Villanova Olympic sports roundup: Preseason rankings released

Each week, since we'll be mostly focused on football, we'll roundup all the action from the rest of Villanova's fall sports.

Men's Soccer

Head Coach Tom Carlin enters his seventh season at the helm on the Main Line, and he'll return three of his top four scorers in Sean Sheridan, Chris Hill, and Padraic McCullaugh. The team had a monstrous preseason, demolishing Fordham 5-0 and George Mason 4-2.

Next Up: @ Marist 8/29, @ Drexel 9/2

Women's Soccer (0-1)

The team was picked to finish 6th in the BIG EAST preseason poll, while sophomore forward Katie Martin was selected to the preseason All-Conference team. The team returns 8 starters, and has added 7 new freshmen to the roster. If they're to return to the BIG EAST Tournament for the third straight season, they will need to adapt to new coach Fran Kulas' tactics, though he served as the team's top assistant for the last three years.

Last Week: Lost 2-1 to Drexel

Next Up: @ Radford on 8/29, @ Virginia 8/31

Field Hockey

Maddy Harding was named to the preseason All-Conference team, while the team itself was picked to finish 5th int he BIG EAST. Harding will have to do more than she did last season if the 'Cats are to better their 4-13 mark and get back to the postseason after a three-year hiatus.

Next Up: @ Sacred Heart (CT) 8/29, vs. Missouri St. 9/1

Volleyball

Josh Steinbach is back for his eighth season and his volleyball squad was picked to finish seventh in the BIG EAST. No players were named to the All-Conference team, so they'll need a team effort. They'll start things off at the JMU Classic on Labor Day weekend.

Next Up: vs. Charleston Southern 8/29, vs. Norfolk St. 8/30, @ James Madison 8/30