Spartan Men’s Soccer Picked to Finish Second in NAC

AURORA, Ill. August 30, 2007 - The Aurora University Spartan 2007 men’s soccer team was picked to finish second in the Northern Athletics Conference preseason coaches poll. The Spartans (12-5-4, 8-1) finished second in 2006, and also received an at-large berth to the NCAA Division III Championship, falling to Dominican in a first round match up.

Dominican is the NAC pre-season favorite, after receiving all 11 of the first place votes. Dominican has gone to the NCAA tournament five years in a row. Dominican has also been crowned conference champions five times in the last seven years. One of the years the Stars were upended was in 2004 when the Spartans captured the Northern Illinois-Iowa Conference championship.

The AU Spartan men’s soccer team has its eyes set on the Stars and a NCAA tournament appearance, which would be the second consecutive for the Spartans. The 2006 bid was AU’s first NCAA tournament appearance in school history.

2007 NAC Men's Soccer Coaches' Preseason Poll
1. Dominican University (11), 121
2. Aurora University, 103
3. Edgewood College, 101
4. Concordia University Wisconsin, 93
5. Wisconsin Lutheran College, 67
6. Benedictine University, 53
7. Lakeland College, 48
8. MSOE, 46
9. Marian College, 40
10. Concordia University Chicago, 34
11. Maranatha Baptist Bible College, 20
First place votes in parentheses.

The Spartan men’s soccer team is in action next on Sunday, September 2, 2007, when they host Carleton College in AU’s season home opener. Game time is set for 2:00 p.m. on AU Field.

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