CHAPEL HILL, NC – The Atlantic Coast Conference released its 2022 men’s soccer preseason poll on Tuesday, and the league’s coaches picked the University of North Carolina to finish second in the Coastal Division.
Midfielder Sebastian Schacht also landed on the ACC’s preseason watch list. The graduate transfer from Saint Mary’s (Calif.) is in his first season with the Tar Heels.
Reigning national champion Clemson is the preseason favorite to be crowned the ACC champion as the Tigers received six votes from the league’s 12 head coaches. UNC and Pitt both notched two votes to be tied for second behind the Tigers, followed by Wake Forest and defending conference champion Notre Dame with one vote apiece.
League coaches predicted Pitt to win the Coastal Division, with the Panthers receiving 57 points behind six first-place votes. North Carolina finished a close second with five votes and 52 overall points while Notre Dame received one vote and 44 points for third.
Clemson was awarded nine first-place selections and 64 points to receive the top preseason spot in the Atlantic Division. Wake Forest secured three votes and 55 points to finish second with Louisville coming in third with 47 points.
North Carolina was also slotted at No. 24 in the United Soccer Coaches preseason poll. The ACC topped all leagues with six men’s soccer programs among the United Soccer Coaches preseason top 25: Clemson (1), Notre Dame (4), Pitt (7), Duke (12), Wake Forest (15) and UNC (24) .
In addition to earning a spot on the ACC’s preseason watch list, Schacht was tabbed as one of 26 midfielders to watch in Division I by the United Soccer Coaches. Til Zinnhardta graduate transfer from Tulsa, was also one of 24 players named to the United Soccer Coaches’ defenders preseason watch list.
The Tar Heels travel to James Madison for their final preseason tuneup on Aug. 19. UNC then returns home to officially begin 2022 regular season action with the Carolina Nike Classic, taking on Air Force on Aug. 25 and South Florida on Aug. 27 at Dorrance Field.
Tickets for all regular season home matches are available for purchase here.
With head coach Carlos Somoano now in his 12th year at the helm, UNC returned 22 players and added 12 freshmen and six transfers for the 2022 season. The Tar Heels, who finished fourth in the Coastal Division, produced an 11-7-2 (4-4 ACC) record last season, advancing to the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament and the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Stay up to date with Carolina men’s soccer by following the Tar Heels on TwitterInstagram and Facebook.