalkeeper Clare Gagne, rippling the back of the net. Graham clenched both fists and roared. 

The goal was the difference. The Duke Blue Devils defeated the No. 2 Tar Heels, 1-0, at Koskinen Stadium on Thursday night. Streak snapped — just like that.

It was a night of firsts for the Tar Heels. The first goal allowed since Georgia on Aug. 22 in over 300 minutes. The first time trailing at halftime this season. The first time held without a goal this season. The first loss of the season. The first loss in the career of interim head coach Damon Nahas after longtime head coach Anson Dorrance retired four days before the season started.  

“Any loss hurts,” Nahas said. “When you play your rival, that’s always going to escalate it. For me, it’s just about reminding them it’s a long road.”

As for the source of the strangeness, it's hard to pinpoint.

Maybe it’s the grander thread that will continue to weave within the tapestry of the 2024 season. Dorrance is no longer on the bench. He started the streak back in 1989. He kept it all the way up to his retirement on Aug. 9. And until Thursday, Nahas was off to a 6-0 start. The Tar Heels outscored their opponents 16-7 with a totally revamped roster.

Even so, the transition from the greatest coach in the sport’s history looms large. How could it not?

Yes, the unbeaten streak in Durham ended when Dorrance relinquished the reins, but it's less about Nahas and more about the nature of the game. The Tar Heels have 10 new starters on display while the Blue Devils possess veteran players with more experience. 

Nahas was going to lose a game. And UNC was going to lose a game in Durham. While it's remarkable it took so long, the Tar Heels are now taking lessons from the loss and moving forward. It's a new beginning. It's a nonconference game, after all. 

After the match, Nahas went to every player stretching on the pitch. He gave each an encouraging pat on the head.

“For the young group, it’s reminding them, not painting a wrong picture for them,” Nahas said. “Our expectations and standards are always going to be high, and it doesn’t change whether you lose, or whether you win a game.”

There is also, of course, the weight of history. The history of UNC women's soccer is so rich that the streak is only a small part of it. For Nahas though, the Tar Heels have to build success in the present. 

“If you get so caught up in history,” he said, “then you lose track of where you’re trying to go.”

But history weighs just the same. So, following the loss, junior top scorer Kate Faasse climbed the fence separating the pitch from the stands. She shared hugs with loved ones. She's aware of the standard. 

Faasse wiped the tears from her eyes.  

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