UIC Men's Soccer earns preseason national rankings

Aug. 13, 2008

Chicago, Ill. - The UIC men's soccer team earned a pair of 2008 preseason national rankings on Tuesday, Aug. 12, as the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) and College Soccer News pegged the Flames as one of the country's Top 20 teams heading into the upcoming fall campaign.

The NSCAA/adidas NCAA Division I Preseason Poll ranked the Flames at No. 16 nationally, while College Soccer News ranked UIC 17th in the country in its annual Preseason Top 30 Poll.

"It's nice to recognized by the preseason polls, but this should be a friendly reminder to our players that the target on our back just gets bigger with past success," said UIC head coach John Trask. "I know our players will like the fact that we are in the top 20 in the polls, but this group has much higher goals for the 2008 season."

The two polls feature the highest preseason national rankings in school history, eclipsing the Flames' No. 21 ranking in the 2001 NSCAA/adidas preseason poll.

UIC enters 2008 with eight starters returning from last season's NCAA Tournament Elite Eight squad, led by junior goalkeeper Jovan Bubonja. Bubonja was also recently selected by College Soccer News analyst Joe Mauceri as one of the "Players To Watch In 2008" in college soccer this season.

--Story provided by the UIC office of sports information.