Damon Nahas recommended to be UNC women's soccer's head coach after national championship win
Interim Head Coach Damon Nahas hugs a player after the UNC women's soccer team won their 22rd NCAA title during the championship game against Wake Forest on Monday, Dec. 9, 2024 at WakeMed Soccer Park. UNC won 1-0.
CARY, N.C. — Emerson Elgin saw UNC Director of Athletics Bubba Cunningham at the team hotel, the Raleigh Sheraton, on Monday before the national championship game.
“I was like, ‘Guys, Bubba’s on the premises,’” Elgin said. “‘There has to be good news.’”
And there was.
Elgin led Cunningham to interim head coach Damon Nahas’ room. There, along with Senior Associate Athletic Director Vince Ille, Cunningham delivered the news to Nahas.
UNC redshirt-junior defender/midfielder Emerson Elgin (6) holds the trophy after the UNC women's soccer team won the NCAA Women's College Cup Championship against Wake Forest at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C. on Monday, Dec. 9, 2024. UNC won 1-0.
“They let me know in that moment that I had the head coaching job at the University of North Carolina,” Nahas said.
As Cunnigham’s recommended candidate, Nahas now awaits approval from the UNC Board of Trustees.
Nahas put together a 20-win season and made it all the way to the College Cup with a brand new team, managing injuries and absences along the way. He stepped in for retired legendary head coach Anson Dorrancefour days before the start of the season, becoming the second coach to lead the UNC women's soccer program.
And on Monday night, hours after Nahas was rewarded for his performance, the Tar Heels defeated Wake Forest, 1-0, to win the program’s 23rd national title and first in 12 years.
Nahas is the second first-year head coach to win the NCAA women's soccer championship, joining Margueritte Aozasa of UCLA, who did it with Bruins over the Tar Heels in 2022. He is the fourth UNC coach to win a national title as a first-year coach, joining Erin Matson of field hockey, Carlos Somoano of men’s soccer and Dave Klarmann of men’s lacrosse.
Interim Head Coach Damon Nahas poses for a portrait with the team and his family after the UNC women's soccer team won their 22rd NCAA title during the championship game against Wake Forest on Monday, Dec. 9, 2024 at WakeMed Soccer Park. UNC won 1-0.
“Deep down we knew Damon deserves this whether we got [the championship] or not,” Elgin said.
Junior forward Maddie Dahlien was asked following the semifinal victory over Duke if she or any of her teammates had talked with Cunningham about wanting Nahas to be their permanent head coach.
Dahlien paused and leaned into the microphone.
“Multiple times, yes.”
She laughed and added, “We believe in him, and he believes in us, and I think that he should 100 percent have the head coaching job.”
UNC junior forward Maddie Dahlien (5), junior forward/midfielder Kate Faasse (13) and junior midfielder/defender Tessa Dellarose (34) pose for a photo after the UNC women’s soccer team won their 22nd NCAA title during the championship game against Wake Forest on Monday, Dec. 9, 2024 at WakeMed Soccer Park. UNC won 1-0.
Nahas decided not to tell his team before the championship match. Though Elgin said they had a sense. Some of her teammates ran to Nahas’ floor to try to eavesdrop.
“I knew they would have been excited in their emotion,” Nahas said. “But I also didn’t want their emotions running so high that it potentially would distract from what we were trying to accomplish.”
He formed a huddle on the pitch amidst the post-game celebrations. Then, he delivered the news. His players screamed and engulfed him in the middle, patting his bald head.
While the team received their trophies, Nahas FaceTimed Dorrance on the field. In his press conference, Nahas thanked Dorrance for everything he has done for him and the program. He said the title was a gift to him.
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Nahas reiterated, as he has to his team and the media throughout the run in the NCAA tournament, that his goal has not been to remove the interim designation from his title.
“The girls have been so supportive,” Nahas said leading up to the College Cup. “I just have really focused on the girls and the team. I genuinely have. It’s kept me clear-minded without worrying about my future or what it will or won’t be. I’ll be OK no matter what. It’s more of me just trying to do something special with this team that works so hard and try to accomplish something for the rest of our lives. And regardless of what the outcome will be, this is a unique season of an extraordinary accomplishment from a group of 27 girls that most people would never have gambled on. There’s a lot to be celebrated. So I’m really secondary in this one.”
After his press conference following Monday's title win, Nahas took a phone call and walked onto the pitch at WakeMed Soccer Park one more time. The stadium was quiet and empty besides a few maintenance workers and the humming sound of blowers.
Nahas looked down at the trophy in his hand.
“I did this because I just love coaching them,” Nahas said. “This national championship is really the gift. This is a greater gift than the head coaching position here at North Carolina. I get to share this with them for the rest of our lives.”
