Redlands soccer team earns preseason ranking

The Bulldog men's soccer team earned a No. 8 ranking on the 2008 National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Preseason Division III Top-25 poll, according to an announcement released today by the NSCAA.

 

Every week during the season, the NSCAA ranks the top 25 programs for both men's and women's soccer. Each of the nation's eight regions designated by the NSCAA has a member on the ranking committee with an additional ninth committee member that serves as the national chair.

 

The University of Redlands comes off of a season where it compiled a 20-4 overall record and won its seventh-straight Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Championship with a 12-2 in-conference tally. Led by a team with two All-Americans, the Bulldogs reached the Elite 8 in the NCAA playoffs and obtained a No. 8 ranking at the season's end.

 

Head Coach Ralph Perez enters his third season as the Bulldogs' mentor with a remarkable 40-6 record at Redlands and returns three All-SCIAC First Team selections, two of whom garnered All-American honors. Of his 11 starters from last season, six are returning for the 2008 campaign.

 

The men's soccer team opens its season on Aug. 28 against No. 17 Stevens Institute of Technology followed by an Aug. 29 match against The College of New Jersey.