ACC Men’s Soccer Outlook
This is a big week for ACC soccer. At this point in the season, the table which determines league standing is balanced at a point where the teams at the top can begin to cement a lead, whereas the teams in the middle can climb several spaces with victories. The table is led by Maryland and North Carolina, with 9 and 7 points respectively. Following them are Duke and Clemson on four points and Wake Forest and Virginia on three. UNC and Maryland can pull away from the pack with victories over the weekend, whilst Duke and Clemson can tie Carolina, and Wake and Virginia can join the upper echelon.
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The ACC is a league full of interesting teams. I think we can reasonably expect losses from every team this year, as the ACC has four teams ranked in the top 25 of the NSCAA poll and two teams which are not ranked, Virginia and Virginia Tech, who would be if not for either early season injuries or a brutal schedule. Realistically, there are at least 6 teams with justifiable hopes of reaching the College Cup, and for this there will be a lot of quality, competition, and excitement on the road ahead.
We should also expect upward mobility within the league. NC State is a nationally ranked team, yet has zero points for the ACC season. Wake Forest is also ranked well nationally but poorly within the league. Both teams have tremendous quality, but have yet to get rolling in the ACC. Once they do however, they will be dangerous opponents and will be determined to make their way up the league standings. We also cannot count out Virginia Tech. While we saw the Tar Heels handle them easily, they have a lot of talent on their roster, and if their young players can gel and perform to their capability they will also be a team to watch.
So this brings about the question on everyone’s tongues: What does this mean for the Heels? Our matchup with Duke this Friday will give us an opportunity to not only gain three points, but also put down our nearest chaser. Games like this are key at the end of the season, but at the same time a win or a loss does not end the season. Any team in the league is vulnerable due to the immense quality in the league, and so the Tar Heels must be careful to remain focused and see out some victories, but at the same time they can count on the other top teams having just as hard a road. I think that we can expect a little bit of help from the other teams in the league keeping everything close. This having been said, if any team is capable of going undefeated it is the Heels, who are a special squad already blooded in last year’s College Cup.
We should look ahead to vital games against Duke and Maryland in the next few weeks. If we win against Duke, we push ourselves forward and them backward, whilst a win against Maryland should take us ahead of them on points, assuming that we match them in points scored between now and the Maryland game. Right now Maryland are the top ranked team in the nation, but fans should take comfort from the fact that this is a position they took from us after a freak loss, so we may be more matched in terms of quality than the national poll would suggest.
Tomorrow we’ll take a look at the upcoming Duke fixture and its implications. It’ll be a big occasion, so fans will not want to miss the game or our pre match coverage.