July 31, 1998
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- The University of Maryland womens soccer team, which returns nine starters and 18 letterwinners, is ranked 18th in the 1998 National Soccer Coaches Association of America pre-season poll. It marks the fifth consecutive season that the Terps have been ranked among the nations top teams in the NSCAA pre-season poll.
Head coach Alan Kirkup will welcome 18 letterwinners, including four of the top six goal scorers, when pre-season practice begin on Aug. 19. Maryland played in last seasons Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament championship game and was seeded eighth in the NCAA Tournament. The Terps have played in the ACC championship game in two of the last three seasons and are aiming for their school-record fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. In two of the last three seasons, Maryland has come within one win of advancing to the womens soccer championship weekend.
Marylands senior class, which has been instrumental in the rise of the program to national prominence, will be looked to for to continued leadership and extraordinary play. The senior class forwards Emmy Harbo and Keri Sarver, midfielders Robin McCullough and Wendy Baldwin, defenders Abby Bausman, Laura Varela and Tiffany Keyes is the winningest in school history.
NSCAA Preseason Top 25
1. North Carolina 27-0-1 225 13. William & Mary 20-5-0 114
2. Notre Dame 23-1-1 213 14. Clemson 15-7-0 113
3. Santa Clara 20-3-1 210 T15. Minnesota 18-3-2 84
4. Connecticut 23-4-0 188 UCLA 19-3-0 84
5. Florida 20-3-1 181 17. Michigan 18-4-1 81
6. Virginia 14-5-2 160 18. Maryland 12-9-3 76
7. Portland 14-5-0 159 19. BYU 19-4-0 50
8. Nebraska 18-4-0 156 20. SMU 17-5-1 46
Hartford 19-2-1 150 21. George Mason 14-6-4 45
10. Duke 15-6-0 146 22. Massachusetts 17-5-0 42
11. Texas A&M 18-3-0 144 23. Vanderbilt 14-8-0 24
12. Harvard 13-4-2 119 24. Stanford 11-7-1 22
13. William & Mary 20-5-0 114 25. Penn State 15-7-1 120
