May 29, 2002

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- SAS Stadium in Cary, N.C., has been selected as the site for the 2002 ACC Men's Soccer Championship, as announced by Atlantic Coast Conference Commissioner John Swofford on Wednesday.

In the championship's 15-year history, this will mark the first time the event will be conducted at a neutral site within the state of North Carolina. In 1997, the championship was played at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex, the only other neutral site to host the event.

The new SAS Stadium, which has a capacity of 7,000, is the current home to the Carolina Courage of the WUSA. It also serves as a home field to the Raleigh CASL Elite, which is a premiere developmental league.

"This is a fantastic new facility in an area that is noted for having great soccer support," said ACC Commissioner John Swofford. "We are looking forward to this outstanding venue hosting the ACC Men's Soccer Championship."

Most recently, from May 1 through May 10, the US Men's National Team, which includes former Tar Heels Gregg Berhalter and Eddie Pope and is under the direction of former Virginia head coach Bruce Arena, trained for the upcoming 2002 World Cup at the SAS Soccer Park.

As a league, the ACC has won 10 national titles and has advanced to the NCAA Men's College Cup (Final Four) on 28 different occasions. Five of the eight league schools that sponsor men's soccer have won at least one national title including the University of North Carolina, who captured the 2001 NCAA Title.