Click here for the CSN Pre-Season Top Thirty.

One of the most experienced University of Evansville soccer teams in years has caught the attention of national media. College Soccer News has included Coach Mike Jacobs' Purple Aces in its CSN Pre-Season Top Thirty Rankings. Evansville is ranked 30th nationally, and is the only Missouri Valley Conference school to make the list.

The combination of four consecutive winning seasons and nine returning starters has raised the level of expectations around the Aces' program. UE's experience begins with three seniors who have been key players since they were freshmen. Fifth-year senior forward Tom Irvin earned All-Midwest Region honors and was UE’s leading scorer in 2009 with six goals and eight assists. Midfielder Robby Lynch was first team All-MVC, All-Midwest Region and winner of the William V. Slyker Award as UE’s male athlete of the year. Academic All-American Mike Luttrull is 27th in career scoring with 47 points. Joining that trio of returning starters are goalkeeper Phil Boerger, back four starters Justin Sass, Jarrett Robbins, Blake Schneider and Aaron Henkle, along with forward Tad Kreamalmeyer.

Sass joined Lynch and Irvin on the All-Midwest Region unit after leading a defense that allowed only 25 goals, the second fewest since 1991. Those three players plus Luttrull and Boerger earned All-Missouri Valley Conference honors last fall, when Evansville reached the MVC Tournament finals.

“When you have nine starters coming back, the expectation is that we have a team that knows how to compete and be successful against the best teams in the nation,” according to fifth year Head Coach Mike Jacobs.

The Aces report to campus August 15, begin practice August 17, and play their first of three exhibition matches August 20 at Saint Louis University. The first home match at McCutchan Stadium is an August 23 friendly against Cincinnati at 5:00 CDT. Season tickets are available through the UE ticket office at 488-ACES.

College Soccer News Pre-Season Top Thirty Rankings: 1. Akron; 2. North Carolina; 3 Maryland; 4. Virginia; 5. Tulsa; 6. UC Santa Barbara; 7. Wake Forest; 8. UCLA; 9. Monmouth; 10. Ohio State; 11. Boston College; 12. St. John's; 13. South Florida; 14. Stanford; 15. Duke; 16. Penn State; 17. UNC Wilmington; 18. Northwestern; 19. Michigan State; 20. UC Irvine; 21. Indiana; 22. Connecticut; 23. Portland; 24. Louisville; 25. Charlotte; 26. Bucknell; 27. Princeton; 28. Sacramento State; 29. Green Bay; 30. Evansville.