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Aug. 6, 2003
GREENSBORO, N.C. – The University of Virginia men’s soccer team was picked to finish third in the 2003 Atlantic Coast Conference Coaches Preseason Poll. UVa, which received 30 points to record its third place spot, was predicted to finish behind only Maryland (first place/48 points) and Wake Forest (second place/40 points) as determined by a vote of the league’s seven head coaches.
Maryland, the 2002 ACC Champions, has been selected as the favorite for the upcoming 2003 ACC Men’s Soccer season with 48 points. The Terrapins finished the 2002 campaign with a 20-5 overall record, including a 4-2 league mark, and advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA Men’s Soccer College Cup. Heading into 2003, Maryland edged out defending ACC regular-season champion Wake Forest.
WFU was predicted to finish runner-up to Maryland and finished second in the poll with 40 points. The Demon Deacons ended the 2002 regular-season with a 4-0-2 league record and advanced to the third round of the NCAA Championship.
Finishing third in the poll was Virginia with 30 points. The Cavaliers advanced to the finals of the 2002 ACC Championship and made their fourth consecutive trip to the conference finals last season. Last year, Virginia made its 22nd consecutive appearance in the NCAA Championship.
Completing the preseason poll in order of finish is North Carolina (28 points) in fourth place, Clemson (26 points) in fifth place, Duke (17 points) in sixth place and N.C. State (7 points) rounding out the poll in seventh place.
The ACC is considered by many to be one of the top soccer conferences in the nation. ACC schools have won 10 national championships in men’s soccer over the last 19 years. Below is a listing of the 2003 preseason coaches’ poll with 2002 records and regular season finishes.
2003 ACC COACHES MEN’S SOCCER PRESEASON POLL
Rank School Points 2002 Record/Finish1. Maryland 48 20-5, 4-2-0 ACC/2nd2. Wake Forest 40 15-2-4, 4-0-2 ACC/1st3. VIRGINIA 30 15-7, 3-3-0 ACC/4th4. North Carolina 28 14-7-1, 3-2-1 ACC/3rd5. Clemson 26 14-5-3, 2-3-1 ACC/6th6. Duke 17 11-8-1, 3-3 ACC/5th7. NC State 7 5-14, 0-6-0 ACC/7th
— UVa —