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Ole Miss Receives No. 24 National Preseason Ranking From Soccer Buzz

Rebels ranked in the preseason top 25 for first time in program history

Aug. 11, 2006

OXFORD, Miss. - The Ole Miss soccer team received some early praise on Friday to go along with the building excitement for the 2006 campaign, as the Rebels were the 24th-ranked team in the nation in the Soccer Buzz Preseason Top 30 poll.

This marks the first time Ole Miss Soccer has received a national preseason ranking in the program's 12 years of existence. The Rebels have received votes before in preseason polls prior to 2006.

"It's nice to be recognized," said Ole Miss head coach Steve Holeman. "Now we will have to go out and prove that we deserve it. For us, it's more important to be recognized at the end of the season than at the beginning."

Soccer Buzz also tabbed Ole Miss with a No. 3 ranking in the central region, marking the Rebels' highest ever regional ranking.

The Rebels return 20 of 22 letterwinners and all 11 starters from a 2005 squad that won the program's third Southeastern Conference Western Division title and made the program's third trip to the NCAA Tournament.

Five of the Rebels' 2006 opponents are ranked in the poll, including No. 3 Notre Dame, No. 10 Tennessee, No. 11 Florida, No. 18 Georgia and No. 29 Vanderbilt.