UVM men’s soccer ranked 12th in preseason coaches poll

BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) - Following one of the best seasons in school history last Fall, the UVM men’s soccer team ranks 12th in the preseason United Soccer Coaches Poll. It’s Vermont’s first ever preseason ranking.

UVM went 16-4-2 in 2022 and reached the NCAA quarterfinals for the first time since 1989. The Cats were 4th in the post-tournament poll last year.

Vermont will face three other preseason ranked teams during the 2023 regular season: the Cats visit #22 Akron on August 28th, follow that up with a home contest against #20 Cornell on September 1st, and visit #23 UNH to close the regular season on Halloween.

The Cats have a lot of work to do this year, with six of their ten leading scorers from a year ago having graduated alongside starting goalkeeper Nate Silveira. But Vermont does return Max Murray and Yaniv Bazini to lead the attack, with Daniel Pacella in the midfield and Zach Barrett anchoring the defense.

Vermont opens their season on Thursday, August 24th at home against Western Michigan.

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