Carolina men’s college soccer power rankings: Oct. 12
There was a not-so-major shake-up in the power rankings this week as the top team in the country, Wake Forest, fell on the road.
Syracuse really does like giving the best teams in college sports problems. From almost beating Clemson in football two years in a row to defeating No. 5 Michigan State in the Sweet 16 in the most recent men’s basketball tournament, the Orange sure know how to break hearts. And they did it again this weekend against No. 1 Wake Forest. How did that massive 2–0 upset affect the power rankings? Let’s find out.
#1 — Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Yeah, that loss really didn’t do anything. Syracuse has had the Deacs’ number, though. The last win Wake Forest had against Syracuse was in 2015.They have gone 1–2–1 in their regular season matchups with the Orange since 2015.
The loss may have dropped the Deacs out of the number one spot in the national rankings, but thanks to a 4–2 rebound win against High Point on Tuesday night the Deacs are still in the top two.
The Deacs now go up against a tough Boston College team Oct. 12 that defeated N.C. State last Friday. Boston College is 1–3 against ranked ACC opponents but each of those three losses were by one goal. The Deacs will look to continue their new winning streak before heading to Columbia next Tuesday to take on the Gamecocks.
#2 — North Carolina Tar Heels
The Tar Heels were so close to jumping the Deacs, and probably would have if UNC had managed to pull out a win at Old Dominion over the weekend. Instead, that match ended in a hard-fought draw in Norfolk.
The No. 5 team in the country heads to Raleigh to take on rival N.C. State Friday night. The last time North Carolina left Raleigh with a loss? 1997. Since then, the two sides have met 25 times and things have gone the way of the boys in blue. Carolina will look to remain the only team unbeaten in conference play.
#3 — UNC Wilmington Seahawks
The Seahawks finally return home this weekend after Hurricane Florence pushed the team out of their element for what seemed like an eternity. The Seahawks remained unbeaten in conference play this past weekend by defeating Elon. The win also solidified UNCW’s spot in the conference tournament.
UNCW closes out the year with five straight home games, the first being this Saturday against Belmont. Then things get real tough for the Seahawks as the team takes on N.C. State and Coastal Carolina in a span of eight days.
#4 — Duke Blue Devils
After their loss at Wake Forest, the Blue Devils have won three straight matches and look to continue that over the weekend as they host No. 9 Notre Dame.
Duke took down No. 10 Virginia on the road last Friday, handing the Cavaliers their first shutout loss of the season. The Blue Devils will look to make the most of their four-game home stand. They have gone 5–1–1 at home this year and they will look to keep that going as the regular season comes to a close in the next few weeks.
#5 — Charlotte 49ers
After a win on the road in Columbia last Sunday, the 49ers fell in gut-wrenching fashion to an always tough Radford squad. Radford’s Amidou Diop netted a brace in the win over Charlotte, with his second goal coming with less than three minutes left in double OT.
The loss put Charlotte at 6–3–1 on the season but the 49ers look to have comfortable ride as the home stretch approaches. Five of Charlotte’s six remaining games are at home and three of those home games are against opponents that have a win percentage below .250.
#6 — North Carolina State Wolfpack
After going on a four-match winless streak, the Wolfpack got a much-needed win on Sunday over Longwood.
Will it be the confidence booster that N.C. State needs to give the Wolfpack a massive win over UNC? North Carolina State is 11–22–6 at home against their blue-blooded rivals. Their last win at home against the Tar Heels came when I was a couple of months old … in 1997. The Wolfpack will certainly be looking for a dub to help boost their morale to another run to the NCAA tournament.
Outside looking in
Coastal Carolina — The Chanticleers, much like UNCW, have been through a lot these past few weeks and the losses to Portland and Maryland didn’t help matters much. It appeared that the Chants unleashed all their anger and frustration out on USC Upstate last Saturday in a 5–1 win over the Spartans. On Saturday, the Chanticleers play Appalachian State — a team that certainly needs a win against a top quality opponent to be considered for the SNST power rankings. The question is, will Saturday’s match be a 4–0 thrashing like last season? Or will the Mountaineers play the Chants tough like their first Sun Belt Conference meeting in 2016 (an overtime thriller that saw CCU come out on top).
Davidson — Last year, Davidson had its first winning season since 2014 and the Wildcats don’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon. Davidson is 7–4 on the year and, despite getting smacked 5–1 by Wake Forest nearly three weeks ago, the Wildcats have gone on a three-match winning streak. Davidson thrashed a quality opponent in St. Joseph’s this past Wednesday, 6–2. That four-goal score difference hasn’t happened since Davidson defeated Presbyterian 5–1 back in 2010. Davidson hopes to continue that this weekend against a 2–9–1 La Salle team.
Should Wake Forest stumble once again and UNC prevail on the road, there might be a switch in the top two spots in the power rankings for the first time this season. A lot of big games are happening as we enter the final three weeks of the regular season. What questions will be answered this week? Well, to quote Chris Berman — “That’s why they play the game.”
