GREENVILLE, S.C. -- The Furman men's soccer team is ranked 20th in the nation in the Soccer America Men's Preseason Top 25, it was released on Wednesday morning.

The Paladins, who were ranked No. 23 by College Soccer News and No. 24 by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America in preseason polling earlier this month, return 10 starters from a 2011 squad that posted a 14-4-4 record and reached the NCAA tournament with an at-large bid. Among the returnees for head coach Doug Allison's team are All-American Walker Zimmerman, 2011 Southern Conference Co-Player of the Year Coleton Henning and All-SoCon selections Danny Hojaij, Nicky MacKain and Martin Ontiveros.

Furman dropped a 2-0 decision in its exhibition contest at home against 19th-ranked Wake Forest on Saturday as the Demon Deacons tallied a pair of goals in the opening 14 minutes. The Paladins play their regular-season opener on Friday when they travel to Clinton, S.C., to face in-state rival Presbyterian College at 7 p.m.

Soccer America Top 25
1. Connecticut
2. Akron
3. Maryland
4. UC Santa Barbara
5. Charlotte
6. North Carolina
7. New Mexico
8. UCLA
9. Indiana
10. USF
11. Boston College
12. Old Dominion
13. St. John's
14. Coastal Carolina
15. Creighton
16. Louisville
17. Northwestern
18. Notre Dame
19. Wake Forest
20. Furman
21. Duke
22. Xavier
23. West Virginia
24. SMU
25. UC Irvine