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Aug. 7, 2000
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The University of Virginia men’s soccer team was picked to finish second in the upcoming 2000 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) men’s soccer season, as determined by a vote of the leagues seven head coaches. Duke, the 1999 ACC Tournament Champion, was chosen as the favorite to win the league for the 2000 season.
The Blue Devils finished the ’99 season with a 16-1-3 record overall and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season. Duke gathered 45 points in the pre-season balloting and narrowly edge Virginia, who was picked to finish in second place after recording 38 points in the poll. The Cavaliers are coming off a NCAA Quarterfinal appearance after finishing the 1999 season with an overall record of 14-9-1. UVa returns 10 starters from last year’s squad and enters the 2000 season ranked #10 in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) pre-season poll.
Clemson (9-8-2 in ’99) was picked to finish third after tallying 31 points and was followed by fourth place North Carolina (12-7-1 in ’99) with 27 points.
Rounding out the pre-season poll in fifth place is Wake Forest (25 points), Maryland (22 points) and N.C. State (8 points).
The ACC has been considered one of the top soccer conferences in the nation. ACC schools have won eight of last 16 national championships. This year, the ACC enters the 2000 season with five teams listed in the 2000 NSCAA pre-season rankings: Duke at #7, Virginia at #10, Wake Forest at #11, Maryland at #16 and North Carolina at #24.
Last year, the Cavaliers were picked to finish third in the ACC pre-season poll and were ranked sixth in the NSCAA pre-season rankings.
Here is a look at the complete 2000 ACC Pre-Season Coaches Poll:
2000 Pre-Season ACC Men’s Soccer Poll
| Rank | School | Points | 1999 Overall Record/ACC Record & Finish |
| 1. | Duke | 45 | 16-1-3, 4-0-2 ACC/1st |
| 2. | VIRGINIA | 38 | 14-9-1, 1-4-1 ACC/T6th |
| 3. | Clemson | 31 | 9-8-2, 2-2-2 ACC/4th |
| 4. | North Carolina | 27 | 12-7-1, 2-3-1 ACC/5th |
| 5. | Wake Forest | 25 | 13-3-5, 2-1-3 ACC/3rd |
| 6. | Maryland | 22 | 14-6-0, 4-2-0 ACC/2nd |
| 7. | N.C. State | 8 | 7-7-3, 1-4-1 ACC/T6th |