Salisbury enters 2008 campaign ranked No. 2 in STX/NFHCA preseason poll

CHANDLER, Ariz. - The Salisbury University field hockey will begin the 2008 season ranked where they ended last season, No. 2 in the country. The Sea Gulls earned three first-place votes in the STX/National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) preseason poll released a week before the season starts for the maroon and gold.

Salisbury earned 359 points to secure the second spot behind the defending national champions Bowdoin College. The Polar Bears claimed 18 first-place votes and accumulated 414 points. The Sea Gulls posted an impressive 20-2 record last season where SU reached the NCAA semifinals.

The College of New Jersey edged out Ursinus College for the No. 3 spot while Lebanon Valley College checked in at No. 5. The next five teams were Middlebury College, Messiah College, SUNY Cortland, Rowan University and Christopher Newport University.

The Sea Gulls '08 schedule features five teams ranked in the preseason poll. The third game of the year for SU features a home game with CNU (September 10). After the annual SU Invitational the Sea Gulls hit the road for three consecutive road games against nationally ranked teams; No. 11 Johns Hopkins University (September 17), No. 7 Messiah (September 20) and No. 9 Rowan (September 24). Salisbury will host TCNJ on October 18 in a showdown of two of the top programs in the country.

Last season, Salisbury began the season ranked No. 6 in the nation.

STX/NFHCA Preseason Poll
1. Bowdoin
2. SALISBURY
3. The College of New Jersey
4. Ursinus
5. Lebanon Valley
6. Middlebury
7. Messiah
8. SUNY Cortland
9. Rowan
10. Christopher Newport
11. Johns Hopkins
12. William Smith
13. Springfield
14. Juniata
15. Skidmore
16. Tufts
17. Lynchburg
18. St. Lawrence
19. Williams
20. Montclair State