UConn Men’s Soccer ranked 12th preseason

UConn Soccer Head Coach Ray Reid. Image from Media Guide.

KANSAS CITY, KANSAS - The University of Connecticut men’s soccer team has been ranked No. 12 in the 2009 National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) pre-season poll, as announced Tuesday, Aug. 11 by the NSCAA.

Defending national champion Maryland tops the NSCAA rankings, with North Carolina and Wake Forest rounding out the top three teams.

Fellow Big East Conference member St. John’s is in the fifth spot, after finishing the 2008 season with a 19-3-3 record, while Creighton - the Huskies’ third-round opponent in last year’s NCAA tournament - is ranked sixth.

South Florida was placed 11th, just before the Huskies - who share the 12th spot with Big East rival Notre Dame. The Irish finished last year with a 12-7-2 record. UConn finished 11-5-6 overall.

Louisville made the list in the 25th spot as the fifth Big East program to earn a top-25 pre-season ranking.

UConn will face four teams this season ranked in the NSCAA pre-season poll including Notre Dame, St. John’s, Dartmouth (No. 17) and Boston University (No. 24).

The Huskies start the 2009 season with two exhibition games beginning on Saturday, Aug. 22 - featuring a 7 p.m. match-up with Hartwick at Morrone Stadium.

On the following Saturday, Aug. 29, the Huskies will also host New England rival Massachusetts in an exhibition contest at 7 p.m. in Storrs.

Regular-season play for the Huskies begins on Wednesday, Sept. 2, when they host St. Peter’s at 7 p.m. at Morrone Stadium.

Posted Aug. 12, 2009