Local soccer standout Cali O’Neill announced her commitment to UNC via social media on Sept. 3.
O’Neill, a junior at Seaforth High School, will join the storied women’s soccer program as a part of the 2026 recruiting class.
“I spoke to and visited some of the top soccer programs in the country including Duke, Stanford, Penn State, Clemson, Notre Dame and others, but nothing compared to UNC,” O’Neill said. “The campus is beautiful. They have strong academics and a great soccer program. But what stands out to me the most is the coaching staff.”
Said O’Neill, “As for the assistant coach, Tracey Bates Leone, she makes everyone feel welcome like family, and that goes for the whole coaching staff.”
The coaching staff, now led by interim coach Damon Nahas, is as familiar as the location for O’Neill.
Nahas first crossed paths with O’Neill when she was a 9-year-old looking to improve her soccer skills. He coached O’Neill in individual and group technical training at Next Level Academy while already being an assistant at UNC alongside legendary women’s soccer coach Anson Dorrance.
Seven years later on June 15, not long after college coaches could begin recruiting O’Neill, she received a phone call from the very program where Nahas coached. Her hard work, previous connections as a trainee, and three years of writing coaches and taking camp invites since eighth grade paid off.
“UNC had always been one of the top schools on my list, so it was a very exciting phone call,” O’Neill said.
O’Neill also found it “exciting” to be on one of the early post-Dorrance recruits that will help usher in a new era at UNC. Dorrance announced his retirement in August just days before the start of the UNC women’s soccer season.
“The foundation and legacy that Coach Dorrance created at UNC is special,” O’Neill said. “When you walk through the halls of the soccer building, there’s so much history of success in this program: championship trophies, conference winning plaques, pictures of all the players that went professional and that represented the United States in the Olympics. I feel a sense of pride and excitement to be able to help carry on the legacy that Anson created.”
O’Neill said she’s sure she and the rest of the “strong” 2026 recruiting class share the goal of winning a national championship as she wants to help bring the Tar Heels their first national title since 2012 if it doesn’t happen before she gets on campus.
Now that her recruitment process is over, O’Neill will continue to play with the U-17 NC Courage squad and take other opportunities to prepare for college until she steps foot on campus.
“Even though the recruiting process is done, there’s still so much I need to do,” O’Neill said. “The team at UNC is held to such a high standard that when you join, you must match or exceed those standards. This means putting in the work over the next two years.”
