ACC Men’s Soccer News and Notes: Week 5

Notebook

• ACC play continues on Friday, Sept. 21 with six games, including two Top-25 matchups – No. 14/25 Virginia Tech playing at NC State and No. 3/3 North Carolina traveling to No. 8/18 Notre Dame.
• Wake Forest is the consensus No. 1 ranked team by both the United Soccer Coaches and Soccer America for the fourth straight week. The ACC has eight teams ranked in both polls this week – No. 1/1 Wake Forest, No. 3/3 North Carolina, No. 6/10 Louisville, No. 8/18 Notre Dame, No. 9/12 Duke, No. 14/25 Virginia Tech, No. 18/9 NC State and No. 22/11 Virginia.
• The ACC owns a .716 nonconference winning percentage, the best mark in NCAA Division I.
• Wake Forest and Virginia are two of 14 undefeated teams in the nation, while Wake is one of three that is unbeaten and untied.
• The ACC owns seven wins over non-ACC teams ranked in the United Soccer Coaches poll.
• The ACC has seven teams among the top 14 in the first NCAA released this week – No. 1 Wake Forest, No. 2 North Carolina, No. 5 Duke, No. 8 Louisville, No. 10 Clemson, No. 11 Virginia and No. 14 Notre Dame.
• Two ACC men’s soccer players are on the MAC Hermann Trophy watch list: North Carolina senior defender Alex Comsia and Clemson senior goalkeeper Jonny Sutherland. An ACC player has claimed soccer’s top honor 19 times, including the past two winners – Wake Forest’s Jon Bakero and Ian Harkes.
• Four from the ACC are candidates for the 2018 Senior CLASS Award – North Carolina’s Alex Comsia, Louisville’s Tate Schmitt, Syracuse’s Hendrik Hilpert and Wake Forest’s Brad Dunwell.
• The ACC is coming off a 2017 season in which it 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.
• North Carolina was selected as the league favorite to win the 2018 ACC Championship. The Tar Heels were also picked to win the Coastal Division, while Wake Forest was selected as the Atlantic Division favorite.

Week 5 Schedule

Friday, Sept. 21
14/25 Virginia Tech at 18/9 NC State – 5 p.m. | RSN
Boston College at 9/12 Duke – 7 p.m. | ACCN Extra
3/3 North Carolina at 8/18 Notre Dame – 7 p.m. | ACCN Extra
22/11 Virginia at Syracuse – 7 p.m. | ACCN Extra
Pitt at 6/8 Louisville – 7:30 p.m. | ACCN Extra
1/1 Wake Forest at Clemson – 8 p.m. | RSN

Monday, Sept, 24
Colgate at Syracuse – 7 p.m. | ACCN Extra

Tuesday, Sept. 25
6/8 Louisville at Georgetown – 4 p.m. | ACCN Extra
George Washington at 9/12 Duke – 7 p.m. | ACCN Extra
Xavier at 8/18 Notre Dame – 7 p.m. | ACCN Extra
Davidson at 1/1 Wake Forest – 7 p.m. | ACCN Extra