Tuesday, August 19, 2014
Entering its inaugural season in the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Louisville men's soccer team was chosen on Tuesday as the favorite to win the Atlantic Division by the league's head coaches.
Reigning national champion Notre Dame was tabbed as the team to beat in the ACC and in the Coastal Division in a vote of the 12 conference head coaches. The Irish were named by six coaches as favorite to win the league championship, followed by Virginia with three first-place votes, North Carolina with two and Louisville with one.
With 64 points, Notre Dame was named by six coaches as the favorite in the Coastal Division, edging out 2013 Men's College Cup participant Virginia, which had four first-place votes and 62 points. North Carolina (53 points) received two nods for the division and was picked third, followed by Duke (37), Virginia Tech (23), and Pitt (13).
Louisville received nine of a possible 12 first-place votes while totaling 69 total points overall as the Atlantic Division favorite. Wake Forest (57 points) and Clemson (50) both collected first-place votes and are followed in the poll by NC State (30), Boston College (26) and Syracuse (20).
A national-best six ACC squads earned NCAA bids in 2013. Three advanced to the NCAA College Cup, marking the 13th straight year with at least one league team in the semifinals. Notre Dame's championship marked the sixth title by an ACC team in the last nine years and the 16th in league history.
The 2014 season, which gets underway on Aug. 29, marks the first for the league under a divisional format. Each team will play every other 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 Nov. 5, quarterfinals for Nov. 9, semifinals on Nov. 14, and the championship on Sunday, Nov. 16. The first round and quarterfinals will be held at campus sites, with the semifinals and final at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C.
Louisville will conduct its third and final preseason match on Saturday at 4 p.m. at Michigan. The 14th-ranked Cardinals will open the 2014 season against No. 2 Maryland in the debut of Dr. Mark and Cindy Lynn Stadium on Aug. 29 at 8 p.m.
2014 ACC Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches Poll
(first-place votes)
Overall ChampionNotre Dame (6)
Virginia (3)
North Carolina (2)
Louisville (1)
Atlantic Division1. Louisville (9) - 69
2. Wake Forest (2) - 57
3. Clemson (1) - 50
4. NC State - 30
5. Boston College - 26
6. Syracuse - 20
Coastal Division1. Notre Dame (6) - 64
2. Virginia (4) - 62
3. North Carolina (2) - 53
4. Duke - 37
5. Virginia Tech - 23
6. Pitt - 13
From UofL Athletics
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