Aug. 18, 2008

Chicago, Ill.- The UIC men's soccer team was chosen to successfully defend its Horizon League championship by the conference's head coaches in the 2008 Horizon League Preseason Coaches Poll that was unveiled on Monday, Aug. 18.

The Flames received the maximum eight first-place votes in the poll. 2007 League runner-up Green Bay was selected to finish second, followed by Loyola, Butler, Milwaukee, Valparaiso, Wright State, Detroit and Cleveland State.

"It is nice to be recognized by the other coaches in the Horizon League, and I'm sure it wasn't easy for them to select us with so many other top Division I programs being represented in the league," said UIC head coach John Trask.

Head coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team in the poll.

UIC returns eight starters from last year's unprecedented NCAA Tournament Elite Eight run. The Flames went 13-6-6 in 2007, finishing the year by eliminating three nationally-ranked foes on the road to come within one match of the NCAA College Cup.

The Flames also received a pair of Top 10 national rankings to close out the 2007 season.

This marks the second consecutive year that the Flames sit atop the Horizon League Preseason Coaches Poll.

A pair of preseason national polls have also pegged the Flames as one of the country's Top 20 teams heading into this season. The NSCAA/adidas NCAA Division I Preseason National Poll has the Flames ranked No. 16, while the College Soccer News 2008 Preseason Top 30 Poll has UIC at No. 17.