Hey folks, it’s been a long time since I’ve posted on the blog, but with the ACC tournament starting Wednesday there’s no better time to start sharing some men’s soccer info.
So I’ve come up with this little tourney primer, and I’ll be checking in before and during all of the Terps’ remaining games, including their NCAA tournament matches.
The tournament, at the WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C., actually started today when No. 8 seed N.C. State beat No. 9 seed Virginia Tech 3-1. The Wolfpack get the privilege of playing undefeated No. 1 Wake Forest later Wednesday night. Here are the quarterfinal match ups for Wednesday:
12 p.m. #2 Maryland (15-3-0, 6-2 ACC) vs. #7 North Carolina (11-6-1, 3-5 ACC)
The Terps, who are the second seed behind Wake, play North Carolina Wednesday at noon in the first quarterfinal match. As you might know, the Terps beat the Tar Heels 2-1 last Friday night at Ludwig Field in the regular season finale. While that result may seem a little close for comfort and Carolina is no doubt a talented team capable of getting to the tourney final on Sunday, the Terps could have- make that should have- beat them by a wider margin.
Forward Casey Townsend had the ball with space and only the goalie to beat three times in the first 15 minutes of the second half and failed to convert any of those chances. With the return of Jason Herrick, the Terps’ other starting forward, from a red card suspension and the improved play of midfielders Drew Yates and Graham Zusi, the Terps might just have too much for the Tar Heels to handle.
2:30 p.m. #3 Boston College (9-6-2, 5-3 ACC) vs. #6 Clemson (7-8-2, 3-4-1 ACC)
Boston College won this tournament last season with a 2-1 victory over Wake Forest, and were supposed to use that momentum to challenge both the Demon Deacons and the Terps for conference supremacy this season. But they started out slow and had trouble scoring, something that was evident in their 1-0 loss to the Terps on Sept. 12. But behind star midfielder Alejandro Bedoya, who leads the team with six goals, the Eagles were able to creep back up to third place in the ACC by the end of the season. Meanwhile, besides their wild 5-3 win against the Terps back on Oct. 3, Clemson hasn’t been that impressive. Expect BC to take this one.
5:30 p.m. #1 Wake Forest (17-0-1, 7-0-1 ACC) vs. #8 N.C. State (8-8-1, 3-5 ACC)
N.C. State deserves a lot of credit for the way they’ve played lately after an awful start to the year. The Wolfpack have won six out of their last seven games, the only loss coming against the Terps on Oct. 25. Star forward Ronnie Bouemboue has 13 goals, including two in his team’s win over the Hokies today. If they were playing anybody else I might be tempted to predict an upset. But Wake Forest is Wake Forest. The defending champs are loaded at every position and have the ability to turn any minor mistake or giveaway from their opponent into a goal at lightning quick speed. They’ll be moving on, and you’ll be hearing a lot more from me about the team some coaches are calling “the best college soccer team ever” later in the week.
8 p.m. #4 Virginia (9-7-1, 4-4 ACC) vs. #5 Duke (10-6-2, 3-3-2 ACC)
This should be the best game of the night. Like BC, Duke has had scoring difficulties all year long. But they were the only team not to lose to Wake this year- they managed a scoreless draw against the Demon Deacons on Oct. 18. Virginia has sustained major injuries this season, but when the Terps played them on Halloween, they still had a whole lot of speed that was hard to handle. It’s likely both teams will make the NCAA tournament regardless of the result of this game. But then again, a win here should lock up a tourney berth, especially for the Cavaliers, who have struggled down the stretch. I’ll take Duke in penalty kicks for fun.
Check back here tomorrow around game time for probable starters, a halftime update and hopefully a couple of other entries from Cary throughout the day.
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