Girls’ soccer: Mater Dei gets to dig itself out of an early hole

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Whether it’s in college football or high school sports, preseason ranking are nothing more than a conversation starter.

Rarely do the rankings at the beginning of the season match the ones at then end. I present you with the latest evidence, exhibit 1-gillion and seven: The 2007-08 Mater Dei girls’ soccer team.

Fresh off last year’s Division I championship season, the Monarchs were ranked No. 1 by the Southern Section Division I coaches in their preseason poll. Not a bad choice, obviously, after their 23-3-3 record last season, but a so-so start has already cooled talks of a repeat championship.

Mater Dei has lost to unranked Northwood, tied Mayfair (Div. III) and tied No. 2 Upland. The Monarchs’ schedule only gets tougher. They play No. 9 El Toro today and then No. 7 Mission Viejo on Saturday. Plus, they still have the MD Premier Invitational and Trinity League season coming up.

Not quite what the doctor ordered, I would say.

The Monarchs could rebound and get back on track, but it will be interesting to see if they stay atop the Division I rankings.

Quick. Who was the preseason No. 1 in college football this year? And, is that team going to play in the BCS National Championship Game? (Answers in comments)

-- Jaime Cardenas

-- Image from www.materdei.org