Florida State Soccer Slated To Finish Second In The ACC

The Seminoles garner 102 points including two first place vote in 2008.



Greensboro, N.C. – The Atlantic Coast Conference and Commissioner John D. Swofford announced on Monday, August 4 the preseason poll for the 2008 women’s soccer season, as determined by a vote of the league’s 11 head coaches. For the third consecutive year, Florida State was the coaches’ pick to finish second as the Seminoles garnered two first-place votes for 102 points.



“It’s great to see that our program has continued to earn the respect of our peers which is nice and flattering,” stated head coach Mark Krikorian.



North Carolina was picked to win the league for the 17th straight year as the defending ACC champions received seven first-place votes and 117 total points. It marked the fewest number of first-place votes garnered by the Tar Heels since 2003 when the league sponsored eight teams in women’s soccer.



The Seminoles have been picked to finish in the top four of the ACC in six of the last seven seasons. This is the fourth time in the program’s 14-year history that FSU has been slated to finish in second place. Since the arrival of head coach Mark Krikorian, Florida State has registered at least 18 wins in each of the last three seasons while finishing no lower than second place in the Atlantic Coast Conference.



“While we certainly acknowledge the preseason poll and feel good that the coaches would look at the Florida State program and have such respect for it, we know that there is a lot that can happen between now and December,” added Krikorian. “As I have said in the past, it’s the polls at the end of the season that matter the most. We are just excited to get started and will take the season one game at a time.”



Florida State returns eight of 11 starters and 13 of 20 letterwinners from last year’s squad that reached the national championship game for the first time in school history. The Seminoles returned to the College Cup for the third year in a row and the fourth time in the last five years.



The 2008 Seminole team will look to build off last year’s squad that set school records for points, goals and assists. On the defensive end, FSU registered the second most shutouts and third lowest goals against average in school history. The 18 wins tied for second all-time.



FSU returns over 59 percent of its total scoring from last year as half of the top eight scorers in 2007 were freshmen. Sophomore Sanna Talonen, the 2007 Soccer America Freshman of the Year, is the top returning scorer for the Seminoles as she ranked second on the team with 42 points.

Heading into the 2008 season, Florida State achieved yet another program first as this year’s recruiting class, which feature eight newcomers, earned its highest ranking in school history. The Seminoles topped last year’s number two ranking with the top recruiting class in the nation as announced by Soccer Buzz. The Seminoles also grabbed the number one spot in the Southeast Region for the second consecutive year.



Florida State will open the 2008 season at home against UCF on Friday, August 22 at 7:00 pm.



Completing the preseason poll in order of projected finish are Virginia (98), Boston College (87), Wake Forest (76), Duke (68), Miami (55), Maryland (37), Virginia Tech (37), Clemson (28), and NC State (21).



2008 ACC Women’s Soccer Preseason Poll

Place, Team (First Place Votes), Points, 2007 Record

1. North Carolina (7), 117, 19-4-1 (9-1-0)

2. Florida State (2), 102, 18-6-3 (6-2-2)

3. Virginia (1), 98, 13-4-6 (5-2-3)

4. Boston College, 87, 11-5-4 (4-4-2)

5. Wake Forest (1), 76, 13-7-3 (6-2-2)

6. Duke, 68, 10-6-7 (3-3-4)

7. Miami, 55, 9-7-5 (4-4-2)

8. Maryland, 37, 6-9-3 (1-8-1)

Virginia Tech, 37, 8-7-3 (3-5-2)

10. Clemson, 28, 10-6-5 (2-3-5)

11. NC State, 21, 6-10-3 (0-9-1)