Weekly Release (PDF)
2021 ACC Championship Bracket
GREENSBORO, N.C. (theACC.com) - The Atlantic Coast Conference Men's Soccer regular season reaches its conclusion Friday with all 12 teams in action. With the 2021 ACC Men's Soccer Championship starting next Wednesday (Nov. 3), much is left to be decided. None of the ACC Tournament's four first-round byes have been secured. Seven teams remain in contention for a first-round bye and 11 teams still have a shot to host first-round matches.
The 2021 ACC Men's Soccer Championship returns to a 12-team format this season, with the first three rounds at campus sites before the championship game on Nov. 14 at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C. The tournament bracket will be unveiled Friday night after the conclusion of regular-season action.
No. 11 Notre Dame plays at North Carolina at 4:30 p.m. Friday on ESPNU. The Irish can clinch the Coastal Division with a win. A Notre Dame draw or loss opens the door for No. 13 Duke and No. 12 Pitt to win the Coastal. Louisville and No. 15 Clemson battle at 7 p.m. Friday on ACC Network to determine the Atlantic Division title. UofL has secured at least a share of the division crown and can clinch it outright with a win or draw. The champions of each division earn the top two seeds in the conference tournament.
Friday, Oct. 29
No. 11 Notre Dame at North Carolina | 4:30 p.m. | ESPNU
Louisville at No. 15 Clemson | 7 p.m. | ACCN
No. 21 Virginia Tech at No. 12 Pitt | 7 p.m. | ACCNX
Virginia at No. 13 Duke | 7 p.m. | ACCNX
Syracuse at Wake Forest | 7 p.m. | ACCNX
Boston College at NC State | 7 p.m. | ACCNX
ranking is United Soccer Coaches poll at time of match
Noting ACC Men's Soccer
• The first round of the ACC Championship will now be played on Wednesday, Nov. 3, at campus sites.
• Eleven of the 12 seeds still are up for grabs. NC State has clinched the 12-seed.
• Seven teams remain in contention for a first-round bye in the upcoming tournament (Clemson, UofL, Wake, ND, Duke, Pitt, VT).
• The ACC has seven teams among the top 30 in the NCAA's latest RPI, most of any conference; the next closest league has four.
• Five ACC teams are ranked in the latest United Soccer Coaches poll, the most of any other league.
• Notre Dame jumped to No. 11 in the poll this week and is followed among ACC teams by Pitt (12), Duke (13), Clemson (15) and Virginia Tech (21).
• UNC senior M/D Milo Garvanian has been named the ACC Offensive Player of the Week, and Tar Heels graduate goalkeeper Alec Smir was selected ACC Defensive Player of the Week.
• Six ACC teams rank among the top 25 nationally in scoring: Louisville and Notre Dame (sixth, 2.6/game), Pitt (eighth, 2.57), Clemson (11th, 2.47), Duke (23rd, 2.21) and Syracuse (25th, 2.19).
• Six of the nation's top 25 teams in goal differential hail from the ACC: Notre Dame (seventh, +25), Clemson (eighth, +24), Pitt (13th, +20), Duke (15th, +19), Louisville (18th, +18) and Syracuse (22nd, +17).
• Louisville's Aboubacar Camara leads the ACC and ranks second nationally in goals this season with 13. Duke's Thorleifur Ulfarsson is 12th with 10 in just 10 matches.
• ACC teams finished with a 66-22-6 record (.734) in non-conference play, the best mark of any league nationally this season.
• Virginia's strength of schedule ranks third toughest nationally, while Pitt's is sixth and Notre Dame's seventh. Virginia Tech (15), North Carolina (16) and Clemson (20) also rank among the top 20.
• Seven ACC head coaches rank among the top 40 in NCAA Division I in winning percentage by active head coaches: UNC's Carlos Somoano (fourth, .721), Virginia's George Gelnovatch (12th, .683), Wake Forest's Bobby Muuss (16th, .674), Pitt's Jay Vidovich (27th, .640), Clemson's Mike Noonan (28th, .639), Notre Dame's Chad Riley (35th, .607) and NC State's George Kiefer (40th, .600).