University of North Carolina Athletics
Carolina Named Preseason No. 1
August 7, 2012 | Men's Soccer
The National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) tabbed North Carolina No. 1 overall to start the 2012 season on Tuesday.
The Tar Heels are coming off their second national title in school history after posting a 21-2-3 mark in 2011.
Carolina welcomes back seven players from last year's national championship contest, including seniors goalkeeper Scott Goodwin and midfielder Jordan Gafa.
The Tar Heels also welcome in one of the top recruiting classes in the country for the 2012 campaign.
2012 NSCAA/Continental Tire NCAA Division I Rankings 18-4-2
Rank
School
Final '11
RankingFinal '11
Record
1
North Carolina
1
21-2-3
2
UCLA
3
3
Creighton
4
21-2-1
4
Connecticut
5
19-3-3
5
South Florida
6
13-4-4
6
New Mexico
8
18-0-4
7
Louisvile
7
14-7-2
8
Charlotte
2
16-5-4
9
Maryland
9
14-4-3
10
Akron
11
15-4-4
11
UC Santa Barbara
12
5-7-1
12
Indiana
10
13-4-5
13
UC Irvine
13
16-6-1
14
Boston College
15
14-6-1
15
St. John's
18
14-7-2
16
SMU
19
13-7-1
17
Coastal Carolina
16
18-4-0
18
Saint Mary's
14
11-7-5
19
James Madison
20
13-5-2
20
Northwestern
22
11-5-5
21
UAB
21
13-5-3
22
Brown
17
12-5-3
23
Old Dominion
24
12-6-2
24
Furman
RV
14-4-4
25
Bradley
25
15-6-2
Receiving votes: Virginia, Rutgers, Duke, Wake Forest, California, Monmouth, West Virginia, Central Florida, William & Mary, Xavier, Cal State Bakersfield, Northern Illinois, South Carolina.
2012 opponents in italics.
