WALTHAM, Massachusetts — Both the Brandeis University men's and women's soccer teams have earned Top 25 rankings in Division III in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America preseason polls released yesterday.

      Brandeis was selected 9^th in the men's poll and 14^th on the women's side. The Judges are one of seven programs nationwide with both squads ranked in the Division III Top 25 and the only program in New England.

      The Brandeis men finished 2015 with an 18-3-1 record in head coach Michael Coven's 43^rd season at the helm. They are coming off their first-ever outright University Athletic Association (UAA) championship. The Judges reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Division III tournament for the fourth year in a row last season. They return eight of the 11 players who started in half of their games, including NSCAA second-team All-American midfielder Josh Ocel of North Attleboro, Massachusetts, and first-team All-UAA goalkeeper Ben Woodhouse of Suffield, Connecticut.

      The Brandeis women also reached the Sweet 16 of the Division III tournament in 2015, finishing the season at 15-3-4 in head coach Denise Dallamora's 36^th season at the helm. The Judges won their first nine games of the season, one shy of a school record. They allowed just 10 goals in 22 contests, finishing 12^th in Division III in goals against average. Brandeis returns seven players who started at least 10 games in 2015, including D3soccer.com third-team All-American Michaela Friedman of Port Jefferson Station, New York, and leading scorer Lea McDaniel of Phoenix, Arizona.

      Two other UAA squads are also represented in both polls: Washington University (#2 women, #24 men) and the University of Chicago (#21 women, #23 men). Brandeis will travel to both squads on Oct. 16 and Oct. 14, respectively. The men face three other ranked squads: #6 Haverford at home on Sept. 4, at #13 MIT on Oct. 5 and home against #16 Tufts on Sept. 24. The women take on #6 Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh on Oct. 1.

      The Brandeis soccer teams open the 2016 season at home during the first week of September, with the women taking on MIT on Thurs., Sept. 1, and the men playing John Carroll University out of Ohio on Sat., Sept. 3.

Click here for full NSCAA Division III Men's Soccer Top 25: http://www.nscaa.com/web/Rankings/web/rankings/2016/Preseason/NCAA_DIII_MEN.aspx

Click here for full NSCAA Division III Women's Soccer Top 25: http://www.nscaa.com/web/Rankings/web/rankings/2016/Preseason/NCAA_DIII_WOMEN.aspx

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