Butler Men's Soccer Earns "Top 25" Ranking

INDIANAPOLIS, IND. -- The Butler men's soccer team, coming off one of the most successful seasons in school history, will begin the 2011 campaign with a "Top 25" national ranking.  The Bulldogs have been tabbed No. 21 in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Division I Pre-Season Poll, released this week.

Louisville, national runner-up in 2010, was tabbed as the coaches' preseason favorite, while defending national champ Akron was picked second.  North Carolina, Maryland and SMU rounded out the coaches' top five.

Butler, under first-year head coach Paul Snape, returns seven players who saw action in least 16 matches last season.  The Bulldogs were unbeaten in the regular season and finished the year with a 16-1-3 record after a second round loss in the NCAA Men's Soccer Championship.  Butler was ranked as high as No. 5 during the season and finished the year with a No. 11 national rank.

2011 NSCAA Pre-Season Poll
Rank    Team (2010 Record)
1.         Louisville (20-1-3)
2.         Akron (22-1-2)
3.         North Carolina (16-4-4)
4.         Maryland (19-3-1)
5.         SMU (16-2-2)
6.         UCLA (16-5-1)
7.         California (14-2-4)
8.         Connecticut (12-2-6)
9.         Michigan (17-5-3)
10.       Creighton (13-5-2)
11.       Brown (12-4-4)
12.       Notre Dame (10-6-4)
13.       William & Mary (15-4-3)
14.       UC Santa Barbara (14-5-3)
15.       Ohio State (11-6-3)
            South Carolina (13-7-2)
17.       Indiana (10-8-2)
18.       Penn State (14-8-1)
19.       Michigan State (13-7-2)
20.       Dartmouth (12-7-1)
21.       Butler (16-1-3)
22.       Virginia (11-6-3)
23.       Duke (10-6-4)
24.       UC Irvine (14-3-3)
25.       Boston College (10-5-5)