With six days of pre-season training behind them, the University of Evansville men's soccer team gets a little variety on Saturday when the Aces play their only public scrimmage. Game time is 5:00 at Black Beauty Field. Admission is free, posters will be given to all in attendance, and the UE alumni will play at 6:30.

Here are some notes from today's annual UE Men's Soccer Media Day:

NOTES OF DISTINCTION... Only nine men’s soccer programs in 2008 were ranked among the nation’s top 25 by Soccer Times, AND achieved a team GPA of 3.0 or higher, AND ranked among the nation’s top 40 in attendance. The nine were: Akron, Brown, Creighton, Dartmouth, EVANSVILLE, New Mexico, Notre Dame, St. John’s and South Florida.

TOP 50 TEAM... UE is ranked #43 nationally in the Top Drawer Soccer.com pre-season poll. Top Drawer's rankings include 48 teams, the number that will be selected for the NCAA Soccer Championship in November. Five UE opponents are ranked among the elite 48, led by perennial MVC power Creighton at #3. Indiana is sixth, North Carolina ninth, Michigan State 27th and Western Illinois 48th. Top Drawer chose Akron as the nation's number one ranked team.

MVC’'S #1 RECRUITING CLASS... For the second year in a row, the Aces’ recruiting class is ranked among the nation's top 40 by College Soccer News. Coach Mike Jacobs' 2009 newcomers are listed #1 in the Missouri Valley Conference and #36 nationally in the College Soccer News rankings. Top Drawer Soccer.com also ranks the UE recruiting class #1 in the MVC. The Purple Aces have eight newcomers joining the 2009 team.

NEW PLAYERS OF NOTE... Freshman forward Gavin Chura is ranked #49 in Top Drawer's list of the nation's top 100 new players to watch in 2009. College Soccer News highlighted the Aces’ two transfers in their recruiting story. Sophomore midfielder/ defender Aaron Henkle was a starter for nationally ranked Akron last year, and junior forward Tyler Kincaid scored 20 goals in two seasons at Division II St. Joseph’s College.

#3 IN MVC POLL... Evansville is picked third in the MVC coaches’ poll, released today. Creighton (34 pts.) is picked to win, followed by Drake (27), Evansville (23), Missouri State (18), Bradley (15) and Eastern Illinois (9). Both Creighton and Drake made the NCAA Tournament last year. The 14-player Pre-Season All-MVC Team includes the Aces’ Mike Luttrull, Robby Lynch and Richard Menjivar.

SATURDAY'S SCHEDULE... Times have been changed for Saturday’s scrimmages at Black Beauty Field. The varsity will play a Purple-White intra-squad game at 5:00, consisting of two 30-minute periods. An autograph session will follow immediately after the match, and the UE alumni will take the field for their game at 6:30. Admission is free, and UE men's soccer posters will be given out free of charge to all in attendance. Saturday's event will be the only one at home for Coach Mike Jacobs' squad before the regular season opener Sept. 1 against SIU Edwardsville.

TRI-CAPTAINS... UE’s captains this season are senior defender/midfielder Reggie Edu, senior midfielder Dan Gibson and midfielder Robby Lynch. Edu is an all-MVC player who leads the team in games played (55) and started (54). Gibson has played in 42 career matches. Lynch was MVC Freshman of the Year in 2007, and is a two-time all-MVC midfielder.

TOP RETURNING PLAYERS... Robby Lynch and Mike Luttrull were chosen third team all-Midwest Region in 2008. Luttrull was first team all-MVC after leading the league in scoring. Lynch, Tom Irvin, Reggie Edu and Richard Menjivar were second team selections. All-Freshman Team members were Menjivar, Tyler Crawford and Tad Kreamalmeyer.

COACH JACOBS... Mike Jacobs has produced three winning seasons in his three years as head coach, and his team earned the adidas/NSCAA Team Academic Award in 2007 and 2008. In fact, UE compiled the 12th best team grade point average in the country last year. Jacobs was awarded with a contract extension last year that goes through the 2012 season.