Updates records, standings and RPI as of Sunday night. 1. Wake Forest ----------------- 7-0-0 --- 2-0-0 2. Louisville ---------------------- 4-1-0 --- 2-0-0 5. Notre Dame ----------------- 3-1-1 --- 1-0-0 8. Duke --------------------------- 3-1-0 --- 0-1-0 9. Virginia Tech ---------------- 4-1-2 --- 0-1-1 10. Syracuse -------------------- 3-2-0 --- 0-1-0 11. Virginia ---------------------- 2-0-2 --- 0-0-1 18. North Carolina ------------ 5-1-0 --- 1-0-0 38. North Carolina State ----- 5-1-0 --- 0-1-0 81. Clemson --------------------- 3-2-1 --- 0-1-0 89. Boston College ------------ 2-1-3 --- 1-1-0 113. Pittsburgh ----------------- 2-3-0 --- 0-1-0 For what it's worth, and this early in the seasons it's not worth very much, the cut-off for the at-large bubble is 48. The week ahead: MONDAY 57. Michigan State (5-0-2) @ Notre Dame TUESDAY 6. Charlotte (3-1-0) @ Louisville Boston College @ 34. Connecticut (4-2-0) 94. Georgetown (3-2-1) @ Duke 111. Stetson (2-3-1) @ NC State 130. Florida International (2-4-0) @Virginia 165. Furman (3-3-0) @ Clemson 185. Detroit Mercy (1-5-0) @ Pittsburgh 188. Longwood (2-3-0) @ Virginia Tech FRIDAY Virginia @ Syracuse Wake Forest @ Clemson Pittsburgh @ Louisville North Carolina @ Notre Dame Virginia Tech @ NC State Boston College @ Duke
Michigan State 1, Notre Dame 0. The Irish had the better of play and had 6 shots on-goal to MSU's 3, but Sparty got am 89th minute goal to get the W. One thing I'm noticing in the ACC this year is a glaring lack of true finishers. Teams are doing a pretty good job creating chances but that go-to striker just isn't there.
The hurricanes continue to wreak havoc on the schedules but a few games were still able to be played. Clemson 5, Furman 2 Costa Rican junior Adrian Nunez, a transfer from North Florida with a brace and American freshman Grayson Barber with a goal and an assist. Virginia 2, Florida International 0 Big Zimbabwean (though HS in the US) freshman Cabrel Happi Kamseu scored his second of the season and UVa also got an own goal. American redshirt sophomore GK Colin Shutler has allowed one goal thru 5 games and has a 0.18 GAA. Pittsburgh 2, Detroit Mercy 0 Brazilian sophomore Marcony Pimentel and Spanish senior Javi Perez with the goals. Georgetown 1, Duke 0 The Blue Devils allow an early goal and can’t crack the Hoyas defense despite 5 shots on-goal. Virginia Tech 5, Longwood 1 American sophomore Kristo Strickler with a brace, bringing him up to 5 for the season, led the onslaught as the Hokies score 4 in the first half. Louisville 2, Charlotte 2 American redshirt Sr. Geoffrey Dee with a goal and an assist as the Cardinals rally from 2 goals down.
NC State 1, Virginia Tech 0 American senior Tanner Roberts with the goal and German sophomore Leon Krapf with three saves. Virginia 2, Syracuse 0 Nigerian (but HS in Virginia) Sr. Kennedy Nwabia and Brit sophomore Nathaniel Crofts with the goals. American redshirt sophomore Colin Shutler with 5 saves for his 5th shutout. UVa has allowed one goal all season. Cuse hasn't won an ACC game since 2016. Duke 3, Boston College 2 American freshman Ian Murphy (who is listed as a defender though I don't know if that's where he's playing) with a brace, Italian jr. Daniele Proch with a goal (his 6th) and an assist and American freshman Issa Rayyan (there's an Insecure joke there going begging) with two assists to overcome goals by American sophomore Beto Luna and Icelandic jr. Heidar Aegisson. North Carolina 1, Notre Dame 0, 2 OT American soph. Giovanni Montesdeoca (his third) with a deserving goal for UNC, which outshot the hosts 15-3 and held them without one on frame. It's the third straight loss for the Irish, all of them coming in OT or the dying minutes of regulation. Louisville 1, Pittsburgh 0 This one came down to who converted their PK chances. Louisville's American sophomore Jake Gelnovatch saved a second half penalty kick and Scottish senior Adam Wilson converted his minutes later. Wake Forest 3, Clemson 0 American soph. Justin McMaster (his 4th) and American freshmen Kyle Holcomb and Aristotle Zaris each scored and American sophomore Machop Chol had two assists. Spanish junior Andreu Cases Mundet had 3 saves. Road wins are golden in the ACC and UVa, Wake and UNC got 'em tonight. UPDATED STANDINGS and RPI (with a couple non-ACC results outstanding, which could move the rankings a tad) 1. Wake Forest ----------------- 8-0-0 --- 3-0-0 3. Louisville ---------------------- 5-1-1 --- 3-0-0 6. Virginia ----------------------- 4-0-2 --- 1-0-1 7. North Carolina ------------- 6-1-0 --- 2-0-0 8. Virginia Tech ---------------- 5-2-2 --- 0-2-1 13. Syracuse -------------------- 3-3-0 --- 0-2-0 15. Notre Dame ---------------- 3-3-1 --- 1-1-0 17. Duke -------------------------- 4-2-0 --- 1-1-0 18. North Carolina State ----- 6-1-0 --- 1-1-0 48. Clemson --------------------- 4-3-1 --- 0-2-0 95. Pittsburgh ------------------ 3-4-0 --- 0-2-0 121. Boston College ----------- 2-2-3 --- 1-2-0 So things have pretty much gotten to their normal levels for the conference and the RPI with 9 teams in the top 20 and another in the top 50. Thanks to ESPNplus (well worth 5 bucks a month just for college soccer but you get so much more) and ESPN3, I've seen every ACC team but Duke and Clemson play this year. Wake is clearly better than everyone else. They are scoring almost three goals a game and have multiple weapons and a lot of depth and senior leadership. As long as they don't face Stanford in the NCAA Tournament, they should make the College Cup. Virginia's defense is stout and they are hella athletic but they don't create a lot of scoring chances. This is a more dynamic team than some the recent UVa ones but they still need to be better in the final third. That said, this defense can take them far. UNC is deep and talented 1-10 but they lack a go-to goal-scorer. They have enough talent to win it all but I worry about where the goals will come from in the tight games. Louisville is interesting, a nice mix of depth and skill. They could get a hot and go far in the NCAA Tournament. I really like this NC State team. They're organized, have some bite and just enough skill. I don't see a College Cup in their future but they can make some noise in the NCAAs. I feel the same about Virginia Tech. Their record doesn't show it but this Pitt team is good. They've been really unlucky and could easily have three more wins, two of them in the ACC. They may not have the depth yet to make the NCAAs but if they win the rest of their non-con games and steal a game or two in the ACCs, they just might sneak in. Notre Dame is big, strong and organized but that's about it. Their leading scorer is a defender, which should tell you all you need to know. Underwhelmed with what I've seen from Syracuse (which has lost a lot of talent early the past few years) and Boston College this year. BC has some regrettable ties against bad teams that are really hurting their RPI. Syracuse's RPI flatters it, IMO, but if they can stay above .500 they should get an at-large bid. As I said, I haven't seen Duke and Clemson play. The Tigers lost a lot last year and I don't know think they'll go far in the NCAAs based on what they've shown on paper but if they win their remaining non-con games and get a couple of ACC results, they should make the NCAAs. Duke has a lot of talent but is also playing a lot of younger players. The skill is there but they may lack some experience. Looking forward to watching them play soon.
Duke is quite young. And it shows defensively, as they make dumb errors while ahead, and give up silly goals. Poor Pulisic, he's a great goalie, but his GAA is not good thanks to the bad defense is playing this year.
Updated RPI after this weekend's games. And the week ahead. 1. Wake Forest ----------------- 8-0-0 --- 3-0-0 3. Louisville ---------------------- 5-1-1 --- 3-0-0 5. North Carolina ------------- 6-1-0 --- 2-0-0 6. Virginia ----------------------- 4-0-2 --- 1-0-1 7. Virginia Tech ---------------- 5-2-2 --- 0-2-1 12. Syracuse -------------------- 3-3-0 --- 0-2-0 15. Notre Dame ---------------- 3-3-1 --- 1-1-0 14. Duke -------------------------- 4-2-0 --- 1-1-0 17. North Carolina State ----- 6-1-0 --- 1-1-0 64. Clemson --------------------- 4-3-1 --- 0-2-0 83. Pittsburgh ------------------ 3-4-0 --- 0-2-0 108. Boston College ----------- 2-2-3 --- 1-2-0 MONDAY 21. Colgate @ Syracuse TUESDAY NC State @ Pittsburgh 25. Xavier @ Notre Dame Louisville @ 26. Georgetown 92. George Washington @ Duke 99. Davidson @ Wake Forest FRIDAY Louisville @ NC State Clemson @ North Carolina Virginia @ Pittsburgh Syracuse @ Virginia Tech Boston College @ Notre Dame SATURDAY Duke @ Wake Forest
Syracuse fails to take advantage of a chance to get a quality non-conference win, tying Colgate (which came into the game with a 21 RPI) 1-1. Colgate is now undefeated against the ACC, having beaten Pitt earlier this season. Updated standings are records. 1. Wake Forest ----------------- 8-0-0 --- 3-0-0 3. Louisville ---------------------- 5-1-1 --- 3-0-0 5. North Carolina ------------- 6-1-0 --- 2-0-0 6. Virginia ----------------------- 4-0-2 --- 1-0-1 7. Virginia Tech ---------------- 5-2-2 --- 0-2-1 9. Notre Dame ----------------- 3-3-1 --- 1-1-0 12. Syracuse -------------------- 3-3-1 --- 0-2-0 14. Duke -------------------------- 4-2-0 --- 1-1-0 18. North Carolina State ----- 6-1-0 --- 1-1-0 66. Clemson --------------------- 4-3-1 --- 0-2-0 85. Pittsburgh ------------------ 3-4-0 --- 0-2-0 107. Boston College ----------- 2-2-3 --- 1-2-0
I'm trying to figure out which team is more overrated, Notre Dame or Syracuse. Likely Syracuse, but I see both of these teams dropping a lot of games towards the close.
Went to bed early last night. Here are yesterday's results. PITTSBURGH 3, NC STATE 1 Pitt gets its first ACC win of the year. Brazilian sophomore Marcony Pimentel scored the game-winner, Ugandan sophomore Edward Kizza got his 6th of the year and American sophomore Alexander Dexter had two helpers. WAKE FOREST 5, DAVIDSON 1 Brazilian junior Bruno Lapa with 2 goals and an assist. (He leads the ACC in both categories with 8 and 6) and American freshman Aristotle Zarris with a goal and an assist. Halfway thru the regular season, Wake is averaging over 3 goals per game. DUKE 0, GEORGE WASHINGTON 0 A disappointing scoreless draw given GW entered the game with an RPI in the 90s. American sophomore Will Pulisic made three saves for the shutout. NOTRE DAME 4, XAVIER 1 Xavier came into the game undefeated but American sophomore Aiden McFadden and American senior Thomas Ueland scored first half goals and the game was never in doubt after that. French/Japanese defender Felicien Dumas had two assists. LOUISVILLE 2, GEORGETOWN 1 The Cardinals go to DC and get a quality road win behind goals by American senior Tate Schmitt and Izaiah Jennings. Here's the updated records and RPI. Note that Pitt moved way up. If they can stay at .500 thru the ACC Tournament, the NCAAs should happen. Seven ACC teams in the top 10 and 10 in the top 40. 1. Wake Forest ----------------- 9-0-0 --- 3-0-0 3. Louisville ---------------------- 6-1-1 --- 3-0-0 5. North Carolina -------------- 6-1-0 --- 2-0-0 6. Notre Dame ----------------- 4-3-1 --- 1-1-0 7. Virginia ----------------------- 4-0-2 --- 1-0-1 9. Virginia Tech ---------------- 5-2-2 --- 0-2-1 10. Syracuse ------------------- 3-3-1 --- 0-2-0 23. Duke ------------------------- 4-2-1 --- 1-1-0 30. North Carolina State ---- 6-2-0 --- 1-2-0 40. Pittsburgh ------------------ 4-4-0 --- 1-2-0 60. Clemson --------------------- 4-3-1 --- 0-2-0 100. Boston College ----------- 2-2-3 --- 1-2-0
North Carolina 2, Clemson 0 American redshirt sophomore Giovanni Montesdeoca with a brace (now has 5 on the season) and American senior James Pyle made one save for the clean sheet. Louisville 2, NC State 2 Senegalese (HS in US) junior Cherif Dieye, and American senior Tate Schmitt (in the 90th minute) sandwiched goals around strikes from the Wolf Pack by American freshman Aidan Foster and Brazilian (JuCo transfer) junior Gabriel Machado. Virginia 2, Pittsburgh 0 Zimbabwean (HS in US) freshman Cabrel Happi Kamseu and American freshman Aboubacar Keita scored and redshirt sophomore Colin Shutler made 4 saves for his 6th shutout. UVa has allowed one goal this season. Virginia Tech 1, Syracuse 0 2OT American junior Nico Quashie scored in the 108th minute and Dutch sophomore Mathijs Swaneveld made 3 saves. Notre Dame 1, Boston College 0 American redshirt freshman Aiden McFadden with the only goal as the Irish held BC without a shot on-goal. Current records and updated (as of 9:50 ET) RPI. 1. Wake Forest ----------------- 9-0-0 --- 3-0-0 3. Louisville ---------------------- 6-1-2 --- 3-0-1 5. North Carolina -------------- 7-1-0 --- 3-0-0 6. Notre Dame ----------------- 5-3-1 --- 2-1-0 7. Virginia ----------------------- 5-0-2 --- 2-0-1 8. Virginia Tech ---------------- 6-2-2 --- 1-2-1 11. Syracuse ------------------- 3-4-1 --- 0-3-0 18. North Carolina State ---- 6-2-1 --- 1-2-1 25. Duke ------------------------- 4-2-1 --- 1-1-0 50. Pittsburgh ------------------ 4-5-0 --- 1-3-0 61. Clemson --------------------- 4-4-1 --- 0-3-0 116. Boston College ----------- 2-3-3 --- 1-3-0 Wake v Duke is tomorrow. We are starting to see some tiering and we're also seeing some teams that need to get some Ws to make the NCAAs. Syracuse and Pitt are a game below .500 and their RPI and SOS won't save their season if they don't get to .500.
WAKE FOREST 4, DUKE 2 American sophomore Amir Fernandez and American freshman Isaiah Parente each had a goal and an assist and American sophomore Machop Chol and Brazilian (HS in US) junior Bruno Lapa also scored to keep the Demon Deacons perfect. Lapa has 9 goals on the season and Fernandez 7 for Wake, which has scored 32 goals in 10 games this season. Scottish senior Ciaran McKenna and Italian Daniele Proch (his second) scored for Duke. I have questions about their defense holding up over the course of the postseason, but Wake has the best attack in college soccer and it’s made all the more impressive because they lost 5 of their top 6 leading scorers from last season, either to graduation or going pro early. Duke can store but their defense is... suspect. Here's the updated records with the RPI as of 10:30 Saturday night. 1. Wake Forest ----------------- 10-0-0 --- 4-0-0 3. Louisville ---------------------- 6-1-2 --- 3-0-1 4. North Carolina -------------- 7-1-0 --- 3-0-0 5. Virginia ----------------------- 5-0-2 --- 2-0-1 6. Notre Dame ----------------- 5-3-1 --- 2-1-0 7. Virginia Tech ---------------- 6-2-2 --- 1-2-1 10. Syracuse ------------------- 3-4-1 --- 0-3-0 19. North Carolina State ---- 6-2-1 --- 1-2-1 22. Duke ------------------------- 4-3-1 --- 1-2-0 39. Pittsburgh ------------------ 4-5-0 --- 1-3-0 54. Clemson --------------------- 4-4-1 --- 0-3-0 110. Boston College ----------- 2-3-3 --- 1-3-0
Let’s be real, Duke’s defense is AWFUL! They give up like 3 bloody goals a game. It’s utterly embarrassing! This will be yet another year duke misses the NCAA tourney. Which makes that 6 out of the last 7 years they’re missec the tourney. I’m sorry, but with all the recruiting prowess and resources, Duke should NEVER miss the NCAA tourney, EVER! Fire the coach. It’s time for him to go. He’s underachieved for 6 years now
Wake's defense is pretty bad if we're being honest. Far too many mental lapses that lead to a single pass breaking them down. Every set piece has a great chance than not to lead to a goal, and Casus-Mundet just doesn't fit the bill as a keeper. Great with his feet, and a great shot stopper, but he never learns from the amount of times he goes out for a cross and cant get to the ball. He is too small and tries to play like he is 6'3" and has led to so many goal scoring chances. The defense is what is scary going into the post-season. The offense on the other hand has been phenomenal, with some fantastic goals being scored this year. a couple of the goals from the Duke and Clemson games were just great soccer. It'll be interesting to see what this team can ultimately achieve.
Updated RPI after the weekend. Seven teams in the top 10, 9 in the top 20. Pitt and Syracuse both have an RPI that would get them an at-large bid but 1. Wake Forest ----------------- 10-0-0 --- 4-0-0 3. Louisville ---------------------- 6-1-2 --- 3-0-1 4. North Carolina -------------- 7-1-0 --- 3-0-0 5. Virginia ----------------------- 5-0-2 --- 2-0-1 6. Notre Dame ----------------- 5-3-1 --- 2-1-0 7. Virginia Tech ---------------- 6-2-2 --- 1-2-1 9. Syracuse -------------------- 3-4-1 --- 0-3-0 18. North Carolina State ---- 6-2-1 --- 1-2-1 20. Duke ------------------------- 4-3-1 --- 1-2-0 42. Pittsburgh ------------------ 4-5-0 --- 1-3-0 57. Clemson --------------------- 4-4-1 --- 0-3-0 117. Boston College ----------- 2-3-3 --- 1-3-0 Here are this week's games. MONDAY Syracuse @ 62. Akron TUESDAY 30. UNC Wilmington @ North Carolina 32. Wright State @ Virginia 43. Columbia @ Pittsburgh 51. James Madison @ NC State Notre Dame @ 87. Northwestern 99. UNC Greensboro @ Wake Forest 173. Charleston @ Clemson 189. South Carolina @ Virginia Tech 202. Wofford @ Duke FRIDAY Wake Forest @ Syracuse NC State @ Boston College Clemson @ Pittsburgh Duke @ Virginia SATURDAY Louisville @ Notre Dame Virginia Tech @ North Carolina
Syracuse 3, Akron 1 Swedish senior Jonathan Hagman scored a hat trick, the first two assisted by Canadian (HS in US) sophomore Tajon Buchanan, and German senior Hendrik Hilpert made 4 saves(before the Zips got a late consolation goal) to lead Cuse. The Zips aren't as good this year as they have been in the recent past but they're still a good side so this is a nice road win for the Orange. The win pulls Syracuse back to .500, which keeps then in at-large contention. They will, however, need to get some ACC wins and win their remaining non-con games if they are to stay there. BTW, the RPI formula says Syracuse has played the toughest schedule in the country so far. Akron is now 1-2 against the ACC this season, having lost to State and beaten Pitt. They also play at Notre Dame later this season. Kudos to them for playing a challenging schedule. 1. Wake Forest ----------------- 10-0-0 --- 4-0-0 3. Louisville ---------------------- 6-1-2 --- 3-0-1 4. Virginia ----------------------- 5-0-2 --- 2-0-1 5. North Carolina -------------- 7-1-0 --- 3-0-0 6. Notre Dame ----------------- 5-3-1 --- 2-1-0 7. Virginia Tech ---------------- 6-2-2 --- 1-2-1 8. Syracuse --------------------- 4-4-1 --- 0-3-0 19. Duke ------------------------- 4-3-1 --- 1-2-0 20. North Carolina State ---- 6-2-1 --- 1-2-1 47. Pittsburgh ------------------ 4-5-0 --- 1-3-0 57. Clemson --------------------- 4-4-1 --- 0-3-0 117. Boston College ----------- 2-3-3 --- 1-3-0
A good night for the ACC as the conference goes 7-1-1 (in addition to yesterday’s Syracuse win over Akron) with the only loss coming in OT. Virginia 2, Wright State 1 This was an interesting match-up. Both teams entered the game undefeated and Wright State entered second in the country (behind Wake) in goals-scored per game at 3.00 and UVa had the nation’s top-ranked defense at 0.13 per. Something had to give and it was UVa that gave at first as Wright State scored in the 12th minute, just the second goal allowed by the Cavs all season. But UVa got a first-half goal from Zimbabwean (HS in US) freshman Cabrel Happi Kamseu (his 4th) and one in the second from American freshman Daryl Dike. New Zealand sophomore Joe Bell got his 4th assist of the year on the first goal. North Carolina 1, UNC Wilmington 0 American junior Jack Skahan scored on the Tar Heels only shot on-goal of the game and American redshirt senior James Pyle made three saves for his sixth shutout of the season. Wake Forest 2, UNC Greensboro 0 American freshman Kyle Holcomb scored his third of the year and American sophomore Omir Fernandez his eighth, both assisted by Brazilian (HS in US) junior Bruno Lapa. (He has 9 goals and 8 assists so far this season.) Spanish junior Andreu Cases Mundet made 2 saves for the shutout. Duke 4, Wofford 2 After going down early, Duke scored 4 straight goals before giving up a late consolation strike. American junior Brandon Williamson, Italian junior Daniele Proch (his 8th), American sophomore Daniel Wright and American freshman Ian Murphy (his third) scored for the Blue Devils. Virginia Tech 1, South Carolina 2 – 2 OT Given the Gamecocks awful RPI and that Tech was playing at home, this was a really bad result for the Hokies. American redshirt sophomore Nico Quashie put Tech up early but the Cocks got the equalizer just before the break and scored the game-winner in the 110th minute. Clemson 3, Charleston 1 Costa Rican junior Adrian Nunez had a brace (giving him 5 on the year) and American redshirt junior Andrew Burnikel a goal and an assist to pull Clemson back over .500. NC State 0, James Madison 0. State was probably lucky to get a tie as they were outshot by JMU 15-7 and only had one shot on goal. German sophomore Leon Krapf made 5 saves for his 5th clean sheet. Pittsburgh 1, Columbia 0 They moved this game up early to try and beat the weather but still had a substantial rain delay in the second half before Spanish sophomore Jose Luis Sena Arbona nodded in a corner from senior countryman Javi Perez for the only goal. American freshman Johan Penaranda made six saves for his second shutout. The win moves the Panthers back above .500 as they chase an elusive NCAA Tournament bid. Notre Dame 3, Northwestern 0 American redshirt freshman Paul Rothrock’s first career goal was the game-winner and American redshirt junior Ian Aschieris and Scottish senior Sean MacLeod added consolation goals as the Irish held Northwestern without a shot on-goal. Here are the updated records and RPI 2. Wake Forest ----------------- 11-0-0 --- 4-0-0 3. Virginia ----------------------- 6-0-2 --- 2-0-1 4. North Carolina -------------- 8-1-0 --- 3-0-0 5. Louisville ---------------------- 6-1-2 --- 3-0-1 6. Notre Dame ----------------- 6-3-1 --- 2-1-0 7. Syracuse --------------------- 4-4-1 --- 0-3-0 16. Virginia Tech --------------- 6-3-2 --- 1-2-1 23. North Carolina State ---- 6-2-2 --- 1-2-1 27. Pittsburgh ------------------ 5-5-0 --- 1-3-0 28. Duke ------------------------- 5-3-1 --- 1-2-0 43. Clemson --------------------- 5-4-1 --- 0-3-0 104. Boston College ----------- 2-3-3 --- 1-3-0 So if all these teams managed to stay at or above .500, the ACC could be looking at eleven teams in the NCAA Tournament. Of course, I don't think they'll all stay at or above .500. But ya never know. FRIDAY Wake Forest @ Syracuse NC State @ Boston College Clemson @ Pittsburgh Duke @ Virginia SATURDAY Louisville @ Notre Dame Virginia Tech @ North Carolina
So here’s how things look for the three ACC teams at or a game over .500 in terms of who they play the rest of the way and their chances for an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. 7. Syracuse (4-4-1) has the following games left: 2. Wake Forest 191. Ohio State @ 5. Louisville 159. St. Bonaventure @ 23. NC State @ 43. Clemson 104. Boston College They’re likely gonna need to upset Wake or Louisville or steal one at Clemson or State and not have any slip-ups against the three teams they should be favored to beat. If they go 4-3-0 or better, they can lose in the first round of the ACC Tournament and still be at .500 and their RPI and SOS (1) should get them an at-large bid. It will also help Cuse’s case if 24. Cornell and 37. Oregon State stay in the top 40 and 75. Akron goes on a run as those will look better as quality wins. 43. Clemson (5-4-1) has the following games left: @ 27. Pittsburgh 3. Virginia 32. Coastal Carolina @ 5. Louisville 7. Syracuse 23. NC State Clemson has tough sledding the rest of the way but they basically need three wins out of the remaining six games. They get them, and they should get in, even though they currently don’t have any quality Ws. 27. Pittsburgh (5-5-0) has the following games left: 43. Clemson 140. Cleveland State @ 16. Virginia Tech 131. Temple @ 28. Duke @ 73. West Virginia 6. Notre Dame Pitt has to win all three of their non-con games and get a W in one of their four remaining ACC games and then they would be a game over .500 heading into the ACC Tournament, so even if they lost their first game there, they should still get in. (Their SOS of 18 should help.) Friday's game between Clemson and Pitt thus looms really large for both teams and the Clemson-Syracuse game later this month will be really big, too.
I believe you will be adding both Duke and NC State to this list in a matter of a week or two. I have seen both teams on a number of occasions, neither are very convincing. JMU completely outplayed NC State in the first half, State showed some fight in the second half but not much as the 0-0 tie shows. States destiny may lie in the hands of VaTech, there only quality win at the moment. Will a quality road tie help (louisville). Duke's only quality win is Vermont. Duke's destiny may lie with two Big South opponents and Elon. Just as I said after they played in the preseason game, both these teams have a lot of work to do, but now the stakes are higher.
Complicating things for State is that Manny Perez, one of their top players, is likely to miss time with the US U20 team for U20 WC qualifying.
This is true, but over the last 4-5 games, Manny has been almost a non factor. I do believe he has been nursing an injury. He did not start the game against JMU, but did start second half. When playing State failed to consistently involve him in the attack and often left him out on the wings waiting. correction to prior post: NC States tie with Louisville was at home, not on the road as indicated. So, do quality home ties help the cause?
Put together a list of the leading goal-scorers and assist leaders in the ACC so far this year. Bruno Lapa is the leader in both and seems a lock for ACC offensive player of the year. One of the things that struck me is how few seniors are on this list. And then I remembered Jack Harrison would be a senior this year. I wonder how many of the underclassmen will be back next year. LEADING GOALSCORERS Bruno Lapa, Jr. F, Wake Forest – 11 games, 9 goals, 8 assists Daniele Proch, Jr., Duke – 9 games, 8 goals, 1 assist Omir Fernandez, So., Wake Forest – 11 games, 8 goals, 3 assists Simon Enstrom, Sr., Boston College – 8 games, 6 goals, 1 assist Edward Kizza, So., Pittsburgh – 10 games, 6 goals, 0 assists Giovanni Montesdeoca, R-So., North Carolina – 9 games, 5 goals, 1 assist Adrian Nunez, Jr., Clemson – 10 games, 5 goals, 0 assists Patrick Berneski, R-Sr., Notre Dame – 10 games, 5 goals, 0 assists Kristo Strickler, So., Virginia Tech – 11 games, 5 goals, 1 assist Justin McMaster, So., Wake Forest – 8 games, 4 goals, 3 assists Cabrel Happi Kamseu, Fr., Virginia – 8 games, 4 goals, 0 assists Nico Quashie, R-So., Virginia Tech – 11 games, 4 goals, 0 assists LEADING PLAYMAKERS (via assists) Lapa – 11 games, 8 assists Felicien Dumas, Sr., Notre Dame – 10 games, 6 assists David Loera, So., NC State – 10 games, 5 assists Isaiah Parente, Fr., Wake Forest – 11 games, 5 assists Alistair Johnston, Jr., Wake Forest – 11 games, 5 assists Tajon Buchanan, So., Syracuse – 7 games, 4 assists Manny Perez, So., NC State – 8 games, 4 assists Joe Bell, So., Virginia – 8 games, 4 assists Tate Schmitt, Sr., Louisville – 9 games, 4 assists Ryan Raposo, Fr., Louisville – 9 games, 4 assists Machop Chol, So., Wake Forest – 11 games, 4 assist Logan Gdula, Sr., Wake Forest – 11 games, 4 assists
I'll write the summaries later but a crazy night in the ACC as Syracuse and Duke give Wake Forest and UVa their first losses of the year and last place BC beats State.
FINALLY, a good result for Duke tonight! Not only did they get the win over a highly ranked team, but they also kept a clean sheet (which has been next to impossible for them this year). Well done boys. Hopefully we can build on this and continue to challenge/beat some really good acc teams
Duke 2, Virginia 0 UVa gave up as many goals in the first 20 minutes as they had all season as Italian junior Dainiele Proch (his 9th) scored on an early PK and Austrian sophomore Matias Frick got the insurance goal to hand the Cavaliers their first loss of the year. American sophomore Will Pulisic made four saves for the shutout. (I watched this game. UVa was awful. Bad give-aways, no ideas on offense, stupid fouls. They looked nothing like a top 5 team. But credit to Duke for taking it to them early and then staying organized once they went up two goals.) Syracuse 2, Wake Forest 0 The Canadian freshmen duo of Hillil Goldhar and Ryan Raposo teamed up for a sweet go-ahead goal and American junior John-Austin Ricks scored an insurance goal after Syracuse went down a man when Canadian sophomore Tajon Buchanan got tossed to give Wake its first loss of the season and just the second ACC loss in four seasons under Bobby Muuss. German senior Hendrik Hilpert made five saves to for the clean sheet. Seriously, if you can, find video of Goldhar's goal. Raposo makes a really nice run then slots a perfect pass to split the defense and Goldhar makes a perfect run then chips the GK. It's a really nice goal. Boston College 1, NC State 0 The Eagles may have entered the game with the worst RPI in the ACC and the conference's only team with a losing record but they still are a tough out, especially at home. Swedish senior Simon Enstrom's seventh of the year was the difference, assisted by Icelandic freshman Kristofer Konradsson. BC's defense didn't allow a shot on-goal, which isn't a good sign for the Wolf Pack, who are winless (0-2-2) in their last four. Pittsburgh 2, Clemson 1, 2OT. Ugandan (HS in US) sophomore Edward Kizza scored a brace, the latter set-up by Spanish senior Javi Perez, his second straight game-winning assist. Kizza now has 8 goals. American redshirt freshman Quinn McNeil scored for the Tigers. It's the second straight year the Panthers have two ACC wins after not getting any their first four years in the conference. Louisville-Notre Dame and North Carolina-Virginia Tech are tomorrow. Here are the updated records and RPI. It's almost the second week of October and no ACC team has a losing record or an RPI above 70. 2. Wake Forest ----------------- 11-1-0 --- 4-1-0 3. Louisville ---------------------- 6-1-2 --- 3-0-1 4. North Carolina -------------- 8-1-0 --- 3-0-0 6. Virginia ----------------------- 6-1-2 --- 2-1-1 7. Syracuse --------------------- 5-4-1 --- 1-3-0 8. Notre Dame ----------------- 6-3-1 --- 2-1-0 12. Duke ------------------------- 6-3-1 --- 2-2-0 19. Virginia Tech --------------- 6-3-2 --- 1-2-1 26. Pittsburgh ------------------ 6-5-0 --- 2-3-0 33. North Carolina State ---- 6-3-2 --- 1-3-1 57. Clemson --------------------- 5-5-1 --- 0-4-0 69. Boston College ------------ 3-3-3 --- 2-3-0 This conference is just a battle royale.