Clemson Tigers Men’s Soccer Team Receives Shock in ACC Preseason Poll

The Clemson Tigers men’s soccer team are the defending national champions but not everyone thinks they’re the preseason ACC favorite.

Dec 12, 2021; Cary, NC, USA; Clemson head coach Mike Noonan talks to defender Justin Malou (4) and forward Mohamed Seye (9) in the second half at WakeMed Soccer Park. Clemson defeated Washington 2-0. / Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

In what may be a nod to what the Clemson Tigers lost from its men’s soccer team a year ago, they were not the unanimous pick to win the ACC going into the season, the conference announced on Wednesday.

The Tigers — who won the national championship last season — was still first in the coaches’ poll with 193 points. But Clemson only received 12 of the 15 first-place votes.

North Carolina, a perennial power, received two first-place votes, while Wake Forest received one.

Oddly, the second-place team in the poll didn’t receive a first-place vote at all. Notre Dame was right behind Clemson with 167 points, followed by North Carolina (156) and Wake Forest (149). Stanford — which joins the league this season with Cal and SMU — rounded out the Top 5 with 147 points.

The infusion of new schools has only made the league stronger from a soccer perspective. Last year 11 of the teams in the league that now make up the conference made the NCAA Tournament.

Additionally, Clemson topped the preseason United Soccer Coaches Top 25 Poll, leading 10 ACC teams to make the poll. The others included Notre Dame (No. 2), Stanford (No. 5), North Carolina (No. 6), SMU (No. 10), Virginia (No. 13), Wake Forest (No. 15), Duke (No. 20), Louisville (No. 24) and Syracuse (No. 25).

Clemson, North Carolina, Notre Dame and Stanford reached the NCAA quarterfinals last year, with the Tigers and Fighting Irish advancing to the NCAA College Cup as well as the championship game.

Joran Gerbert, the senior midfielder, was the only Clemson player named to the ACC Preseason watch list. He was All-ACC First Team last year and leads 22 returning players from last year’s team. Other notable returnees are goalkeeper Joseph Andema, forward Alex Meinhard, forward Nathan Richmond and defender Adam Lundegard.

The Tigers are in the midst of exhibition games as they warm up for the 2024 season. The opener will be at home against Penn State on Aug. 22, followed by a road trip to South Carolina on Aug. 30.

Clemson’s ACC opener will be against Stanford on Sept. 6, a rematch of last year’s NCAA quarterfinal matchup, which Clemson won, 2-0.

The ACC Men’s Soccer Tournament will feature all 15 teams and open on campus sites on Nov. 6. The semifinals (Nov. 14) and the finals (Nov. 17) will be at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C.

2024 ACC Men’s Soccer Preseason Coaches Poll

(first-place votes in parenthesis)

1. Clemson (12), 193

2. Notre Dame, 167

3. North Carolina (2), 156

4. Wake Forest (1), 149

5. Stanford, 147

6. Virginia, 124

7. Duke, 122

8. SMU, 99

9. Pitt, 95

10. Syracuse, 90

11. NC State, 73

12. Louisville, 69

13. California, 38

14. Virginia Tech, 32

15. Boston College, 21