University of North Carolina Athletics
Defending Champion Tar Heels Ranked No. 1 In Preseason NSCAA Poll
August 13, 2009 | Women's Soccer
Aug. 13, 2009
KANSAS CITY, KAN. - The defending NCAA champion University of North Carolina women's soccer program has earned the No. 1 ranking in the preseason National Soccer Coaches Association of America rankings released Tuesday. Coach Anson Dorrance's Tar Heels return 22 letter winners and eight starters from last year's team which won the school 20th national championship and its 20th Atlantic Coast Conference title as well.
Carolina will play five of the other Top 10 preseason ranked teams in the regular season, including an opening game against No. 5 UCLA at Fetzer Field on August 22 at 7 p.m. Other Tar Heel opponents in the Top 10 are No. 3 Notre Dame, No. 6 Florida State, No. 7 Texas A&M and No. 9 Virginia.
Following is the entire preseason Top 25 in the NSCAA rankings.
Rank, School, Previous Rank, 2008 W-L-T
1. North Carolina, 1, 25-1-2
2. Stanford, 4, 22-2-1
3. Notre Dame, 2, 26-1-0
4. Portland, 5, 20-2-0
5. UCLA, 3, 22-1-2
6. Florida State, 6, 17-3-3
7. Texas A&M, 7, 18-5-1
8. USC, 8, 16-5-2
9. Virginia, 12, 15-5-3
10. Florida, 10, 19-4-1
11. Oklahoma State, 13, 18-1-4
12. Penn State, RV, 16-8-0
13. San Diego, 16, 15-5-2
14. West Virginia, 14, 14-3-6
15. Texas, 18, 13-4-4
16. Duke, 9, 15-6-3
17. Illinois, 23, 12-9-2
18. Georgia, NR, 11-11-1
19. Minnesota, 21, 22-4-0
20. Rutgers, 21, 13-7-2
21. Washington State, RV, 10-6-5
22. Santa Clara, NR, 4-12-4
23. Boston College, 15, 15-6-2
24. Missouri, 17, 16-5-2
25. BYU, 20, 16-5-1
Also Receiving Votes: James Madison, LSU, Tennessee, California, Marquette, Wake Forest, Colorado, Long Beach State, Harvard, Louisville
