UT SOCCER CRACKS TOP 10 IN SOCCER BUZZ PRESEASON RANKINGS
Lady Vols Open Exhibition Play at Virginia Tech on Monday Night
Aug. 13, 2006
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - The Tennessee soccer team opens the 2006 season ranked 10th in the country, as Soccer Buzz magazine released its Top 30 preseason poll. This is the Lady Vols' highest preseason ranking from the 11-year-old publication, besting the previous top of 13th to start the 2003 campaign. The 2006 version of Lady Vol Soccer opens its exhibition slate on Monday against Virginia Tech, with start time set for 6 p.m. in Blacksburg, Va.
The Orange and White are the first of five ranked teams that appear from the Southeastern Conference. Florida and Georgia stand at No. 11 and No. 18, respectively, with Mississippi coming in at No. 24 and Vanderbilt at No. 29.
Eight of Tennessee's 18 matches this season are against one of Soccer Buzz's preseason top 30, including matches against three top-10 squads. The Orange and White will take on No. 8 Penn State and No. 7 Virginia on successive Sundays to start the year. At the Stanford Invitational on Sept. 15-17, the host and 19th-ranked Cardinal will face the Lady Vols on Friday night, while Sunday's contest pits UT versus second-ranked Santa Clara. The road does not get easier in the Southeastern Conference, as the Lady Vols open the 11-game league slate against the 24th-ranked and defending western division champion Rebels.
The Lady Vols return nine starters from last year's SEC triple-crown winning team. UT expects to be led by first-team NSCAA/adidas All-American senior midfielder Ali Christoph (Columbus, Ohio) and second-team Soccer Buzz Freshman All-American forward Kylee Rossi (Pennington, N.J.). Tennessee also returns three starting defenders, including All-Central Region senior Jenny Jeffers (Lake Zurich, Ill.).
After Monday night's match against the Hokies, the Lady Vols will have one more exhibition on Saturday at the Regal Soccer Stadium against Carson-Newman at 6:30 p.m. The Big Orange open their 11th season on the pitch on Friday, Aug. 25 against Maryland at the Penn State Invitational in University Park, Pa.
Soccer Buzz Top 30
Rank Team 2005 Record
1. UCLA 22-2-2
2. Santa Clara 17-5-2
3. Notre Dame 22-3
4. Florida State 20-4-1
5. Portland 23-0-2
6. North Carolina 23-1-1
7. Virginia 18-6-1
8. Penn State 23-0-2
9. Boston College 13-6-2
10. TENNESSEE 15-6-2
11. Florida 13-6-1
12. Duke 14-6-1
13. Yale 15-4-1
14. Texas A&M 18-4-2
15. Illinois 12-7-3
16. Marquette 19-4-1
17. Southern California 13-6-2
18. Georgia 12-6-2
19. Stanford 10-7-3
20. Pepperdine 15-4-3
21. West Virginia 12-6-3
22. Dartmouth 12-5-1
23. Brigham Young 15-2-4
24. Mississippi 14-5-2
25. Gonzaga 12-4-4
26. Wake Forest 9-9-1
27. Saint Louis 16-5
28. Long Beach State 12-5-3
29. Vanderbilt 17-3-3
30. California 16-4-2