UIC men's soccer moves into national Top 10
Sept. 19, 2006
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Chicago, Ill. -- Things keep looking up for the University of Illinois at Chicago men's soccer team ... up in the national rankings, that is. The Flames cracked the top ten in two of the three major national polls this week, moving up nine spots to ninth according to the National Soccer Coaches of America and climbing to tenth in the latest Soccer America rankings. The third major poll, conducted by College Soccer News, puts the Flames 14th.
The Flames are the first Horizon League men's soccer team to gain a Top-10 ranking in nearly four years. The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee held the No. 8 ranking in the NSCAA national poll on Nov. 18, 2002, when the Panthers were 18-1-1 entering the NCAA Tournament and finished with a program-best 19-2-1 ledger. UIC's current status is also the best in program history.
UIC's eight-match unbeaten streak represents the best start in school history and includes a 1-0 victory over Florida International University last Friday (Sept. 15) plus a 5-0 rout of Florida Atlantic University on Sunday (Sept. 17). The Flames have outscored their opponents 15-3 this season and are one of only ten remaining undefeated teams in Division I.
Those lofty accolades will be tested Sunday (Sept. 24) when UIC opens the Horizon League schedule at the University of Detroit Mercy. The Titans won the regular-season League title last fall and defeated four-time League champion UW-Milwaukee 2-1 last Friday.
Senior forward Tonci Skroce and junior midfielder Cesar Zambrano share the top spot on the UIC scoring charts with four goals and nine points apiece. Skroce's total features three match-winning goals, including the lone strike on a second-half penalty kick at FIU. Freshman goalkeeper Jovan Bubonja owns the League's best goals-against average (0.39) and has not allowed a goal in his last 199 minutes of action.
The Atlantic Coast Conference continued its early-season dominance, placing six teams in the top ten spots of at least one major poll. Clemson University (7-0-0) took the top spot in the NSCAA canvass, followed by the University of Virginia (7-0-0), Southern Methodist University (8-0-1), the University of Washington (7-0-0) and Duke University (6-0-1), while Soccer America and College Soccer News both place Virginia first---ahead of Clemson, SMU, Duke and Maryland.
The Flames also stand alone atop the NSCAA's Great Lakes Region poll for the first time in school history. UIC tied for the top spot in the region last week, but losses by Indiana University and the University of Notre Dame left John Trask's team by itself on the top rung of the ladder. Another Horizon League entry---Wright State University---stands ninth in the region at 5-2-0, with the Raiders riding a three-match winning streak that includes Sunday's 4-1 victory at Bowling Green State University.
Freshman forward Braden Fleak leads the WSU attack with seven goals in his first seven collegiate matches, ranking second in the League in that category and with his 16 points. Four other Raiders have scored at least two goals already in 2006.
Northwestern University (6-1-0) moved to second in the regional rankings, followed by the University of Akron (6-1-0), Notre Dame (4-3-1) and Indiana (3-3-1). The University of Wisconsin (4-3-0) stands sixth, with Northern Illinois University (5-3-0) and Michigan State University (5-2-0) tied for seventh and the University of Cincinnati (4-3-1) rounding out the top ten.
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Note: The three major national polls---and the NSCAA Great Lakes Region poll---can be found in the PDF version of this release.
