[COLLEGE] Akron is No. 1 in the Soccer America Men's Preseason Top 25 rankings, as selected by its editors.

The Zips were ranked No. 1 in the final Top 25 at the end of the 2009 regular season, having gone unbeaten and untied.

North Carolina, which Akron beat in a shootout in the semifinals at the Men's College Cup, is No. 2 in the preseason rankings, while Virginia, which beat the Zips on penalty kicks in the final, is No. 3.

The ACC leads all conferences with six teams ranked 2-3-4-7-8-9 in the Top 25. The Big East and Big Ten are represented by five teams apiece.

The men's regular season will kick off Sept. 1.

Soccer America Men's Preseason Top 25
RANK/TEAM (2009 RECORD)
1. Akron (23-1-1)
2. North Carolina (16-2-4)
3. Virginia (19-3-3)
4. Maryland (15-6-2)
5. UC Santa Barbara (17-5-2)
6. Tulsa (15-5-2)
7. Wake Forest (17-4-3)
8. Duke (14-7-0)
9. Boston College (14-9-0)
10. Connecticut (11-4-4)
11. UCLA (12-4-4)
12. Monmouth (18-2-2)
13. Stanford (12-6-2)
14. Ohio State (12-5-4)
15. St. John's (9-3-9)
16. Northwestern (11-5-4)
17. Penn State (12-8-2)
18. Notre Dame (11-8-4)
19. South Florida (14-4-3)
20. Louisville (13-3-4)
21. Indiana (12-10-1)
22. Portland (12-6-5)
23. Michigan State (11-8-2)
24. UNC Wilmington (14-3-5)
25. Saint Louis (15-7-0)

Note: The Soccer America Men's Top 25 will appear in the College Reporter each Tuesday during the regular season.

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