SMU upsets No. 1 seed Virginia 1-0 to capture 2025 ACC Men’s Soccer Championship

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – SMU won the 2025 ACC Men’s Soccer Championship on Sunday, November 16, downing No. 1 seed Virginia, 1-0, at First Horizon Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina.

SMU not only claimed its first ACC Men’s Soccer Championship, but also earned the first ACC team title in any sport since joining the conference ahead of the 2024-25 season.

As the No. 7 seed, SMU (11-4-4) matched the 2015 Syracuse team as the lowest seed to win an ACC Men’s Soccer Championship. The Mustangs earned the ACC’s automatic berth into the 2025 NCAA Tournament, which begins on Thursday, November 20.

SMU defender Slade Starnes was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. He was joined on the 2025 All-Tournament Team by teammates Martin Dominguez, Ryan Clanton-Pimentel and Stephan Soghomonian.

Virginia (12-2-4) had its 14-match unbeaten streak snapped.

SMU scored the game’s lone goal in the 57th minute on a Soghomonian penalty kick. It was his team-leading 13th goal of the season and also was his fourth of the tournament, matching an ACC Championship record.

Virginia played with just 10 men for the final seven minutes of the game following an injury, which came after the Cavaliers had exhausted their substitutions.

The selection show for the 2025 NCAA Tournament will air at 1 p.m. ET on Monday, November 17, on NCAA.com.

2025 All-Tournament Team

• Slade Starnes, SMU (MVP)
• Ryan Clanton-Pimentel, SMU
• Martin Dominguez, SMU
• Stephan Soghomonian, SMU
• Jesus De Vicente, Virginia
• Sebastian Pop, Virginia
• Nick Simmonds, Virginia
• Beau Morrison, California
• Gaku Nishimura, California
• Tim Brdaric, Syracuse
• Tomas Hut, Syracuse