ACC dominance is still the rule in college soccer

NORTH CAROLINA STATE ATHLETICS

North Carolina State advanced to its first College Cup final in 2025, continuing the ACC's run of strong soccer programs.

Long an also-ran in the soccer-rich ACC, North Carolina State outwitted, outplayed, and outlasted their rivals to make the final four of Division I college soccer. 

But the Wolfpack couldn’t survive overtime in the NCAA Men’s College Cup final, losing 3-2 to Washington, a Big Ten school. The 48-team tournament consisted of 22 automatic qualifiers and 26 at-large teams.

It was NCSU’s first final ever and their second berth in the semifinals, the first since 1990. That was also the only time the Wolfpack won the ACC postseason tournament. Third in the 2025 regular season behind Virginia and Stanford, they lost to Syracuse in a quarterfinal but were still seeded 15th in the NCAA tournament. 

After a first-round bye, NCSU beat Marshall (1-0), UNC Greensboro (2-0), Georgetown (3-2), and St. Louis (2-1) to make the final. Washington took out Oregon State (3-2), SMU (1-0), Stanford (1-0), Maryland (3-1), and Furman (3-1).

Essentially a home game for the Wolfpack with the NCSU campus just 5 miles away from WakeMed Park in Cary, 10,316 fans set a new attendance record for the College Cup since 2004. 

Down 2-0 with 28 minutes to play, the Wolfpack came back to draw even with just three and a half minutes left on a curving right-footer by Taig Healy. Donovan Phillip became the top scorer in D1 soccer with his 19th goal this season, which put State back in the match in the 66th minute.

He was assisted by All-American centerback Nikola Markovic, the top pick in the MLS SuperDraft three days later.

At that point it felt like either side was arguably the team of destiny as they went to the first of two potential golden-goal overtime periods before a penalty kick tiebreaker. The tension lasted 114 seconds before the Huskies Harrison Bertos scored from close range to crush the home crowd.

ACC dominance in men’s soccer

While the top prize eluded the conference, the tournament underscored the dominance of the ACC, which now includes Pacific Coast programs as well. Nine of the 15 conference schools – 60% – that field men’s teams earned berths in the College Cup. 

Although Florida State is the 2025 women’s champion and a longtime powerhouse in the sport, the Seminoles don’t have a men’s team. Nor does Miami, despite its multicultural advantages, or Georgia Tech, which is also the only ACC school without a women’s team.

By comparison, the Big Ten also has 18 member schools but has only 12 men’s programs. Five made the College Cup.

Of the 16 seeded teams in the tournament, four – No. 2 Virginia, SMU (5), Stanford (12) and N.C. State (15) – came from the ACC. No. 4 Maryland and Indiana (6), came from the Big Ten. 

In 67 years of NCAA national championships in soccer, the ACC has won 20, led by Virginia’s seven titles and Clemson’s four. Maryland had three before abandoning the conference they helped launch for the Big Ten in 2014.

North Carolina has two titles, the first in 2001 and the second 10 years later in the 2011 final against the Charlotte 49ers. Duke, Notre Dame, Syracuse and Wake Forest each have one.
ACC teams have finished second 12 times, including this year, and have made 63 semifinal appearances.

Clemson was the most recent to win the College Cup in 2023 with former Charlotte FC players George Marks in goal and Hamady Diop in central defense. They also took top honors in 2021 and with Syracuse winning the 2022 tournament. 

Since 2000, six ACC schools have won 10 championships, including UNC (2001, 2011), Maryland (2005, 2008), Wake Forest (2007), Virginia (2009, 2014), Notre Dame (2013), Clemson (2021, 2023).

It started early

Maryland was the first ACC team to become a dominant national program, making three finals, including a tie for the championship in 1968, and another two semifinals from 1960 to 1969. Then came Clemson in the 70’s with four semifinals, including one final from 1973 to 1979. But it would be 1984 when Clemson would celebrate their first title, with their second coming in 1987. They would remain a force.

The 1980s would see the Tobacco Road schools and Virginia become competitive when the Cavaliers handed the reigns to Bruce Arena in 1978 and Duke brought in coach John Rennie from Columbia in 1979. Wake Forest hired George Kennedy in 1981, and North Carolina gave more resources to Anson Dorrance, a former Tar Heels player who became head coach of the men’s team in 1977.

N.C. State’s ascension came under George Tarantini, the brother of Argentine World Cup star Alberto Tarrantini, who was promoted to head coach in 1986. 

Duke, led by Charlotte Independence coach Mike Jeffries, made their first final four appearance in 1982 and finished second. They won the championship in 1986.
UVA won their first five titles in six years from 1989 to 1994, and two more in 2009 and 2014.

In 2008, three of the four semifinalists came from the ACC, including champion Maryland, North Carolina, and Wake Forest. It happened again the following season with Virginia winning their sixth title, and Wake Forest and North Carolina in the semifinals.

Fun fact
Roberts Gibbs, a backup goalkeeper on N.C. State’s 1990 team went on to become press secretary for President Barack Obama from 2009-11.

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