Damon Nahas - Women's Soccer Coach - University of North Carolina Athletics

Photo by: Jerome M. Ibrahim

Damon Nahas

Title:
Associate Head Coach
Email:
dnahas@email.unc.edu
Phone:
919-843-8655

After leading the Tar Heels to their 23rd national championship, Damon Nahas was officially named head coach of the University of North Carolina women’s soccer team in December 2024. He is the second head coach in program history, succeeding the legendary Anson Dorrance.

Nahas spent the entirety of the 2024 season as interim head coach following Dorrance’s retirement on August 11. He has been part of the Tar Heels’ coaching staff since 2015, first serving as an assistant coach before being elevated to associate head coach in 2021.

"Damon Nahas has been an integral part of Carolina Soccer for nearly a decade, and the way he has led, mentored, taught and inspired this year's team as its head coach has been outstanding,'' said UNC Director of Athletics Bubba Cunningham. "He is committed to developing players who win as both students and athletes and give back to the community, and he is dedicated to continuing the championship legacy of so many incredible soccer icons who have played at Carolina."

During his interim head coach season in 2024, Nahas guided the Tar Heels to their 23rd national title and first since 2012. He became the second coach in NCAA women's soccer history to win a national championship in their first year as head coach, joining UCLA's Margueritte Aozasa from 2022.

Along with Erin Matson (field hockey, 2023), Carlos Somoano (men's soccer, 2011) and Dave Klarmann (men's lacrosse, 1991), Nahas is the fourth UNC head coach to win a national championship in their first year at the helm.

By The Numbers

Career Record: 22-5
North Carolina Record: Same
ACC Record: 7-3
NCAA Tournament Record: 6-0
ACC Tournament Record: 2-1
One NCAA national title (2024)
One MAC Hermann Trophy winner
One MAC Hermann Trophy finalist
One Honda Award finalist
Three All-America selections
Three All-Region selections
Six All-ACC selections
Two NCAA Tournament MVPs
2024 TopDrawerSoccer Coach of the Year

North Carolina Career
In 2024, Nahas led the Tar Heels to a 22-5 overall record and a 7-3 mark in Atlantic Coast Conference play en route to the NCAA title. It was the 21st 22-plus-win season in program history, and seventh since the turn of the century. Prior to being No. 1 in the final poll, the team was ranked in the top 10 and NCAA RPI's top four every week. He was named TopDrawerSoccer's Coach of the Year at the end of the 2024 season.

The program reached several notable milestones in 2024 with Nahas at the helm, including its 250th regular season ACC win (Oct. 10), 950th all-time win (Nov. 7) and 150th NCAA Tournament win (Nov. 24). The Tar Heels knocked off No. 1 Duke in the ACC Tournament semifinals before defeating them once again in the NCAA College Cup semifinals, its first win over a top-ranked opponent in five years.

Nahas also produced three All-America selections, three All-Atlantic Region honorees and six All-ACC performers in 2024. Four players landed on both the All-ACC Tournament Team and All-NCAA Tournament Team, highlighted by Olivia Thomas and Clare Gagne being named the NCAA Tournament Offensive and Defensive MVP, respectively.

He coached junior Kate Faasse, who totaled just four goals in her freshman and sophomore seasons combined, to a nation-leading 20 goals and eight game-winning goals. Faasse won the prestigious 2024 MAC Hermann Trophy, presented to the United Soccer Coaches National Player of the Year. She became the eighth Tar Heel to win the Hermann Trophy in program history.

A renowned recruiter, Nahas has spearheaded UNC’s efforts to sign a top-four recruiting class for eight consecutive years and has had a top-five class in all of his nine complete seasons on staff.

Nahas, also experienced and skilled in player development, has had great success guiding players to the highest levels in the sport, both domestically and abroad. Since Nahas has been on staff, over 30 Tar Heels have gone onto the professional ranks – highlighted by a team-record 11 players signing first-division professional contracts at the conclusion of the 2023 season.

Emily Fox (2017-20) has become a mainstay on the U.S. Women’s National Team, recently earning gold at the 2024 Olympic Games. Alessia Russo (2017-19) helped the Lionesses win their first UEFA Euro title in 2022 and was tabbed the England Women’s Player of the Year for 2023-24. Lotte Wubben-Moy (2017-19) was a reserve player for England at the 2020 Olympics and joined Russo in the Euro 2022 championship.

Nahas has also had a hand in helping players flourish at the youth international level, with countless Tar Heels participating in U.S. Youth National Team training camps, friendlies and tournaments. Maddie Dahlien, Savy King and Ally Sentnor earned bronze with Team USA at the FIFA U20 World Cup in September 2024. A few months later, Trinity Armstrong helped the U.S. secure another bronze medal at the FIFA U17 World Cup and Sentnor made her USWNT debut.

Players who have come through UNC’s program have also experienced success at the professional level – largely due to Nahas. At the 2024 National Women’s Soccer League Draft, UNC set NWSL records for most players selected by a single school in the first round (3) and overall (6). Sentnor and King were the respective No. 1 and No. 2 overall selections, the second Tar Heel duo to earn the top two picks in the event’s 12-year history.

Previous Coaching Experience
Having arrived in Chapel Hill in November 2015, Nahas brought with him extensive experience in club coaching, national team directing and player development for 15 years. He developed a U7-U11 technical academy, Next Level Academy, in 2000 which continues to be a leader in player development in The Triangle.

He also served as the technical director of Capital Area Soccer League in Raleigh, one of the most successful youth clubs in the country. He developed and executed a technical curriculum at CASL and coached teams which won two ECNL national championships, a U.S. Club national championship, a Super Y League national title, four state championships and two Disney showcases.

Beginning his national-level coaching tenure with U.S. Soccer in 2011, Nahas was the U15 girls’ national team coach until 2014. He oversaw the program’s training camps while also scouting and selecting players eligible for the teams. Three years later, he started a stint as the U17 National Team assistant coach, a position which included scouting players and assisting with training sessions.

In 2014, Nahas was invited to serve as an assistant coach for the full senior U.S. Women's National Team during various camps, where he conducted technical training sessions for the team.

Among his other past coaching experiences have been stints with Cary Clarets PDL (head coach), Carolina RailHawks (assistant coach) and Cardinal Gibbons High School (men’s head coach).

Personal
A native of East Northport, New York, Nahas attended and played soccer at NC State from 1992-96 before playing professionally with the Wilmington Hammerheads and Capital Express. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Southern New Hampshire University in 2021.

Nahas and his wife, Nicole, have two sons, Crew and Grayson, and a daughter, Harper. His brother, Sean Nahas, is currently the head coach of the North Carolina Courage in the NWSL.