We Speak Soccer

ACC Women’s Soccer Championship Opens Sunday With Duke At Wake Forest And Virginia At Florida State

Published

52 minutes ago

November 8, 2026

Notre Dame women's soccer players celebrate a goal during the 2026 ACC season.

Notre Dame celebrates during the 2026 ACC women's soccer season. Photo via the ACC.

Postseason soccer arrives in the ACC on Sunday, and the field is loaded, with all six championship teams ranked in the top 15 nationally as Duke, Wake Forest, Virginia and Florida State open the first round and top seeds Notre Dame and North Carolina wait in Cary.

Postseason play begins on Sunday, November 8, with the first round of the 2026 Ally ACC Women’s Soccer Championship. Sixth-seeded Duke heads to third-seeded Wake Forest at 6 p.m. ET on ESPNU, followed by fifth-seeded Virginia visiting fourth-seeded Florida State at 8 p.m. ET on ACC Network.

This season marks the 39th edition of the Ally ACC Women’s Soccer Championship and the 20th time a champion will be crowned in Cary, North Carolina. First Horizon Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park has hosted the previous eight ACC Women’s Soccer Championships.

The first-round winners will advance to the semifinals in Cary, scheduled for Thursday, November 12, where top-seeded Notre Dame and second-seeded North Carolina await their first postseason opponents. Kickoff times for the semifinals will be set following the first-round matches.

Led by No. 2 North Carolina, all six teams in this year’s championship field are ranked in the top 15 of the latest IWSOC/United Soccer Coaches Poll. Every team is also in the top 25 of the latest NCAA RPI.

Ticket books are $40 for all six matches of the ACC Men’s and Women’s Soccer Championships. Single-game tickets for the semifinal matches are $10 in advance and $15 on gameday, while championship game tickets are $15 in advance and $20 on gameday. Tickets only are available online and no walk-up sales will be available.

Exclusive group pricing is also available for groups of 10 or more, along with unique on-field opportunities. For details, visit theACC.com/groups or contact tickets@theacc.org.

Upcoming Schedule (All Times ET)

2026 Ally ACC Women’s Soccer Championship (All Times ET)

First Round | Sunday, Nov. 8 – Campus Sites

#6 Duke at #3 Wake Forest | 6 p.m. | ESPNU

#5 Virginia at #4 Florida State | 8 p.m. | ACC Network

Semifinals | Thursday, Nov. 12 – First Horizon Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park (Cary, N.C.)

Florida State/Virginia Winner vs. #1 Notre Dame | 11 a.m. or 2 p.m. | ACC Network

Wake Forest/Duke Winner vs. #2 North Carolina | 11 a.m. or 2 p.m. | ACC Network

Final | Sunday, Nov. 15 – First Horizon Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park (Cary, N.C.)

Semifinal 1 Winner vs. Semifinal 2 Winner | Noon | ESPNU

Noting ACC Women’s Soccer

The 40th season of ACC Women’s Soccer got underway on Wednesday, August 12.
The ACC has eight teams in the latest IWSOC/United Soccer Coaches Poll, the most in the nation.
The poll includes No. 2 North Carolina, No. 4 Wake Forest, No. 6 Notre Dame, No. 10 Florida State, No. 14 Virginia, No. 15 Duke, No. 17 Stanford and No. 24 Louisville. Clemson is currently receiving votes.
The ACC also has nine teams ranked among the top 30 in the RPI, the most in the nation.
The RPI top 30 includes No. 2 North Carolina, No. 4 Wake Forest, No. 7 Notre Dame, No. 12 Virginia, No. 13 Florida State, No. 15 Duke, No. 17 Stanford, No. 22 Clemson and No. 27 Boston College.
Four ACC teams were named to the initial NCAA Women’s Soccer Committee Top 16, announced on Monday, October 26: No. 1 North Carolina, No. 3 Wake Forest, No. 9 Notre Dame and No. 11 Stanford.
ACC teams have combined for 86 non-conference wins and a .801 winning percentage, both of which lead the nation.
A total of 12 ACC standouts were named to the MAC Hermann Trophy Mid-Season Watch List, the most among all conferences. The next-closest conference had six.
Florida State earned the ACC’s 27th national championship (24th since the ACC began sponsoring women’s soccer) a season ago, bringing the total to 33 national championships among current ACC institutions. No school outside the ACC has won more than two championships.
The Seminoles defeated Stanford, 1-0, in the 2025 national championship match, marking the second straight year that two ACC teams met for the national title and the third consecutive championship match featuring current ACC members.

NAIA Women’s Soccer Notebook: Red Banner Chase Heads Toward Decatur as Bids Fill In

Published

2 days ago

November 6, 2026

We Speak Media

Rocky Mountain's Charlize Davis on the ball and goalkeeper Matea Vernon in front of goal

NAIA women's soccer action, with Rocky Mountain's Charlize Davis and goalkeeper Matea Vernon, who were named NAIA PrestoSports Players of the Week. Photo via NAIA.

The NAIA women’s soccer regular season is over, conference tournaments are in win-or-go-home mode, and the road to the Red Banner in Decatur is taking shape, with the final Players of the Week named, six automatic bids already claimed, and the selection show set for November 13.

The final issue of the 2026 NAIA Women’s Soccer notebook looks ahead at where to tune in for the selection show, final site tickets, and more, as the Battle For The Red Banner gets underway in just over a week for 40 teams across the nation.

New automatic bids: Two more automatic bids into the national tournament were punched — Clarke (Iowa) from the Heart of America and Hastings (Neb.) from the Great Plains Athletic Conference. Both begin their respective conference tournaments as the No. 1 seed.

Final Players of the Week (PrestoSports-NAIA):

Offensive Player of the Week: Sara Aguirre of William Carey (Miss.) — contributed to 11 goals across two home matches last week; junior forward from Villavicencio, Colombia; scored three goals and added four assists across the two contests.
Defensive Player of the Week: Izzy Martinez of Brenau (Ga.) — recorded two shutouts last week, including one in a victory that secured Brenau’s place in the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) tournament; freshman goalkeeper from McDonough, Ga.

Automatic bids already claimed (by winning the conference regular season outright or via conference tiebreaker procedures, for conferences of 12 or more teams): Truett-McConnell (Ga.), College of Idaho, Clarke (Iowa), Oklahoma Wesleyan, Hastings (Neb.), and William Carey (Miss.). Other teams must win their conference tournament to earn an automatic bid.

Championship details:

First and second rounds are under two weeks away; play for the final 16 teams in Decatur, Ala., is just under four weeks away.
Final site: Jack Allen Sports Complex in Decatur, Ala.
Selection show: Friday, November 13 at 5 p.m. CT on the NAIA’s YouTube page.
All matches will be broadcast free on the NAIA Network from opening kick on November 30 through the championship game and awards ceremony on December 7.

Keiser (Fla.) leads the final STADIONIC-NAIA Women’s Soccer Selection Committee Top 25 Poll, with Grace (Ind.) No. 2 and Indiana Wesleyan No. 3.