Men's Soccer Southern Conference

Furman Men's Soccer Ranked 21st

GREENVILLE, SC -- The Furman men's soccer team is ranked 21st in the
nation in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)
preseason poll released on August 22.

Indiana tops the NSCAA preseason ranking, followed by Stanford, St.
John's, and North Carolina.

Furman returns a wealth of talent including McNeil Cronin and Clint
Dempsey, the 2000 and 2001 Southern Conference freshmen-of-the-years, and
sophomore Ricardo Clark, who spent much of the off-season training with the
United States U-20 National Team.

Furman also welcomes another strong recruiting class, one that was
ranked as the third best in the nation by College Soccer News earlier this
summer. Furman's class includes three members of the United States U-17
National team and a member of the Trinidad and Tobago U-20 National team.

The Paladins have qualified for the NCAA Tournament each of the past
three seasons, including a quarterfinals finish in 1999. Furman currently
owns a 33-match Southern Conference unbeaten streak as it has won the last
three SoCon regular season and tournament titles.

Furman opens the 2002 campaign at The Citadel on August 30 before
returning home to host the Spinx/Land Rover Kickoff Classic September 6-8.
The Paladins will take on Creighton, St. Louis, Clemson, and South Carolina
this season, all of whom were ranked in the NSCAA top 25 preseason poll.