CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – Clemson has been chosen as the favorite to win the 2025 Atlantic Coast Conference Men’s Soccer Championship following a vote of the league’s 15 head coaches. Voted the league’s preseason favorites for the fourth straight season, the Tigers were picked as the ACC favorite on four of the coaches’ ballots.
Reigning ACC champion Wake Forest earned the most coaches’ votes to win the title, with five, and was second in the preseason poll. Pitt matched Clemson with four first-place votes, while Duke notched a pair of first-place votes.
The league also unveiled its 2025 Preseason Watch List, consisting of one student-athlete from each program, nominated by the respective schools. The watch list is highlighted by Pitt’s Casper Svendby, a 2024 First-Team All-American and ACC Defensive Player of the Year, as well as All-Americans Ulfur Bjornsson (Duke) and Cooper Flax (Wake Forest) and the 2024 ACC Freshman of the Year, Ransford Gyan of Clemson.
The voting was tight at the top of the poll between Clemson, Wake Forest, Pitt and Duke. With 185 total points, Clemson edged out Wake Forest (175) for the top spot. Pitt (167) and Duke (160) also were close behind.
SMU and Stanford tied for fifth in the poll with 136 points apiece, while North Carolina (115) was seventh, NC State (108) took eighth and Virginia claimed ninth (104). Notre Dame (81) earned 10th place, while Syracuse (63), California (57), Virginia Tech (34), Louisville (33) and Boston College (21) rounded out the poll.
Eight ACC teams are ranked in the Preseason United Soccer Coaches Top 25: SMU (No. 5), Wake Forest (No. 6), Pitt (No. 7), Clemson (No. 9), Stanford (No. 13), NC State (No. 14), Duke (No. 15) and Virginia (No. 17). That is the most of any conference.
Nine of the 15 ACC teams earned NCAA Tournament bids last season. ACC teams have won 20 NCAA men’s soccer championships, including three of the last four seasons (Clemson 2021 and 2023, Syracuse 2022). The conference returns a trio of 2024 All-Americans, with Svendby (first team), Duke’s Ulfur Bjornsson (second team) and Wake Forest’s Cooper Flax (third team).
The 2025 ACC men’s soccer regular season officially gets underway on Thursday, Aug. 21. League play begins on Friday, Sept. 5.
The 2025 ACC Men’s Soccer Championship opens at campus sites on Wednesday, Nov. 5. The semifinals and finals will be contested on Thursday, Nov. 13, and Sunday, Nov. 16, at First Horizon Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina.
2025 ACC Men’s Soccer Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Clemson (4), 185
2. Wake Forest (5), 175
3. Pitt (4), 167
4. Duke (2), 160
T5. Stanford, 136
T5. SMU, 136
7. North Carolina, 115
8. NC State, 108
9. Virginia, 104
10. Notre Dame, 81
11. Syracuse, 63
12. California, 57
13. Virginia Tech, 34
14. Louisville, 33
15. Boston College, 21
First-place votes in parentheses
2025 ACC Men’s Soccer Preseason Watch List
Ask Ekeland, Sr., M, Boston College
Alfredo Ortiz, Sr., D, California
Ransford Gyan, So., M, Clemson
Ulfur Bjornsson, Jr., F, Duke
Alex Svetanoff, Jr., GK, Louisville
Andrew Czech, Gr., M/D, North Carolina
Donavan Phillip, Jr., F, NC State
Wyatt Lewis, Jr., M, Notre Dame
Casper Svendby, Sr., D, Pitt
Jaylinn Mitchell, Jr., M, SMU
Zach Bohane, Sr., M, Stanford
Chimere Omeze, So., D, Syracuse
Umberto Pelà, Sr., M, Virginia
Sam Joseph, Sr., GK, Virginia Tech
Cooper Flax, Sr., M, Wake Forest