CHARLOTTE, N.C. – After a vote by the league’s 15 head coaches, Clemson was selected as the favorite to win the 2024 Atlantic Coast Conference men’s soccer championship.
The defending ACC and national champions were voted the ACC favorite by 12 coaches and secured the top spot in the preseason poll for the second year in a row.
The league also unveiled its 2024 preseason watch list, which consists of one student-athlete from each program selected by their respective schools.
The revamped ACC includes 15 men’s soccer programs this season, including California, SMU and three-time national champion Stanford. Eleven of the 15 ACC programs participated in the NCAA Tournament last year.
Clemson returns All-ACC honorees Joran Gerbet and Nathan Richmond from its 2023 championship team and leads the preseason coaches poll with a total of 193 points. Notre Dame, the reigning national runner-up, finished second with 167 points. North Carolina received two first-place finishes and totaled 156 points, while Wake Forest received the final first-place finish and finished fourth with 149 points.
Stanford ranked fifth in the poll with 147 points, while Virginia (124) was sixth and Duke was seventh (122). SMU (99) was eighth, while Pitt (95) was ninth and Syracuse (90) was tenth. NC State (73), Louisville (69), California (38), Virginia Tech (32) and Boston College (21) rounded out the poll.
Ten ACC teams are featured in the preseason United Soccer Coaches Top 25 poll, including five in the top 10. Clemson leads the poll at No. 1, while Notre Dame (2), Stanford (5), North Carolina (6) and SMU (10) are also 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 highest of any conference.
Of the 11 current ACC teams that qualified for the NCAA Tournament last season, Clemson, North Carolina, Notre Dame and Stanford reached the NCAA quarterfinals, while the Tigers and Fighting Irish advanced to both the NCAA College Cup and the final. ACC teams have won 20 NCAA championships in men’s soccer, including three in a row, Clemson in 2021 and 2023 and Syracuse in 2022.
The 2024 ACC men’s soccer regular season officially begins on Thursday, August 22, with all 15 programs in action. League play begins on Friday, September 6, with each team playing eight conference games over the course of nine weeks.
The 2024 ACC Men’s Soccer Championship, featuring all 15 teams, begins on Wednesday, November 6, on campus grounds. After quarterfinal matches on campus grounds on Sunday, November 10, the tournament will move to WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina for semifinals on Thursday, November 14, and the final on Sunday, November 17.
2024 ACC Men’s Soccer 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. Pitts, 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 brackets
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
