UNCG men's soccer ranked sixth in Soccer America Preseason Top 25

GREENSBORO, NC – The UNC Greensboro men’s soccer team is ranked No. 6 in the nation in the Soccer America Preseason Top 25, which was released this weekend.

The Spartans were ranked No. 13 in both the College Soccer News Pre-season Top 30 and the NSCAA Top 25 Coaches’ Poll when those rankings were announced earlier this month. UNCG returns seven starters from last year’s squad that finished 19-3-1 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament’s Round of 16. UNCG was No. 1 in the nation for four weeks during the regular season last year for the first time as a Division I member and went on to win the Southern Conference title.

Led by All-American Randi Patterson, who may be a candidate for National Player of the Year this season, UNCG opens the pre-season Sunday night, August 21 with an exhibition match at third-ranked Duke beginning at 7 pm. UNCG will also take on North Carolina State in an exhibition match at home next Saturday night at 7 pm before opening the season September 1 at home against UNC Wilmington, the team that snapped UNCG’s 17-match unbeaten streak last year.

Other teams ranked in the Soccer America Pre-season Top 25 on the 2005 UNCG schedule include No. 5 Connecticut, No. 11 North Carolina and No. 18 Wake Forest.

SOCCER AMERICA PRESEASON TOP 25:
1.     Indiana
2.     UCLA
3.     Duke
4.     Maryland
5.     Connecticut
6.     UNC Greensboro
7.     New Mexico
8.     SMU
9.     UC Santa Barbara
10.     St. John’s
11.     North Carolina
12.     VCU
13.     Santa Clara
14.     Creighton
15.     San Francisco
16.     Virginia
17.     Northwestern
18.     Wake Forest
19.     Notre Dame
20.     Tulsa
21.     Boston College
22.     Cal State Northridge
23.     California
24.     Loyola Marymount
25.     Seton Hall

- UNCG -