FLORENCE — The Francis Marion men’s soccer team is ranked 22nd in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America/adidas preseason Top 25 poll released recently.
A pair of Patriot players also earned Peach Belt Conference preseason recognition.
FMU returns 17 of 20 lettermen, including all but one starter, from last year’s 14-5-3 squad that won both the Peach Belt Conference regular-season and tournament championships and then advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division II National Tournament.
The Patriots were recently picked as preseason co-favorites in the race for the 2009 PBC title. FMU is the lone PBC squad in the current Top 25 rankings.
FMU appeared in the national poll at the end of the 2008 season.
Senior forward/midfielder Kyle Clinton and junior back Ivan Juric were both picked to the 2009 preseason All-PBC squad by a poll of the conference’s coaches.
Clinton, a native of Safety Harbor, Fla., led FMUlast fall with 10 goals and 25 points. He was tied for third on the team with five assists. In 57 career matches, he has tallied 22 goals and eight assists.
Juric, a native of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, scored eight goals, including three match winners, and handed out seven assists for 23 points (second-best on the team) last season.
Francis Marion opens its regular season on Thursday at Wingate University. FMU’s home opener will be on Friday at 2 p.m. against St. Andrews Presbyterian College.
NSCAA/adidas NCAA II Rankings preseason men’s soccer poll
Rank School 2008 W-L-T
1 Cal State Dominguez Hills 21 — 2 — 4
2 Dowling (N.Y.) 19 — 4 — 0
3 Tampa (Fla.), University of 18 — 4 — 1
4 Northern Kentucky 16 — 3 — 4
5 Midwestern State (Texas) 19 — 3 — 0
6 Millersville (Pa.) 18 — 3 — 1
7 Tusculum (Tenn.) 20 — 3 — 1
8 Massachusetts-Lowell 13 — 4 — 4
9 Lynn (Fla.) 18 — 2 — 0
10 Fort Lewis (Colo.) 18 — 2 — 3
11 Southern New Hampshire 15 — 3 — 4
12 Lewis (Ill.) 14 — 1 — 3
13 Lees-McRae (N.C.) 17 — 3 — 3
14 Cal State Los Angeles 13 — 5 — 4
15 Rockhurst (Mo.) 16 — 1 — 4
16 Franklin Pierce (N.H.) 13 — 8 — 2
17 Sonoma State (Calif.) 18 — 2 — 4
18 Slippery Rock (Pa.) 14 — 7 — 1
19 East Stroudsburg (Pa.) 15 — 7 — 0
20 West Florida 15 — 4 — 2
21 Metro State (Colo.) 12 — 7 — 3
22 Francis Marion (S.C.) 14 — 5 — 3
23 Limestone (S.C.) 16 — 3 — 2
24 Ashland (Ohio) 15 — 4 — 2
25 West Texas A&M 12 — 5 — 0
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