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UNC Women’s Soccer is ranked #1 in ACC preseason poll

Expectations are high for last season’s national runner-up.

By Evan Davis
/ new
University of North Carolina v Boston College Photo by Andrew Katsampes/ISI Photos/Getty Images

The North Carolina Tar Heels women’s soccer team has secured the top spot in the Atlantic Coast Conference Preseason Coaches poll.

Carolina earned the number one spot in the poll with 166 points and ten first-place votes. The reigning ACC champion, Florida State, claimed the second position in the poll with 146 points and two first-place votes. Virginia followed with 139 points, with Notre Dame and Duke rounding out the top five. Notably, both UVA and Duke each received a single first-place vote.

UNC has three players on the Preseason All-ACC team: defender Maycee Bell, midfielder Sam Meza and midfielder/forward Ally Sentnor.

After a season-ending injury in the first game of the 2022 season, Bell returns as a redshirt senior. The Wichita, KS native is a two-time First Team All-ACC selection and was named a Second Team All-America and First Team All-Atlantic Region as a junior.

Meza had a breakout junior season in 2022, being named to the All-ACC First Team. Meza was honored by the United Soccer Coaches, earning First Team All-Atlantic Region and Third Team All-American honors.

Sentnor is another returning All-ACC First-Team player. After a season-ending injury before her freshman year, she ranked second in the nation with five game-winning goals in her first collegiate season. Her performance in the postseason earned her a spot on the NCAA All-Tournament Team.

Below are the results of the preseason voting:

2023 ACC Preseason Coaches Poll

  • North Carolina (10) - 166
  • Florida State (2) - 146
  • Virginia (1) - 139
  • Notre Dame - 134
  • Duke (1) - 126
  • Clemson - 104
  • Pitt - 103
  • Wake Forest - 87
  • Virginia Tech - 81
  • NC State - 62
  • Louisville - 47
  • Syracuse - 35
  • Miami - 24
  • Boston College - 20

First-place votes in parentheses

​​2023 Preseason All-ACC Team

  • Maycee Bell, Sr., D, North Carolina
  • Megan Bornkamp, Sr., D, Clemson
  • Jody Brown, Sr., F, Florida State
  • Maggie Cagle, So., F, Virginia
  • Eva Gaetino, Sr., D, Notre Dame
  • Hal Hershfelt, Gr., M, Clemson
  • Jameese Joseph, Sr., F, NC State
  • Sam Meza, Sr., M, North Carolina
  • Kat Rader, So., F, Duke
  • Cristina Roque, Sr., GK, Florida State
  • Ally Sentnor, So., M/F, North Carolina
  • Amanda West, Sr., F, Pitt

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