UNCG ranked No. 21 in NSCAA men's preseason Top 25 poll

GREENSBORO, NC - Looking to defend its Southern Conference championship and return to the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive season, UNC Greensboro is ranked No. 21 in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) preseason Top 25 poll.

UNCG, the only Southern Conference team to appear in the NSCAA pre-season rankings, finished last season with a 16-6-1 mark overall, 5-1-0 in conference play. The Spartans shared the Southern Conference regular season title, their second straight regular season crown, and won the SoCon Tournament title. UNCG advanced to the NCAA Tournament’s third round for the second straight season, defeating James Madison and Virginia Tech.

The Spartans graduated five seniors from last year’s squad, including four starters, but return their top two scorers in All-Americans Randi Patterson and Scott Jones. UNCG’s incoming class was rated the 13th best recruiting class in the country by College Soccer News, its highest ranking and marking the fourth straight year it received a Top 40 ranking. UNCG was ranked No. 18 in CSN’s pre-season Top 30 when it was released last month.

Defending national champion Maryland is atop the pre-season rankings. Connecticut is second, followed by New Mexico, Virginia and North Carolina to round out the Top 5.

UNCG will face three teams during the regular season that are ranked in the NSCAA’s pre-season poll and all three of those meetings will be on the road. The Spartans travel to Old Dominion and will face the 23rd-ranked Monarchs in the second game of the ODU Tournament on Sept. 17. UNCG also travels to face No. 16 Wake Forest on Oct. 18 and ninth-ranked Akron on Oct. 24 in UNCG’s regular season finale.

UNCG will face another ranked team during its exhibition season. The Spartans take on No. 14 Duke at UNCG Soccer Stadium in an exhibition match Wednesday night.

- UNCG -