By Brian Murphy, WRAL

Chapel Hill, N.C. — North Carolina interim women’s soccer coach – and it’s the first time since the program’s inception that anyone but Anson Dorrance has held the title of women’s soccer coach, interim or not – couldn’t have gotten a bigger endorsement Monday.

“Damon Nahas is the best coach I’ve ever seen,” Dorrance said during lengthy remarks at his retirement event. “I think he’s the best soccer coach in the country – and I include myself in that circle.”

Dorrance guided the program to 22 national titles (21 in the NCAA, one in its predecessor) in his 45 seasons, turning UNC into a women’s soccer school and turning out several generations of the sport’s best players. Dorrance announced his retirement Sunday, four days before the 2024 season opens at Denver.

“Him sharing his belief in me is really all I need,” said Nahas of his friend and mentor, who hired him in 2015.

The permanent job – UNC’s second coach, as athletics director Bubba Cunningham put it – has not been promised to Nahas. Cunningham promised a “rigorous, national search” to find the UNC’s next coach.

“There’s no way in the world that we can replace Anson Dorrance,” Cunningham said.

Cunningham is no stranger to replacing legendary coaches at UNC. Since 2019, he’s hired successors for women’s basketball coach Sylvia Hatchell, men’s basketball coach Roy Williams, baseball coach Mike Fox and field hockey coach Karen Shelton. All but Fox won national titles at UNC.

The Tar Heels have not won a national title since 2012, but UNC has played for the championship three times since 2018. The program has never missed the NCAA Tournament and counts some of the game’s biggest names among its alums. Interest will be sky high.

“We’ve got an opportunity with the sort of program we are to basically cast a huge net, and I know we’ve got a moral imperative to do all the right things to make sure that we embrace all of the extraordinary people that have represented our program,” Dorrance said. “I understand the enormity of the task that Bubba now has to absorb in this. But I want Damon to know as my energy was ebbing, you came in and bolstered it and I have loved everything you’ve done.”

Nahas, who played at NC State from 1992 to 1996, worked for more than a decade in player development, club coaching and national team coaching before joining the UNC staff. From 2000, he was the technical director for the Castle Area Soccer League and coached at several levels of the national team.

In recent years, Nahas, as associate head coach, has taken more and more responsibility within the UNC program: training, video, recruiting. Current players were in attendance at Monday’s event to support Dorrance and Nahas.

“It’ll be a really seamless transition,” senior forward Bella Sember said. “Damon has been super involved, so I have all the faith in the world in him as an interim.”

Said senior defender Tessa Dellarose: “He’s built for a program like this. He’s built for a position like that.”

Dellarose credited Nahas for his ability to help players improve.

“”I’ve never seen a coach who breaks down a game as well,” she said. “He breaks it down and analyzes the game [as] I’ve never seen before. He’s just added so many layers to my game. He has so much knowledge of the game and breaks it down so well for everyone.”

The Tar Heels (13-2-8 last season) are No. 8 in the preseason coaches’ poll. Their 2023 season ended in shocking fashion with a 4-3 loss to BYU in the NCAA Tournament. UNC led 3-0.

The program lost a number of players, many to professional teams, but several to the transfer portal, in the off-season. Dorrance said one reason he felt comfortable retiring was the team’s 5-1 win over DC Power, a member of the USL Super League.

Nahas, the brother of NC Courage coach Sean Nahas, was on the phone for hours with recruits Sunday evening after Dorrance’s retirement was announced.

“I can promise you: I’m not going to work any harder,” Nahas said. “I’m not going to have any more focus because I’ve given my full attention and focus and my responsibility is to continue that,”

Expectations are high, as usual. Cunningham’s other high-profile hires have been hits right away: Erin Matson won a field hockey national championship, Hubert Davis reached the men’s basketball title game.

Said Nehas: “I hope that I’ve proved myself and will continue to, and, if I’m fortunate to lead these women beyond this time and whatever the timeline he sets, I’ll be extremely honored and prepared.”

Source: wralsportsfan.com