Women's Soccer

ACC Women’s Soccer Championship Begins Sunday with First Round

Weekly Release | Tickets (Semifinals & Final)

2021 ACC Women’s Soccer Championship
First Round | Sunday, Oct. 31
#5 Clemson vs. #4 Notre Dame | 6 p.m. | ACC Network
#6 Wake Forest vs. #3 Duke | 8 p.m. | ACC Network

Semifinals | Friday, Nov. 5
Clemson/Notre Dame Winner vs. #1 Virginia | 5:30 p.m. | ACC Network
Wake Forest/Duke Winner vs. #2 Florida State | 8 p.m. | ACC Network

Final | Sunday, Nov. 7
Semifinal 1 Winner vs. Semifinal 2 Winner | 1 p.m. | ESPNU
 
Tournament Time
- The bracket and seeds for the 2021 ACC Women’s Soccer Championship are set.
- For the first time, the ACC Championship features only six of the league's teams, as eight have qualified in each season since 2015 when only four teams made the field.
- Virginia, the nation’s top-ranked team with a 15-1-1 overall record and an 8-0-2 mark in conference play, won the ACC regular-season title outright and clinched the No. 1 seed. The Seminoles garnered the No. 2 seed and both teams receive a bye into the semifinals.
- Fourth-seeded Notre Dame opens the ACC Championship first-round slate on Sunday at 6 p.m. and hosts fifth-seeded Clemson. Duke is the No. 3 seed and hosts in-state foe, sixth-seeded Wake Forest in the second game on Sunday at 8 p.m.
- North Carolina and Wake Forest ended the regular season with 18 points each and the Demon Deacons edged the Tar Heels for the No. 6 seed due to the second, two-team tiebreaker, which is most wins in overall conference game results among common opponents.
 
The Matchups
- Clemson and Notre Dame will meet for the second time this season, but the first time in the ACC Championship since the Fighting Irish joined the conference prior to the 2013 season.
- Notre Dame won the first matchup between the teams on Oct. 10, 2-1, which was also held in South Bend.
- Duke and Wake Forest also square off for the second time this season, as the Blue Devils earned a 2-0 victory in Winston-Salem on Oct. 15.
- The teams last met in the ACC Championship in 2012 when the Demon Deacons won 1-0 in overtime. That was also a No. 3 seed vs. No. 6 seed matchup with Wake Forest hosting as the No. 3 seed and Duke making the short trip to Winston-Salem.
 
Five ACC Teams Ranked in United Soccer Coaches Poll
- Headlined by the nation's top-three teams for the fifth week this season, five ACC teams are ranked among the top 25 of this week's United Soccer
Coaches Poll - the most of any conference.
- Virginia leaps to the No. 1 spot in this week's poll, as an ACC team has occupied the top spot in every poll this season. Duke checks in at No. 2, followed by No. 3 Florida State, No. 7 North Carolina and No. 22 Notre Dame.
- Additionally, Virginia Tech, Clemson and Wake Forest are receiving votes.
 
ACC in the NCAA RPI
- Ten ACC teams are ranked among the top 60 of the most recent NCAA RPI, which is used to help determine selections for the NCAA Tournament.
- Duke leads the ranking at No. 1, followed by No. 3 Florida State, No. 4 North Carolina, No. 6 Virginia, No. 18 Notre Dame, No. 27 NC State, No. 28 Virginia Tech, No. 30 Wake Forest, No. 52 Clemson and No. 59 Louisville.
 
ACC in the NCAA Rankings
- Seven of the conference’s teams rank among the nation’s top 30 in goals scored this season, headlined by three among the top 10 - both are the most of any conference. Florida State is No. 4 with 52, while Virginia and Clemson are tied for eighth with 49. Notre Dame is 19th with 43, while Pitt is 22nd with 41. North Carolina and Virginia Tech are 26th and 30th, respectively, with 39 and 38 goals.
- Clemson, Florida State, Pitt, Virginia and Virginia Tech all rank among the top 26 of the NCAA in total team assists - the most of any conference. The Tigers and Seminoles are second and seventh, respectively, with 63 and 48 assists, while the Panthers are No. 10 with 47. The Cavaliers own 44 to rank 13th and the Hokies are 16th with 43. The ACC’s three teams among the top 10 are also the most of any conference.
- Duke and Wake Forest both rank among the top 10 in shutout percentage with a .625 and .611 clip, respectively.
- Clemson’s Renee Guion and Virginia's Lia Godfrey are tied for fourth nationally with 12 assists apiece, while Clemson's Megan Bornkamp is 13th in the nation with 10 assists.
- Virginia's Diana Ordoñez leads the ACC and ranks fourth nationally with 14 goals, while Florida State's Beata Olsson, Notre Dame's Sammi Fisher and Virginia Tech's Emily Gray are tied for 26th with 11 goals apiece.
 
Inside ACC Action
- Of the 70 conference games played this season, the home team has won 32 times and the visiting team has earned 32 wins. There have been six matches end in a tie.
- Thirty-eight matches have been won via shutout, while 15 matches have been decided by a 1-0 score.
- Thirty-four matches have been decided by a one-goal margin.
 
ACC Coaching Milestones
- A pair of ACC women's soccer coaches hit milestones recently, as North Carolina's Anson Dorrance earned his 900th career win with a 2-1 double overtime win against No. 15 Notre Dame last Sunday.
- Dorrance, the only head coach in the program's 43-year history, is the NCAA recordholder in wins. He is 330 ahead of former Connecticut head coach Len Tsantiris, who is second with 570. The 330-win margin is the second largest in NCAA records.
- Duke's Robbie Church recorded his 100th ACC victory in the win over Pitt on Oct. 10 and Florida State's Mark Krikorian earned his 300th win as head coach of the Seminoles on Oct. 1 against Clemson.
 
Stellar Non-Conference for ACC Women's Soccer
- ACC women's soccer teams have enjoyed a stellar non-conference portion of the 2021 season, as the league's 14 teams have combined to compile an 80-16-5 record - the most wins and best winning percentage of any conference.
- ACC teams have combined to compile 44 shutouts, including 16 on the opening weekend, and 12 wins against ranked opponents.
- ACC teams are also outscoring their non-conference opponents, 278-73.
 
ACC Goalkeepers Among Nation's Elite
- Several ACC goalkeepers are ranked among the nation's best in the NCAA's career statistics.
- Virginia's Laurel Ivory leads all NCAA Division Goalkeepers in career shutouts with 40 and is second in minutes played at the position with 8,585.15.
- North Carolina's Claudia Dickey is second in the country in goals against average (0.53).
- Louisville's Gabby Kouzelos is fourth in goalkeeper minutes with 7,609.35 and is tied for sixth in career shutouts along with Dickey with 29. The ACC's three among the top 10 in career shutouts are the most of any conference.
 
Winningest Active Head Coaches
- Four ACC head coaches are among the top 10 in NCAA Division I for most victories by an active head coach.
- Longtime UNC skipper Anson Dorrance leads the way with 901 wins, while Florida State's Mark Krikorian is fifth on the list with 471.
- Virginia's Steve Swanson is sixth with 448, while Pitt's Randy Waldrum is eighth with 431 career victories.
- The ACC's four coaches among the top 10 are the most of any conference.