Men’s Soccer: UVA picked 6th in Preseason ACC poll

Courtesy The Atlantic Coast Conference

Clemson has been chosen as the favorite to win the 2024 Atlantic Coast Conference Men’s Soccer Championship, following a vote of the league’s 15 head coaches on Wednesday. Virginia was picked to finish sixth.

The reigning ACC and national champion Tigers were picked as the ACC favorite by 12 coaches and earned the top spot in the preseason poll for the second straight season.

The league also unveiled its 2024 Preseason Watch List, consisting of one student-athlete from each program, selected by the respective schools. UVA senior defender Paul Wiese was the lone Cavalier selected to the squad (see below).

The new-look ACC features 15 men’s soccer programs this season with the addition of California, SMU and three-time national champion Stanford. Eleven of the ACC’s 15 programs competed in the NCAA Tournament last year.

Clemson returns All-ACC honorees Joran Gerbet and Nathan Richmond from its 2023 championship team and tops the preseason coaches poll with 193 total points. Notre Dame, the reigning national runner-up, was second with 167 points. North Carolina received a pair of first-place votes and totaled 156 points, while Wake Forest earned the final first-place vote and was fourth with 149 points.

Stanford took fifth in the poll with 147 points, while Virginia (124) was sixth and Duke claimed seventh (122). SMU (99) earned eighth place, while Pitt (95) was ninth and Syracuse (90) notched 10th. NC State (73), Louisville (69), California (38), Virginia Tech (32) and Boston College (21) rounded out the poll.

Ten ACC teams are ranked in the preseason United Soccer Coaches Top 25 Poll, including five in the top 10. Clemson tops the poll at No. 1, while Notre Dame (2), Stanford (5), North Carolina (6) and SMU (10) also stand in the top 10. Also in the top 25: Virginia (13), Wake Forest (15), Duke (20), Louisville (24) and Syracuse (25). Both totals are the most of any conference.

From the 11 current ACC teams that earned NCAA Tournament bids last season, Clemson, North Carolina, Notre Dame and Stanford reached the NCAA Quarterfinals, with the Tigers and Fighting Irish advancing to the NCAA College Cup as well as the championship game. ACC teams have won 20 NCAA men’s soccer championships, including three straight, with Clemson in 2021 and 2023 and Syracuse in 2022.

The 2024 ACC men’s soccer regular season officially gets underway on Thursday (Aug. 22) with all 15 programs in action. League play begins on Friday, Sept. 6, as each team will play eight conference games in a nine-week span.

The 2024 ACC Men’s Soccer Championship, featuring all 15 teams, opens at campus sites on Wednesday, Nov. 6. Following quarterfinal matches at campus sites on Sunday, Nov. 10, the tournament shifts to WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina, for the semifinals on Thursday, Nov. 14, and the championship game on Sunday, Nov. 17.

2024 ACC PRESEASON COACHES POLL
1. Clemson (12), 193
2. Notre Dame, 167
3. North Carolina (2), 156
4. Wake Forest (1), 149
5. Stanford, 147
6. Virginia, 124
7. Duke, 122
8. SMU, 99
9. Pitt, 95
10. Syracuse, 90
11. NC State, 73
12. Louisville, 69
13. California, 38
14. Virginia Tech, 32
15. Boston College, 21
First-place votes in parentheses

2024 ACC PRESEASON WATCH LIST
Brennan Klein, Sr., GK, Boston College
Kevin Carmichael, Sr., D, California
Joran Gerbet, Sr., M, Clemson
Ruben Mesalles, Sr., M/D, Duke
Sander Roed, Sr., M, Louisville
Riley Thomas, Gr., D, North Carolina
Hakim Karamoko, So., F, NC State
Bryce Boneau, Sr., M, Notre Dame
Guilherme Feitosa, Sr., M, Pitt
Bailey Sparks, Sr., F, SMU
Zach Bohane, Jr., M, Stanford
Nick Kaloukian, Jr., F, Syracuse
Paul Wiese, Sr., D, Virginia
Willie Cardona, Sr., D, Virginia Tech
Babacar Niang, Sr., M, Wake Forest
*Note: Players nominated by their respective schools