Florida Soccer Team No. 20 in NSCAA Preseason Poll
Tuesday, August 12, 2008 | Soccer
The University of Florida soccer team is No. 20 on the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) preseason poll. 2007 NCAA champion Southern California tops the NSCAA preseason poll. This is the 12th consecutive season that Florida appears in the NSCAA preseason poll in the 14-year history of the program.
The Gators meet five NSCAA preseason ranked teams during the 2008 regular season - all in the month of September. Two early road matches are versus preseason top-10 teams - No. 4 Florida State (Sept. 7) and No. T-6 Portland (Sept. 19). The other three matches versus preseason top-25 teams are all at home - No. 19 Illinois (Sept. 12), No. 18 Georgia (Sept. 26) and No. 13 Tennessee (Sept. 28).
In 2007, Florida earned its eighth Southeastern Conference team title, advanced to the NCAA Round of 16 and finished with a record of 17-5-3.
Florida opens the 2008-09 competitive season for the Gator athletic program when it travels to Boulder, Colo., to meet Colorado on Aug. 22. The Gators return to the Sunshine State to face Florida Atlantic in Boca Raton on Aug. 24. The opening weekend of home action for the Gator soccer team is Aug. 29-31. Florida faces the same team it played in the 2007 season home finale, UCF, at 8 p.m. on Aug. 29 for the 2008 home opener at the James G. Pressly Stadium. UF and UCF played to a scoreless tie in 2007 NCAA Second Round action, with Florida advancing to the NCAA Round of 16 after taking a 4-3 advantage in penalty kicks. Florida also meets Nebraska on Aug. 31 at 1 p.m.
| 2008 NSCAA Preseason Poll – released Aug. 12 | ||||
| Rank | School | 2007 Final Rank | 2007 W-L-T | 2008 Date w/ UF |
| 1 | Southern California | 1 | 20-3-2 | |
| 2 | UCLA | 3 | 20-2-2 | |
| 3 | North Carolina | 6 | 19-4-1 | |
| 4 | Florida State | 2 | 18-6-3 | Sept. 7 - away |
| 5 | Notre Dame | 4 | 19-5-2 | |
| 6 | Portland | 5 | 18-4-0 | Sept. 19 - away |
| Virginia | 8 | 13-4-5 | ||
| 8 | Texas | 11 | 16-4-5 | |
| 9 | Penn State | 12 | 18-4-2 | |
| 10 | Stanford | 10 | 15-3-5 | |
| 11 | Connecticut | 9 | 14-6-2 | |
| 12 | West Virginia | 7 | 18-5-2 | |
| 13 | Tennessee | 14 | 15-5-2 | Sept. 28 - home |
| 14 | Boston College | 24 | 11-5-4 | |
| 15 | Texas A&M | 13 | 18-4-2 | |
| 16 | Duke | 15 | 10-6-7 | |
| 17 | California | 19 | 15-6-0 | |
| 18 | Georgia | 18 | 18-4-2 | Sept. 26 - home |
| 19 | Illinois | RV | 15-7-1 | Sept. 12 - home |
| 20 | Florida | 17 | 17-5-3 |
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| 21 | Wake Forest | 20 | 13-7-3 | |
| 22 | Santa Clara | 22 | 12-6-3 | |
| 23 | Oklahoma State | 23 | 14-6-3 | |
| 24 | Purdue | 16 | 20-2-3 | |
| 25 | San Diego | RV | 15-3-3 | |
