Photo: Ainsley E. Fauth
By Billy McGee – @iambillymcgee
The Spring college soccer season is nearing its end with the Carolina Cup final today. The final day of the competition features the championship game between UNC and Virginia Tech, along with four other matches: High Point vs South Carolina, UNC Wilmington vs Duke, UNC Greensboro vs Wake Forest, and NC State vs Campbell. All five games are matchups that have not been played yet in the Carolina Cup.
Championship Game: North Carolina vs Virginia Tech
The Tarheels and Hokies meet in the final as the only two unbeaten through their four games played in the Carolina Cup. The Tarheels won three games outright and won in a penalty kick shootout after a full-time draw in their other game. North Carolina forward Bertil Hansen leads the competition with six goals, two more than the closest player. Virginia Tech also won three games in regulation, but in their lone draw, they lost the penalty shootout. The two ACC foes faced each other in the 2025 season in Chapel Hill, where the Tarheels came out on top 3-0. The match will kick off at 3:30 PM at Spry Stadium.
High Point vs South Carolina
High Point and South Carolina each won a single game outright in the Carolina Cup, defeating Campbell. High Point’s win was their first game of the competition. They then went on to lose to Duke and lose penalty shootouts against UNC and UNC Greensboro. The Gamecocks’ win came in their second-to-last game before suffering a 7-1 blowout loss to UNC Wilmington in their most recent game. Their game will be played at 1:00 PM at Spry Stadium.
UNC Wilmington vs Duke
UNC Wilmington and Duke will face off as the other 1:00 PM kickoff, with just one point separating them through four games played. The Seahawks enter their final game on a high note after handing South Carolina their biggest loss in the Carolina Cup in a 7-1 win for their one victory out of four. The Blue Devils picked up a 4-1 win over High Point in their second game, and a penalty shootout win against Campbell, before losing the fourth match to Carolina Cup finalist Virginia Tech. Forward Ulfur Bjornsson leads Duke in scoring with four goals as the competition’s second-leading goalscorer.
UNC Greensboro vs Wake Forest
The 6:00 PM slate of games will have UNC Greensboro vs Wake Forest meeting at Spry Stadium. The Trojans saw every possible outcome in the competition, defeating UNC Wilmington 1-0, losing a penalty shootout to NC State, losing 2-1 in regulation to Virginia Tech, and winning a penalty shootout against High Point. The Demon Deacons are one of two teams to not win any of their first four games in regulation, losing to UNC and NC State after 90 minutes, losing to South Carolina in a shootout, and winning a shootout against UNC Wilmington.
NC State vs Campbell
The 6:00 PM Spry Training game sees the other winless team, Campbell, take on the 2025 College Cup runners-up, NC State. Campbell started their Carolina Cup campaign with a shootout win over Virginia Tech before losing to High Point and South Carolina, then losing to Duke in another shootout. NC State’s lone loss of the competition came against Virginia Tech by a score of 1-0, ultimately keeping them out of the final against their in-state rivals.
