Wolverines Earn First National Ranking, Debut at No. 11
10/20/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Behind a pair of Big Ten Conference home victories last weekend, the University of Michigan men's soccer team earned its first-ever appearance in the NCSAA/adidas Coaches' Poll, as the Wolverines (11-4, 3-1 Big Ten) are slotted in the No. 11 spot in this week's National Soccer Coaches Association of America poll, released Monday (Oct. 20).
Michigan garnered the weekly ranking following home conference wins over Northwestern (2-1, Oct. 17) and Wisconsin (4-1, Oct. 19) last weekend. It marks the first time in the program's four-year existence U-M has been above the .500 mark in league play, while it is also the fastest the team has reached the 11 wins. Last year U-M posted a record of 11-7-2, but did not earn its 11th win until the 19th game of the season.
Leading the attack for the Maize and Blue last weekend were senior tri-captain Kevin Taylor (Miami, Fla./Gulliver Prep), junior Knox Cameron (Bronx, N.Y./Cardinal Spellman HS) and sophomore Adam Bruh (Roselyn Heights, N.Y./Wheatley HS). Taylor converted a pair of penalty kicks in Michigan's 4-1 win over Wisconsin, Cameron netted the game-winner against Wisconsin and had two assists against Northwestern, while Bruh tallied both goals in the Wolverines 2-1 win over Northwestern.
Michigan takes to the road next week as the Wolverines head to Akron, Ohio, and State College, Pa., for matches with Akron and Penn State. The Maize and Blue will face Akron at 7:30 p.m. Friday (Oct. 24), then board the bus for a Big Ten matchup with Penn State Sunday afternoon (Oct. 26) at 2 p.m.
NSCAA/adidas Division I Poll (10/20/03)
RANK, TEAM RECORD PREV 1. UCLA 12-1-0 1 2. Maryland 12-1-0 2 3. North Carolina 10-1-3 3 4. Old Dominion 12-0-0 4 5. Saint Louis 9-2-2 5 5. Wake Forest 9-3-0 8 7. UC-Santa Barbara 11-1-1 14 8. Fairleigh Dickinson 8-2-1 10 9. St. John's 10-4-1 6 10. Florida International 8-2-2 11 11. MICHIGAN 11-4-0 NR 12. Tulsa 10-3-1 15 13. Virginia Commonwealth 10-4-0 18 14. Brown 7-3-1 20 15. Notre Dame 8-3-3 12 16. Rutgers 7-3-3 13 17. Oregon State 10-4-0 NR 18. Virginia Tech 10-4-0 25 19. Cincinnati 7-2-4 21 20. Hartwick 9-2-1 17 21. Santa Clara 10-2-3 NR 22. Coastal Carolina 10-2-0 NR Bradley 9-5-1 NR Alabama Birmingham 6-3-5 23 Connecticut 6-6-2 NR
Contact: Gene Skidmore (734) 763-4423
