Take a look at the NCAA preseason women’s soccer rankings, and one thing jumps out at you quickly: a lot of ACC teams. Out of the top six teams in the preseason poll, the only one who’s not an ACC member is defending champion UCLA. The other five are North Carolina, Notre Dame, Duke, Virginia and Florida State, all ACC powers with legitimate hopes of reaching the College Cup.
Odds are, at least one will. There have been 41 editions of the College Cup, and only one has ever taken place without an ACC team in the last four. Even that 2004 tournament gets an asterisk, because it had current ACC member Notre Dame win the title while the Irish were playing under the Big East banner.
What’s made the ACC so strong? Here’s why Tobacco Road is the gold standard for women’s soccer.
Florida State Showed The Way
In the early days of the sport, there was North Carolina and there was everyone else, literally. The Tar Heels won 16 of the first 19 national titles, dominating the ACC as well as the nation. Eventually, Florida State decided it wasn’t going to accept Carolina’s dominance, and when the Women’s United Soccer Association went belly up in 2003, the Seminoles pounced by nabbing Mark Krikorian as coach.
Since then, the Seminoles have become a power, claiming three national titles and nine ACC titles. What’s more, the Seminoles showed the rest of the league what was possible if they invested in their women’s soccer programs. Since Florida State picked the Carolina blue lock on the ACC, Duke, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest and Boston College have all made runs to the national semifinals.
Selling The Universities to International Students
Look at the Women’s World Cup, and you’ll see ACC influence on finalist England. England coach Sarina Wiegman and defender Lucy Bronze both wore Carolina blue for a season, and the Heels are hardly the only ACC squad to pursue international talent.
That’s because ACC universities are almost all excellent academic institutions. Women’s soccer is a sport where players come for education first and soccer second. A few might play professionally, but for most, their athletic ability is their ticket to a discounted or free first-class education. ACC schools, having that reputation, can sell the school to top international students and attract top international talent to their program.
Iron Sharpens Iron
When you pull a bunch of talent in one conference, it makes every team stronger. There’s a reason NC State won two ACC games last year and still made the NCAAs: because every match in this league is difficult. Only six teams make the ACC tournament too, so the margin for error is nil in the ACC.
Winning a national championship won’t be easy, with UCLA, Alabama and Penn State all lurking. But the ACC has put itself in ideal position to make a run, through years of hard work by its programs.