Virginia Soccer Teams Ranked No. 2 in Preseason NSCAA Polls
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Aug. 3, 2015
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — The Virginia men’s and women’s soccer teams each have earned No. 2 preseason rankings from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA), which released its first set of rankings Monday. Both UVa teams return the bulk of their starters from runs to the NCAA College Cup last season.
Coming off the program’s seventh national championship in 2014, the Virginia men return 16 letterwinners, including seven starters, from the championship-game win over UCLA. The Cavaliers (14-6-3 in 2014) picked up 15 first-place votes, more than twice as many as any other team in the poll. UCLA holds the top spot in the initial poll.
Virginia opens its exhibition season on Saturday, Aug. 15 against Navy at Klöckner Stadium. Prior to the match, UVa will raise its 2014 NCAA Championship banner. The Cavaliers start the regular season at home on Saturday, Aug. 29, against No. 17 Charlotte. Four teams from the preseason NSCAA poll are on the Cavaliers’ schedule, including home matches with ranked sides North Carolina (5), Charlotte (17) and Louisville (18) and a road game at Notre Dame (4).
After advancing to the 2014 NCAA Championship match, the Virginia’s women’s soccer team returns nine starters, including All-Americans Makenzy Doniak (Chino Hills, Calif.) and Emily Sonnett (Marietta, Ga.), from last year’s College Cup runner-up squad. Virginia finished 23-3 in 2014 and has won 32 consecutive home games at Klöckner Stadium, the fifth-longest streak in NCAA women’s soccer history. UVa’s schedule features five teams in the NSCAA poll, including home matches with Florida State (1) and Notre Dame (9) and road contests with UCLA (4), Pepperdine (10) and Clemson (22).
UVa reports for fall camp later this week and begins its exhibition schedule on Aug. 14 against Illinois before returning home Aug. 17 for a friendly with Maryland. The Cavaliers start the regular season on Sunday, Aug. 23, at Klöckner Stadium against UNC Wilmington.
2015 Ticket Information
Season tickets for each team are on sale now and offer the best value. To purchase tickets online, visit VirginiaSports.com/Tickets. In-person purchases can be made at the Virginia Athletics Ticket Office in Bryant Hall at Scott Stadium on weekdays between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Telephone purchases can be made by calling 1-800-542-UVA1 (8821) or locally at 434-924-UVA1 (8821). Reserved season tickets are $45. General Admission season tickets also are available for adults ($20), Youth/Senior ($15) and UVa Faculty/Staff ($15). Single-game tickets go on sale Aug. 10 and are $9 for reserved seats if available. $7 for adults and $5 for youth, seniors and faculty/staff. Group ticket orders of 20 or more tickets are $4.