Navy women among preseason poll field of 64

A national preseason women\'s soccer poll has tabbed Navy among the nation\'s top 64 squads entering the 2009 season.  The Midshipmen are ranked No. 53 according to TopDrawerSoccer.com\'s preseason projections, released earlier this week.

The Tournament 64 rankings posted on TopDrawerSoccer.com is a running attempt to project the postseason college soccer tournament qualifiers, including every automatic conference berth. The rankings will be released each Monday throughout the fall.

Head coach Carin Gabarra led the Mids to a 15-4-3 record and the program\'s third-straight Patriot League final appearance in 2008. Navy brings back six starters and 15 letterwinners, highlighted by the return of two-time conference defender of the year Shelly Moeller (Sr.; Milford, Ohio).

Navy, the only Patriot League program recognized in the rankings, begins a challenging 2009 schedule on Friday, Aug. 21 at the University of South Carolina-Upstate.

The Mids will face four non-conference foes who ranked among the top-50 teams, including Miami (No. 26), Dayton (No. 27), James Madison (No. 35) and Boise State (No. 50). James Madison, a Sweet Sixteen participant a year ago, also received votes in the NSCAA poll.