Colleges: Spartans finish No.5, three named to All-South first team

The University of Tampa men have finished the season ranked No.5 in the nation after the final National Soccer Coaches Association of American poll was released, and saw three players named to the NSCAA All-South first team.

Goalkeeper Ryan Thompson, defender Dan Ingvarsson and forward Pascal Milien were honored by the NSCAA, with defender Kyle Williams and midfielder Lister Warren being named to the second team. The Spartans finished the season 17-3-1, and were ranked in the Top 10 for the duration of the season.

Also named to the All-South team were Saint Leo midfielder Bruce Cutler and Eckerd midfielder Anthony Arico and forward Luke Sheekey.

Polls: Spartans rise to No.8, Bulls slip to No.13

South Florida slid four places to No.13 in the latest National Soccer Coaches Association of America Division I poll released on Tuesday afternoon, while the University of Tampa rose one spot to No.8 in the Division II poll.

The Bulls fell 2-1 in double-overtime to Rutgers in their final regular season contest to enter the postseason with a record of 12-3-2. While they finished third in the Big East Red division, the Bulls are the third-highest ranked Big East team in the poll, with only No.5 Louisville and No.8 Connecticut ahead of them.

Tampa enters the postseason 14-1-1 after a 5-1 drubbing of Saint Leo last Thursday night. The Spartans earned a share of the Sunshine State Conference title with the win, and will host the SSC tournament final four this weekend at Pepin-Rood Stadium.

Polls: Despite wins, Bulls slip a place

A pair of victories against Florida Atlantic and Syracuse didn’t impress the voters in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America poll, who dropped South Florida a further spot to No.13 in the Division I poll released on Tuesday afternoon.

The Bulls (9-2-2) saw Charlotte and Connecticut move ahead of them in the poll, while a loss by California dropped them below the Bulls. South Florida will face a Top 25 match-up on Wednesday night, as they host No.15 Dartmouth at the USF Soccer Stadium.

The University of Tampa also fell after their loss to Rollins last week, slipping to No.9 after its first loss of the season. The Tars, who themselves held the No.9 position, moved up to No.3 after their 3-2 victory over the Spartans.

Polls: Bulls drop to No.12, Spartans edge up to No.2

After its first winless week of the season, South Florida slipped to No.12 in the latest National Soccer Coaches Association of America Division I poll, released on Tuesday afternoon.

The Bulls (7-2-2) lost 1-0 to Louisville, who jumped up to No.7, last Wednesday before a 1-1 draw against St. John’s on Sunday.

The University of Tampa (9-0-1) moved up one berth to No.2 in the Division II poll, trailing only Lees-McRae (N.C.). Previous No.1 Cal State Los Angeles dropped to No.13 after suffering its first two losses of the season.

Polls: Bulls, Spartans both hold No.3 spots

South Florida’s men rebounded back to the No.3 spot in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Division I poll, while the University of Tampa’s men edged up one spot in the Division II poll after its double-overtime victory against Lynn on Saturday.

The Bulls had dropped to No.6 last week after their opening loss of the season, but a 2-0 win against Cincinnati bounced them back up to their previous position. Only Akron, a unanimous No.1, and North Carolina are ahead of the Bulls, with the top 5 being rounded out by Pac-10 power UCLA and California.

The Spartans remained perfect in Sunshine State Conference play with its victory over previous No.1 Lynn, which dropped to No.14 with its first loss of the season. Cal State Los Angeles moved up one place to assume the top spot, as did Lees-McRae (N.C.) to take the No.2 position.

Polls: Bulls slip to No.6, Spartans rise to No.4

After suffering its first loss of the season, the South Florida men’s soccer team dropped three places to No.6 in the latest National Soccer Coaches Association of America Division I poll released on Tuesday afternoon.

The Bulls rebounded from a 1-0 overtime loss to West Virginia on Friday night with a 2-1 win against Pittsburgh, and remain the highest-ranked team in the Big East. No.17 Louisville is the only other Big East squad currently ranked, while four squads are in the also receiving votes category.

The University of Tampa men moved up one spot in the Division II poll to No.4, and will face a top-ranked opponent in Lynn on Saturday.

On the women’s side, Saint Leo remained in the also receiving votes group in the Division II poll after going 1-1-0 in the past week.

Colleges: Bulls rise to No.5, Spartans retain top spot

The University of South Florida men have moved up three places to No.5 in the latest National Soccer Coaches Association of America Division I poll after a pair of shutout victories last week, while the Tampa Spartans men have retained their place at the top of the Division II poll.

Akron remains on top of the Division I rankings, followed by ACC power Wake Forest, North Carolina and Maryland and the Bulls.

South Florida defeated both Valparaiso and Virginia Tech 1-0 last week to move to 4-0-0. The Bulls open Big East play this weekend, hosting Marquette on Friday night before taking on No.21 Notre Dame on Sunday afternoon.

The Spartans earned a last-gasp victory against the Savannah College of Art and Design on Friday afternoon to move to 4-0-0. The Spartans face No.22 West Florida on Friday before opening Sunshine State Conference play the following weekend.

Saint Leo’s women remained in the also receiving votes category in the Division II poll after finally getting its season off to a start with a 1-1 draw against No.19 Armstrong Atlantic last Thursday. The Lions play twice this week, hosting Robert Morris on Thursday before opening their Sunshine State Conference slate against Eckerd on Saturday night.

Colleges: Bulls up to No.8, Spartans still No.1 in NSCAA polls

The University of South Florida jumped three spots to No.8 in the National Soccer Coaches Association of American Division I poll, while the University of Tampa retained its position at the top of the Division II poll on Tuesday after both sides began the season with undefeated records.

South Florida, which plays Valparaiso at 7:30 p.m. tonight, earned a pair of victories from hard-fought games against Central Florida and Florida Gulf Coast last week.

The Spartans won a pair of games on the road this weekend against Clayton State and North Georgia, and will face the Savannah College of Art and Design on Friday at 3:30 p.m.

College: Spartans ranked No.3 in preseason poll

The University of Tampa has been ranked No.3 in the nation in the opening National Soccer Coaches Association of America Men's Division II poll.

The ranking is the same that the Spartans ended last season with. In fact, in an amazing display of unoriginality from the NSCAA voters, this season's preseason rankings are exactly the same as the final rankings from 2008.

http://www.nscaa.com/seniorRes.php?it=963

That isn't the case in the preseason women's poll, with UT being ranked No.24, up a spot from its No.25 final ranking in 2008. However, it is apparent that Saint Leo's Sunshine State Conference title a season ago, and being named the favorite to repeat by SSC coaches and SID's this week, didn't register with the NSCAA voters, since the Lions do not even appear in the 'also receiving votes' section of the poll.

http://www.nscaa.com/seniorRes.php?it=966