Defending national champion Virginia is the Atlantic Coast Conference men’s soccer preseason favorite, according to a vote of the league’s 12 head coaches.
The Cavaliers were named by four coaches as this year’s team to beat, followed by Clemson, Louisville, North Carolina, and Notre Dame all with two votes.
UVA, with 64 points, was also named by seven coaches as the favorite in the Coastal Division, edging out North Carolina, which had four first place votes and 59 points. Notre Dame, the 2013 national champion, was picked third with 54 points and one first place vote. Duke (35), Virginia Tech (26), and Pitt (14) round out the division.
Louisville was picked as the Atlantic Division favorite, receiving six of a possible 12 first place votes while totaling 66 points. Clemson, the defending ACC Champion, was selected by five coaches as the favorite in the Atlantic and had 62 points. Wake Forest (46) also picked up a first place vote and is followed by Syracuse (40), NC State (20), and Boston College (18).
The ACC placed seven teams in the NCAA Championship field in 2014, marking the second-straight year that the league has had the most teams from any conference. Virginia’s national title was the seventh in the last 10 years by an ACC squad and 17th in league history.
The 2015 season, which gets underway on Friday, Aug. 28, marks the second for the league under a divisional format. Each team will play every squad in its division, plus three crossover games. The two division winners are guaranteed one of the top two seeds for the ACC Championship.
The 10-team ACC Championship will be held in early November, with first round games slated for Wednesday, Nov. 4, quarterfinals for Sunday, Nov. 8, semifinals on Wednesday, Nov. 11, and the championship on Sunday, Nov. 15. All four rounds will be held on the campus of the higher seeded team.
2015 ACC Men’s Soccer Preseason Coaches Poll
Overall Champion
Virginia (4 first-place votes)
Clemson (2)
Louisville (2)
North Carolina (2)
Notre Dame (2)
Atlantic Division
| 1. | Louisville (6) | 66 |
| 2. | Clemson (5) | 62 |
| 3. | Wake Forest (1) | 46 |
| 4. | Syracuse | 40 |
| 5. | NC State | 20 |
| 6. | Boston College | 18 |
Coastal Division
| 1. | Virginia (7) | 64 |
| 2. | North Carolina (4) | 59 |
| 3. | Notre Dame (1) | 54 |
| 4. | Duke | 35 |
| 5. | Virginia Tech | 26 |
| 6. | Pitt | 14 |
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Chris Graham
