Aug. 14, 2007

NORFOLK, VA--The Old Dominion University men's soccer team are ranked 21st in the pre-season NSCAA/adidas coaches poll which was released today. The CAA coaches picked ODU to win the league crown.

The Monarchs, who reached the round of 16 in last year's NCAA College Cup return seven starters from last year's squad and will play four of the nation's pre-season top 25 teams.

Leading the Monarchs this season will be 6-4 senior defender and captain, David Horst, the 2006 CAA Defender of the Year. Horst is one of 29 candidates named by the nation's coaches to the Hermann Award watch list which is college soccer's Player of the Year award. Horst was also selected to the second team pre-season All-American squad by COLLEGE SOCCER NEWS, which ranked ODU 27th in their Pre-season poll.

ODU opens the regular season on Aug. 31 against #3 Wake Forest in North Carolina's Tournament, then #16 UNC on Sept. 2. The Monarchs will also play at #9 Maryland on Sept. 19 and at #20 and CAA rival Towson on Oct. 21.

The Monarchs knocked off North Carolina in the NCAA second round last year. The CAA had four teams in last year's tournament with both ODU and Towson reaching the "Sweet 16." The Monarchs lost to eventual national champion UC Santa Barbara, 2-1.

ODU has advanced to five straight NCAA Tournaments.

 NSCAA/ADIDAS Coaches Pre-season Top 25
1.	UC Santa Barbara
2.	UCLA
3.	Wake Forest
4.	Duke
5.	Virginia
6.	Santa Clara
7.	Indiana
8.	SMU
9.	Maryland
10.	Notre Dame
11.	California
12.	Clemson
13.	West Virginia
14.	Northwestern
15.	New Mexico
16.	North Carolina
17.	St. John's
18.	Washington
19.	Lehigh
20.	Towson
21.	Old Dominion
22.	St. Louis
23.	UNC Greensboro
24.	Harvard
25.	UCONN

2007 CAA Pre-Season Coaches Poll
1. ODU
2. Hofstra
3. George Mason
4. Towson
5. VCU
6. JMU
    UNC Wilmington
8. William & Mary
9. Northeastern
10. Delaware
11. Drexel
12. Georgia State