HARRISONBURG, Va. (JMU Athletics) – James Madison men’s soccer will begin the season ranked 18th in the country, as the Preseason United Soccer Coaches National Rankings for Division I were unveiled by the organization.

The Dukes are coming off a run to the round of 16 in the NCAA Championship last year after receiving an at-large bid, knocking off Pitt and fourth-seeded Georgetown on the road. It was JMU’s fifth time advancing to the round of 16, as it finished the season 10-5-5 and ranked 18th by United Soccer Coaches.

A pair of All-Sun Belt selections return for the Dukes in first teamer Luca Nikolai and second teamer Kevin Larsson. Nikolai received national recognition at the end of last season as well, being named a Freshman All-American by both TopDrawerSoccer and College Soccer News. Larsson and redshirt senior Evan Southern are the two top returning point scorers for the Dukes, with Southern finishing with 17 points (6g, 5a) and Larsson notching 16 points (5g, 6a) last season.

In his seventh season at the helm of the Dukes, head coach Paul Zazenski will lead the team into the season with an opening trip to California to take on CSUN on Thursday, Aug. 22 at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT, followed by No. 21 UCLA on Sunday, Aug. 25 at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.

— JMU Athletics —