CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – Duke freshman forward Jack Ottley and NC State fifth-year forward Aidan Payne shared Atlantic Coast Conference Men’s Soccer Offensive Player of the Week honors, and North Carolina sophomore goalkeeper Alan Rutkowski earned ACC Defensive Player of the Week honors for matches played from October 12-18, as announced Tuesday.
CO-OFFENSIVE – Jack Ottley, Fr., F, Duke (Chesapeake, Virginia)
• Totaled five points on two goals and an assist in wins over Virginia and Greensboro
• Recorded a goal and an assist in Duke’s 3-0 win over Virginia on Friday.
• Scored a goal in the first half against UVA and also set up the eventual game-winning goal.
CO-OFFENSIVE – Aidan Payne, 5th, F, NC State (Wilmington, North Carolina)
• Recorded a brace in Wolfpack’s 2-2 draw at California on Sunday.
• Opened the scoring in the ninth minute. With 18 minutes remaining in the match, he found the back of the net again to level the score.
• It marked his second career brace and came just one week after scoring a hat trick while NC State shut out then-No. 4 Kansas City, 3-0.
DEFENSIVE – Alan Rutkowski, So., GK, North Carolina (Elmwood Park, New Jersey)
• Led a defense that held No. 7 Pitt scoreless for the first time in nine matches on the way to a 1-0 road win on Friday as the Tar Heels scored their fifth straight victory.
• While Rutkowski was only forced into one save, he made a number of claims on crosses and through balls that kept Pitt from producing any dangerous situations.
Men’s Soccer Notes
• In the latest NCAA RPI, released Monday, eight ACC teams rank among the top 30: No. 1 Clemson, No. 3 SMU, No. 5 Pitt, No. 11 North Carolina, No. 13 Wake Forest, No. 14 Stanford, No. 17 Louisville and No. 27 Notre Dame. That is the most of any conference.
• ACC teams are 74-20-16 (.745) against non-conference competition this season. The winning percentage and total number of wins are the best of any conference.
• The ACC reaches its penultimate weekend of conference play this weekend. One of three teams nationally that has yet to lose a match this season, SMU (10-0-2, 5-0-1) can clinch at least a share of the regular-season title with a win over California on Saturday, coupled with a Clemson draw or loss at Virginia Tech on Sunday.
2026 ACC Offensive Player of the Week
Aug. 25 – Xander Sevian, So., F, Clemson
Sept. 1 – Giacomo Zizza, Jr., M, Louisville
Sept. 8 – Ransford Gyan, Jr., M, Clemson
Sept. 15 – Jayden Fitzgerald Boes, Fr., F, Stanford
Sept. 22 – Alex Perez, Jr., F/M, Virginia Tech
Sept. 29 – Ransford Gyan, Jr., M, Clemson
Oct. 6 – Joschi Schelb, Sr., F, North Carolina
Oct. 13 – Joschi Schelb, Sr., F, North Carolina
Oct. 20 – Jack Ottley, Fr., F, Duke; Aidan Payne, 5th, F, NC State
2026 ACC Defensive Player of the Week
Aug. 25 – Beau Morrison, Jr., D, California
Sept. 1 – Jaylinn Mitchell, Sr., M, SMU
Sept. 8 – Blake Kelly, Jr., GK, Notre Dame
Sept. 15 – Vlad Walent, 5th, D, Notre Dame
Sept 22 – Blake Kelly, Jr., GK, Notre Dame; Enzo Panozzo, Sr., D, SMU
Sept 29 – Enzo Panozzo, Sr., D, SMU
Oct. 6 – Diego Dauzier, So., GK, Virginia Tech
Oct. 13 – Nathaniel Abraham, So., GK, Louisville; Gavin Wetzel, So., D, Pitt
Oct. 20 – Alan Rutkowski, So., GK, North Carolina