CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – North Carolina sophomore Bella Devey and Wake Forest senior Sierra Sythe have been voted the 2026 Atlantic Coast Conference Offensive Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, respectively, by the conference’s head coaches, the league office announced today. Notre Dame junior Lily Joseph was voted the ACC Midfielder of the Year, while Wake Forest senior Valentina Amaral earned ACC Goalkeeper of the Year honors. North Carolina defender Cali O’Neill was selected the ACC Freshman of the Year and Notre Dame’s Nate Norman was voted the ACC Coach of the Year.
Devey is the first Tar Heel to earn ACC Offensive Player of the Year honors since Alessia Russo in 2018 and the sixth in program history. The Draper, Utah, native has scored 16 goals in 16 matches this season, ranking second in the ACC. In conference play, the striker found the back of the net seven times, including a pair of matches in which she scored twice. Named ACC Offensive Player of the Week three times this season, Devey registered six game-winning goals, capped by a 70th-minute game-winner to seal a 1-0 win over Stanford in the Tar Heels’ final regular-season home match.
Sythe becomes Wake Forest’s first ACC Defensive Player of the Year in program history. The Long Beach, California, native started all 19 matches along the Demon Deacon backline, playing the full 90 minutes in all but one. Sythe was a key component of nine clean sheets, including six to begin the season. While a force on the defensive end, Sythe also scored nine goals, including a perfect 6-for-6 from the penalty spot. She earned ACC Defensive Player of the Week honors three times this season, including the season’s first two awards.
Joseph is the first Notre Dame player to earn ACC Midfielder of the Year honors since Korbin Albert in 2022. The Hamden, Connecticut, native controlled the midfield for the Fighting Irish, scoring seven goals, the second-most on the team this season, while also adding two assists. Joseph’s season was highlighted by two second-half goals to erase a two-goal deficit in a 2-2 draw against Penn State in August.
Amaral becomes Wake Forest’s first ACC Goalkeeper of the Year honoree since the award’s inception in 2022. The Oviedo, Florida, native currently ranks second in the ACC in shutouts (7), fifth in goals allowed (15) and third in saves (65). Amaral opened the regular season with five straight shutouts, headlined by an eight-save effort in a 2-0 victory over Iowa on August 20. The goalkeeper was named ACC Goalkeeper of the Week twice this season, including a share of the inaugural ACC Goalkeeper of the Week award on August 18.
O’Neill becomes the first North Carolina player to earn Freshman of the Year accolades since Maycee Bell in 2019 and 10th in program history. She also becomes the first defender to win the award since Bell’s honor in 2019. O’Neill has been a staple along the Tar Heel backline, earning the start in all 17 matches and allowing just 13 goals, the second-fewest in the ACC. She was a part of 10 clean sheets on the season, including four in ACC play.
Norman rallied Notre Dame to the program’s first outright ACC regular-season championship and the No. 1 seed in the 2026 Ally ACC Women’s Soccer Championship. Despite opening the season with five draws through their first six matches, the Fighting Irish responded with nine victories in their last 11 contests, including a six-match winning streak entering the postseason. Over the last two seasons, Notre Dame is 16-2-2 in ACC matches, the best record of any league team in that span. Norman earns his second ACC Coach of the Year honor, also winning the award in 2022.
The league also announced the 2026 All-ACC Teams on Wednesday, as voted on by the conference’s 17 head coaches.
The 2026 Ally ACC Women’s Soccer Championship continues Thursday, November 12, with semifinal action from First Horizon Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina. Top-seeded Notre Dame faces fifth-seeded Virginia at 11 a.m. ET, while second-seeded North Carolina takes on sixth-seeded Duke at 2 p.m. ET. Both semifinal matches will air live on ACC Network.
Thursday’s winners will meet in the championship match on Sunday, November 15, at noon ET on ESPNU.
2026 All-ACC Women's Soccer Team
Offensive Player of the Year: Bella Devey, North Carolina
Defensive Player of the Year: Sierra Sythe, Wake Forest
Midfielder of the Year: Lily Joseph, Notre Dame
Goalkeeper of the Year: Valentina Amaral, Wake Forest
Freshman of the Year: Cali O’Neill, North Carolina
Coach of the Year: Nate Norman, Notre Dame
First-Team All-ACC
Mia Minestrella, F, Duke
Bella Devey, F, North Carolina
Hope Munson, D, North Carolina
Jade Bordeleau, F, NC State
Izzy Engle, F, Notre Dame
Lily Joseph, M, Notre Dame
Lizzie Boamah, D, Stanford
Charlotte Kohler, M, Stanford
Addison Halpern, M, Virginia
Valentina Amaral, GK, Wake Forest
Sierra Sythe, D, Wake Forest
Second-Team All-ACC
Dani Davis, M, Clemson
Daya King, D, Duke
Avery Oder, M, Duke
Wrianna Hudson, F, Florida State
Aven Alvarez, D, North Carolina
Abby Mills, D, Notre Dame
Y-Lan Nguyen, M, Stanford
Pearl Cecil, D, Virginia
Victoria Safradin, GK, Virginia
Allie Flanagan, F, Wake Forest
Kylie Maxwell, F, Wake Forest
Third-Team All-ACC
Katie Shea Collins, F, Duke
Sam Courtwright, M, Duke
Cameron Roller, D, Duke
Jocelyn Travers, D, Duke
Karina Peat, F, Louisville
Lilliah Blum, M, North Carolina
Ashley Pennie, M, North Carolina
Charlie Codd, M, Notre Dame
Caroline Birkel, GK, Stanford
Ella Carter, M, Virginia
Anna Weir, F, Virginia Tech
Riley Cross, M, Wake Forest
All-Freshman Team
Natalie Chudowsky, M/D, Duke
Yuna Marui, M, Duke
Bridget Mutipula, D, Florida State
Scottie Antonucci, M, North Carolina
Cali O'Neill, D, North Carolina
Amari Manning, F, North Carolina
Reese Canada, M, Notre Dame
Kate Kemmerley, F, Notre Dame
Bristol Kersh, F, Notre Dame
Ella Kral, F, Stanford
London Young, D, Stanford