Men's Soccer

North Carolina Named 2018 ACC Men’s Soccer Favorite

Tar Heels tabbed to win league, Wake Forest picked as Atlantic champions

GREENSBORO, N.C. (TheACC.com) – North Carolina is the Atlantic Coast Conference men’s soccer preseason favorite to win the league championship, according to a vote of the league’s 12 head coaches.
 
The Tar Heels, who advanced to last season’s College Cup, were named by 10 coaches as this year’s team to beat for the ACC Championship. Wake Forest and Louisville each received one vote.  
 
North Carolina, with 70 points, was the near unanimous favorite to win the Coastal Division and received 11 first-place votes in the division. Virginia was picked second with 53 points and received one first-place vote. Duke was picked third with 46 points, followed by Notre Dame (40), Pitt (28) and Virginia Tech (15).
 
Reigning ACC Champion Wake Forest was picked as the Atlantic Division favorite, receiving 64 points and eight first-place votes. Clemson received four first-place votes for the division and was picked second with 60 points. Louisville was picked third with 53 points, followed by NC State (31), Syracuse (29) and Boston College (15).    
 
The ACC sent an NCAA-record nine teams to the NCAA Championship for the second straight year, with four teams advancing to the Sweet 16 and three to the Elite Eight. North Carolina advanced to the College Cup to mark the 17th straight year at least one ACC team has reached that stage.
 
The ACC Championship will begin on Wednesday, Oct. 31 with first round games. The quarterfinals are set for Sunday, Nov. 4, followed by the semifinals on Wednesday, Nov. 7, and the championship match on Sunday, Nov. 11. The first three rounds will be held on the campus of the higher seeded team, and the title game will be held at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina.
 
The 2018 season gets underway on Friday, Aug. 24.
 
Overall Champion
North Carolina (10)
Louisville (1)
Wake Forest (1)
 
Atlantic Division
  1. Wake Forest (8) - 64
  2. Clemson (4) - 60
  3. Louisville - 53
  4. NC State - 31
  5. Syracuse - 29
  6. Boston College - 15
 
Coastal Division
  1. North Carolina (11) - 70
  2. Virginia – (1) 53
  3. Duke - 46
  4. Notre Dame - 40
  5. Pitt - 28
  6. Virginia Tech - 15