August 7, 2012

It was announced by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) that the University of Redlands men's soccer program earned a No. 9 ranking on the 2012 NCAA Division III Preseason Top-25 Poll. 

While the Maroon and Gray is the only Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) program in the national rankings, Redlands is joined by three teams from the Far-West Region, including Trinity University (TX), the University of Texas-Tyler and Pacific Lutheran University (WA). 

The Bulldogs come off of a record-breaking season in which they compiled a 20-3-2 overall record in addition to winning their 10^th SCIAC title in the last 11 years.  Subsequent to earning an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships, Redlands advanced to the Sweet 16 after tallying wins against Pacific Lutheran and SCIAC rival Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges.

The Maroon and Gray returns a number of playmakers from the team that led the country in goals scored (87) this past season, including First-Team All-SIAC senior midfielder Gabe Ramirez (Pasadena, CA).  Fellow First-Team member sophomore forward Charles Izydorek (Redlands, CA) looks to build upon his SCIAC Newcomer of the Year honor by adding to the dangerous Bulldog attack.  In the defensive third, Redlands returns junior defender Richie Marquez (Pomona, CA) and junior goalkeeper Andreas Silva (San Jose, CA), both looking to improve on last year's impressive goals-against-average (0.58) which helped them garner All-SCIAC First-Team accolades.

Head Coach Ralph Perez enters his seventh season with the Bulldogs after compiling a 99-24-10 overall record during his first six campaigns at the helm.  He strives to earn his 100^th career victory at Redlands when the Bulldogs open up the 2012 campaign at 5 p.m. on August 31 against Whitman College (WA).

For a complete listing of the 2012 NSCAA Preseason Top-25 Poll, please visit http://www.nscaa.com/rankings/1045/NCAADivisionIII/men/National/PreseasonPoll?preview=5ebeb6065f64f2346dbb00ab789cf001.