Dorsey Looking To Make Dual Sport History

Playing two sports in college was never an option for Julia Dorsey, it was a requirement.

One of the nation's most sought-after prep lacrosse players, Dorsey was also an extremely talented soccer play with aspirations of playing both sports in college and vocalized that throughout the recruiting process.

Six months after helping Carolina capture the 2022 women's lacrosse national championship, Dorsey has a chance to make history and become the first UNC student-athlete to win a NCAA title in multiple team sports as the women's soccer team begins its quest for a 22^nd NCAA title Saturday against Old Dominion.

"She made that really clear from the get-go and we have a history of having dual sport athletes," UNC head women's lacrosse coach Jenny Levy said. "She knew we were open to the potential to have a dual sport athlete, so when she said she wanted to do both we were on board immediately."

The precedent had been established years earlier.

Sarah Dacey and Aubrey Falk helped UNC reach the College Cup and the women's lacrosse national semifinals in 1997 and '98 as did Maggie Bill, who was a four-year letterman in both sports from 2013-18 and helped the Tar Heels win women's lacrosse championships in 2013 and 2016.

"That's what we do here at Carolina," Levy said. "Coaches support coaches, athletes support athletes, coaches and athletes support each other and that's what makes us successful."

Dorsey's journey to Carolina began unsuspectingly at the club level. She had made acquaintances with UNC associate head women's soccer coach Damon Nahas while playing for Bethesda (Md.) Soccer Club, where she was the Washington Post All-Metro Player of the Year in 2018.

"Her qualities haven't changed," Nahas said. "She was the most competitive player on the field, which is no surprise to anyone. She wasn't flashy by any means, but she did her job. She was a great defender, knew who she was, and she was brilliant.

"She's a winner and she's ultracompetitive. She doesn't have that ego where she needs to be the star on the attack. She knows who she is, she's coachable, she wants to be great and she wants to help her team win."

And helping her team win is all Dorsey has done since she arrived at UNC.

In addition to helping the Tar Heels win the 2022 NCAA women's lacrosse title, she has been a part of three ACC women's lacrosse championships, an ACC women's soccer championship, two College Cup teams and a second women's lacrosse national semifinalist.

"I want to publicly thank Jenny Levy for loaning her to us and also for paying for the scholarship," UNC head women's soccer coach Anson Dorrance said. "The kid is a warrior and I love watching her play."

Dorsey 's breakthrough moment on the pitch came as a freshman at Duke where her bravery and competitive fire won her coach over.

"There was this horrific collision that would make any parent cringe and Julia popped up like it was nothing, while the other player is on the ground for a while nursing an injury," Dorrance explained. "That was the moment she won the start for me."

She started the final 14 games of the 2019 season and played all 200 minutes in the College Cup.

Dorsey made 26 consecutive starts until injury forced her to miss the beginning of the 2021 season and only allowed her to play in eight games, starting the final six. Her games started streak reached 20 on Oct. 9, 2022, against NC State but an injury in practice the following week cost her the final four games of the regular season.

Although injuries and the pandemic have caused her to miss games, she has still played nearly 4,700 minutes during her 63-game career heading into the NCAA Tournament.

"She is wired differently," Dorrance said. "She's got a wonderful set of principles she lives by, and she competes. The qualities she gives us are that we know she is going to fight, we know she's coachable and she's incredibly brave, and that adds to up to an extraordinary defender."

Her passion, heart and hustled anchored the Tar Heel backline after the loss of All-America defender Maycee Bell in the 2022 season opener and provided stability to the ACC's top ranked defense that conceded just 0.593 goals per game and posted a conference-best 13 shutouts.

"I love playing with Julia," senior midfielder Maggie Pierce said. "She's like a bolt of lightning out there. She covers a ton of area on the field. She's always got energy and she's always saying uplifting and positive things. She has grown into a vocal leader but she's also a physical leader. You look at her work ethic and it makes you want to work harder."

Players Mentioned

Maycee Bell

Julia Dorsey

Maggie Pierce

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