Wake Forest Earns Top Seed at 2009 ACC Men's Soccer Championship

Nov. 9, 2009

GREENSBORO, N.C. (theACC.com) - The Atlantic Coast Conference kicks off the 2009 ACC Men's Soccer Championship at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C., on Tuesday, November 10. The four-day tournament opens competition with eighth-seeded Virginia Tech (5-11-2, 2-6-0 ACC) facing ninth-seeded Clemson (5-11-1, 2-6-0 ACC) in the day's only match.

"The Town of Cary and WakeMed Soccer Park are excited to once again be the host venue for the ACC Men's Soccer Championship," said WakeMed Athletic Facility Supervisor Keith Jenkins. "The Town takes great pride in partnering with the ACC, Capital Area Soccer League and the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitor's Bureau to showcase the best men's soccer conference in the country."

Wake Forest (13-3-2, 5-2-1 ACC), which earned the top-seed in the tournament after following league tie-breaker procedures, shared the 2009 ACC regular-season crown with North Carolina (13-2-2, 5-2-1 ACC) and will play the winner of Tuesday's 1 p.m. Virginia Tech vs. Clemson match on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. The regular-season championship is the second consecutive for Wake Forest and the fifth in program history, while it marks the first since 2000 for the Tar Heels.

North Carolina and Wake Forest tied earlier in the season, 2-2, and the tie for seeding purposes was broken on conference goals scored. The Demon Deacons enter the league tournament with 18 goals registered in ACC regular-season action, while UNC totaled 12.

To open quarterfinals action on Wednesday, fourth-seeded Maryland (12-4-2, 4-2-2 ACC) battles fifth-seeded Virginia (12-3-2, 4-3-1 ACC) in a noon match-up at WakeMed Soccer Park. The defending ACC Tournament and NCAA champion Terrapins narrowly defeated the Tar Heels earlier in the regular season in College Park, establishing a new Ludwig Field record crowd of 6,946.

In the 2:30 p.m. Wednesday slot, third-seeded Boston College (11-7-0, 5-3-0 ACC) will face sixth-seeded Duke (12-5-0, 4-4-0 ACC). The Eagles, who defeated the Blue Devils 2-0 earlier in the season in only their second-ever win over Duke, finished the regular season winning six of their final seven contests, including back-to-back wins over second-ranked teams in the nation (North Carolina and Wake Forest).

To wrap up quarterfinals action on Wednesday, second-seeded North Carolina and seventh-seeded NC State (12-5-1, 2-5-1 ACC) will battle at 8 p.m. The Tar Heels hold a 48-20-11 lead in the all-time series with NC State, including three-straight wins, while the Wolfpack have taken only one match from UNC since 1997.

Last year, Maryland captured its third ACC men's soccer crown with a 1-0 victory over Virginia at WakeMed Soccer Park. The title marked the first since 2002 for Maryland, which also set a school-record 23 wins and 15 shutouts last season en route to the ACC and NCAA crowns.

Tuesday and Wednesday's action will be played on WakeMed Soccer Park's Koka Booth Stadium, while the semifinals and title game on Friday and Sunday, respectively, will be played on the main field, WakeMed Soccer Stadium.

Semifinals action will continue on Friday, Nov. 13 with games slated at 5:30 and 8 p.m. The championship game will kick off at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 15. All games are available online through ACCSelect, while the championship game will be nationally televised on Fox Sports Net. The awards ceremony will be immediately following the title game.

For complete coverage, including the bracket and game results, visit theACC.com. Also make sure to check out the 2009 ACC men's soccer Championship page or follow ACC men's soccer on Twitter @theaccchamps.