University of North Carolina Athletics
Photo by: ANTHONY SORBELLINI
Faasse Wins Honda Sport Award For Soccer
January 30, 2025 | Women's Soccer
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – North Carolina's Kate Faasse, national champion and MAC Hermann Trophy winner, has earned yet another prestigious honor to cap off a remarkable season. She has won the Class of 2025 Honda Sport Award for Soccer, as announced by the Collegiate Women Sports Awards on Thursday.
The Honda Sport Award has been presented annually by the CWSA for the past 49 years to the top women athletes in 12 NCAA-sanctioned sports and signifies "the best of the best in collegiate athletics." Faasse is now a finalist for the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year and the 2025 Honda Cup, which will be presented during a live telecast on CBS Sports Network in June in New York City.
Faasse was selected via a nationwide vote of administrators from over 1,000 NCAA member schools. The other finalists for this year's award were Duke's Maggie Graham, Wake Forest's Caiyah Hanks and Florida State's Taylor Huff.
The Phoenix, Arizona native is the first Tar Heel to win the Honda Award since Crystal Dunn in 2013. Including Faasse, 11 UNC standouts have won the award 12 times with Mia Hamm winning in back-to-back years in 1993 and 1994.
Faasse joins an elite list of Carolina winners: Shannon Higgins (1990), Kristine Lilly (1992), Mia Hamm (1993, 1994), Tisha Venturini (1995), Meredith Florance (2001), Catherine Reddick (2004), Heather O'Reilly (2007), Casey Noqueira (2009), Whitney Engen (2010) and Crystal Dunn (2013).
The junior forward was named a Honda Award finalist in December. Faasse was the first Honda Award finalist since Emily Fox in 2019-20. Including Faasse, 19 UNC players have been a finalist a combined 26 times.
No stranger to accolades this year, Faasse was tabbed TopDrawer Soccer Player of the Year, United Soccer Coaches All-America First Team, United Soccer Coaches All-Atlantic Region First Team, All-Atlantic Coast Conference First Team, ACC All-Tournament Team and TopDrawer Soccer Best XI First Team.
She was also the winner of the coveted MAC Hermann Trophy given annually to the Division I National Player of the Year.
Faasse had four goals and three assists during the NCAA Tournament to help North Carolina earn its 23rd national championship and first since 2012. She netted the game-winner in the quarterfinals and semifinals while dishing out the game-winning assist in the third round.
After her tally in the College Cup semifinals, Faasse became the nation's outright leading scorer with 20 goals. Her 44 points sat atop ACC standings and was tied for second in the country. She also recorded an NCAA-leading eight game-winning goals.
Her 44 points and 20 goals were the most by a Tar Heel in a single season since Nogueria had 58 and 25, respectively, in 2008. She is the eighth Carolina player to record 40+ points in one year since the turn of the century. She also became the fourth player nationally to win an NCAA title while leading the country in goals since 2000.
Three of Faasse's five braces on the year came during the postseason. She was the first UNC player to have 3+ braces in one season since Alessia Russo had five in 2019. In fact, only three Tar Heels have had 3+ braces in a single season in the last decade: Faasse (5, 2024), Russo (5, 2019) and Bridgette Andrzejewski (4, 2016).
Faasse surpassed her point total from her freshman (6) and sophomore (7) season combined just 10 games into her breakout 2024 campaign. She started all 27 games this past season and led all field players with 2,300 minutes.
Stay up to date with UNC women's soccer by following the Tar Heels on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
The Honda Sport Award has been presented annually by the CWSA for the past 49 years to the top women athletes in 12 NCAA-sanctioned sports and signifies "the best of the best in collegiate athletics." Faasse is now a finalist for the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year and the 2025 Honda Cup, which will be presented during a live telecast on CBS Sports Network in June in New York City.
Faasse was selected via a nationwide vote of administrators from over 1,000 NCAA member schools. The other finalists for this year's award were Duke's Maggie Graham, Wake Forest's Caiyah Hanks and Florida State's Taylor Huff.
The Phoenix, Arizona native is the first Tar Heel to win the Honda Award since Crystal Dunn in 2013. Including Faasse, 11 UNC standouts have won the award 12 times with Mia Hamm winning in back-to-back years in 1993 and 1994.
Faasse joins an elite list of Carolina winners: Shannon Higgins (1990), Kristine Lilly (1992), Mia Hamm (1993, 1994), Tisha Venturini (1995), Meredith Florance (2001), Catherine Reddick (2004), Heather O'Reilly (2007), Casey Noqueira (2009), Whitney Engen (2010) and Crystal Dunn (2013).
The junior forward was named a Honda Award finalist in December. Faasse was the first Honda Award finalist since Emily Fox in 2019-20. Including Faasse, 19 UNC players have been a finalist a combined 26 times.
No stranger to accolades this year, Faasse was tabbed TopDrawer Soccer Player of the Year, United Soccer Coaches All-America First Team, United Soccer Coaches All-Atlantic Region First Team, All-Atlantic Coast Conference First Team, ACC All-Tournament Team and TopDrawer Soccer Best XI First Team.
She was also the winner of the coveted MAC Hermann Trophy given annually to the Division I National Player of the Year.
Faasse had four goals and three assists during the NCAA Tournament to help North Carolina earn its 23rd national championship and first since 2012. She netted the game-winner in the quarterfinals and semifinals while dishing out the game-winning assist in the third round.
After her tally in the College Cup semifinals, Faasse became the nation's outright leading scorer with 20 goals. Her 44 points sat atop ACC standings and was tied for second in the country. She also recorded an NCAA-leading eight game-winning goals.
Her 44 points and 20 goals were the most by a Tar Heel in a single season since Nogueria had 58 and 25, respectively, in 2008. She is the eighth Carolina player to record 40+ points in one year since the turn of the century. She also became the fourth player nationally to win an NCAA title while leading the country in goals since 2000.
Three of Faasse's five braces on the year came during the postseason. She was the first UNC player to have 3+ braces in one season since Alessia Russo had five in 2019. In fact, only three Tar Heels have had 3+ braces in a single season in the last decade: Faasse (5, 2024), Russo (5, 2019) and Bridgette Andrzejewski (4, 2016).
Faasse surpassed her point total from her freshman (6) and sophomore (7) season combined just 10 games into her breakout 2024 campaign. She started all 27 games this past season and led all field players with 2,300 minutes.
Stay up to date with UNC women's soccer by following the Tar Heels on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Players Mentioned
Forward/Midfielder
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