August 22, 2002
GREENVILLE, SC -- The Furman menıs soccer team is ranked 21st in the nation in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) preseason poll released on Thursday.
Indiana tops the NSCAA preseason ranking, followed by Stanford, St. Johnıs, and North Carolina.
Furman returns a wealth of talent including McNeil Cronin and Clint Dempsey, the 2000 and 2001 Southern Conference freshmen-of-the-years, and sophomore Ricardo Clark, who spent much of the off-season training with the United States U-20 National Team.
Furman also welcomes another strong recruiting class, one that was ranked as the third best in the nation by College Soccer News earlier this summer. Furman's class includes three members of the United States U-17 National team and a member of the Trinidad and Tobago U-20 National team.
The Paladins have qualified for the NCAA Tournament each of the past three seasons, including a quarterfinals finish in 1999. Furman currently owns a 33-match Southern Conference unbeaten streak as it has won the last three SoCon regular season and tournament titles.
Furman opens the 2002 campaign at The Citadel on August 30 before returning home to host the Spinx/Land Rover Kickoff Classic September 6-8. The Paladins will take on Creighton, St. Louis, Clemson, and South Carolina this season, all of whom were ranked in the NSCAA top 25 preseason poll.