2010 NAIA Men's Soccer Coaches' Top 25 Poll - Regular Season No. 10
Nov. 9, 2010
Contact: Chad Waller, NAIA Director of Sports Information & Media Services, cwaller@naia.org
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Rio Grande (Ohio) was one of nine teams to hold its position in the 10th edition of the NAIA Men’s Soccer Coaches’ Top 25 poll, the national office announced Tuesday. The RedStorm claim the No. 1 ranking for the third-straight week with 622 total points and all 22 first-place votes. The No. 7 through No. 10-ranked programs all cling to their spots: No. 7 William Jewell (Mo.), No. 8 Mobile (Ala.), No. 9 Kansas Wesleyan and No. 10 Belhaven (Miss.).
The final poll for the 2010 season will be released Sunday by Noon CST, following the completion of the conference/independent/unaffiliated tournaments. To track the conference/independent/unaffiliated tournaments, click here. The 32-team field and bracket for the 2010 Men’s Soccer National Championship will be announced Sunday by 8 p.m. CST.
William Carey (Miss.), ranked No. 18 last week, is the only team to fall out of the Top 25. The Crusaders, who were ranked in nine of the previous 10 polls this season, have gone 2-2-1 in their last five matches. No. 23 Southern Poly State (Ga.) replaces William Carey and breaks a seven-week absence from the rankings. The Hornets have won eight-consecutive matches to improve to 11-3-2.
Rio Grande finished the regular season with a 17-0 record and notched its 18th win in the 13-0 triumph over St. Catharine (Ky.) in the Mid-South Conference quarterfinals on Nov. 5. The No. 1-seed RedStorm host Campbellsville (Ky.) on Wednesday in the league semifinals. Rio Grande has posted 13 shutouts this year and ranks in the top-five nationally in all major offensive statistical categories, including second in assists per match (5.1) and goals per match (5.5).
After holding the third position for the last seven weeks, Notre Dame (Ohio) bumps up one spot to No. 2. The Falcons gathered 592 total points with a 17-0 overall record. Notre Dame has been ranked in the top-five in each of the last 10 polls after being tabbed seventh in the preseason announcement. The Falcons host Houghton (N.Y.) in the American Mideast Conference championship on Saturday. Notre Dame has outscored its opponents 76-7 this year, including 12 shutouts.
No. 3 Hastings (Neb.) moves up one position with 579 total points. Undefeated at 18-0, the Broncos were in the fourth spot for the last seven weeks. The Great Plains Athletic Conference regular season champion has held a 41-3 scoring edge in its last eight matches. Coach Chris Kranjc goes for career win No. 200 against Briar Cliff (Iowa) in the GPAC tournament semifinals tonight.
One of the shake-ups near the top involved No. 4 Simon Fraser (B.C.). The Clan had their 16-match winning streak halted after a 4-0 loss to Seattle Pacific on Nov. 4. That setback forced Simon Fraser down two spots in the poll. With 565 total points, Simon Fraser is 17-1 heading into its Association of Independent Institutions (A.I.I.) tournament semifinals on Thursday.
Lindsey Wilson (Ky.), a team to hold the No. 1 distinction for the first two polls this year, improves one spot to fifth. The Blue Raiders captured 531 total points and have won their last three matches by a combined score of 14-0. In the Mid-South Conference semifinals on Wednesday, Lindsey Wilson hosts Campbellsville (Ky.). With a win in that contest, the Blue Raiders could potentially play top-ranked Rio Grande on Thursday for the MSC title.
The Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC), Mid-South Conference and the Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) lead all conferences, independents and unaffiliated groups with three schools apiece in the Top 25. Three other conferences each landed a pair of teams in the poll.
The poll was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conferences, independents and unaffiliated groups.
For more information on NAIA men’s soccer, please click here.
NOTES: Rio Grande (Ohio) has been ranked in the top 10 for the last 22 straight polls, dating back to the start of the 2009 season… The RedStorm earned the unanimous No. 1 spot, which marks the second time for any team this season (Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) on Sept. 7)… Rio Grande and Maine-Fort Kent are tied for the most wins (19) in the country… Overall, there are four undefeated programs (Rio Grande, Notre Dame (Ohio), Hastings (Neb.) and Maine-Fort Kent)… In 11 polls this year (including Preseason Top 25), there have been 49 teams ranked in the Top 25… Rio Grande surpasses Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) for the most No. 1 mentions since 2000 as the RedStorm now hold 34 top rankings… Overall, there have been 14 different teams to claim the No. 1 spot during that span: after Rio Grande, Lindsey Wilson is second (31) and is followed by Bethel (Tenn.) (11), Auburn Montgomery (Ala.) (9), Simon Fraser (B.C.) (6), Azusa Pacific (Calif.) (5) and Concordia (Calif.) (5)… Lindsey Wilson and Simon Fraser now hold the distinction of being consecutively ranked the longest among active schools – 43 straight polls, dating back to the 2007 Preseason Top 25 Poll… Maine-Fort Kent is next in line with 39 straight rankings, followed by Rio Grande (37) and Azusa Pacific and Notre Dame are tied at 30… Since 2000, two teams have rattled through the entire season ranked No. 1 --- Bethel in 2009 and Rio Grande during the 2004 season.
2010 NAIA Men’s Soccer Coaches’ Top 25 Poll – (Regular Season No. 10)
RANK | LAST WEEK | SCHOOL (1ST PLACE VOTES) | 2010 RECORD* | TOTAL POINTS |
1 | 1 | University of Rio Grande (Ohio) (22) | 19-0 | 622 |
2 | 3 | Notre Dame College (Ohio) | 17-0 | 592 |
3 | 4 | Hastings College (Neb.) | 18-0 | 579 |
4 | 2 | Simon Fraser University (B.C.) | 17-1 | 565 |
5 | 6 | Lindsey Wilson College (Ky.) | 14-2-1 | 531 |
6 | 5 | University of Maine at Fort Kent | 19-0 | 528 |
7 | 7 | William Jewell College (Mo.) | 16-1 | 507 |
8 | 8 | University of Mobile (Ala.) | 13-3-2 | 480 |
9 | 9 | Kansas Wesleyan University | 14-2 | 452 |
10 | 10 | Belhaven University (Miss.) | 15-1-2 | 446 |
11 | 12 | Bryan College (Tenn.) | 15-1-2 | 411 |
12 | 16 | Azusa Pacific University (Calif.) | 16-3-1 | 401 |
13 | 13 | Grand View University (Iowa) | 17-1 | 386 |
14 | 14 | SCAD Savannah (Ga.) | 13-3 | 349 |
15 | 15 | Oklahoma Baptist University | 14-3 | 343 |
16 | 19 | Vanguard University (Calif.) | 12-7 | 300 |
17 | 17 | University of the Cumberlands (Ky.) | 14-2-3 | 299 |
18 | 11 | California Baptist University | 15-4 | 257 |
19 | 21 | Science and Arts of Oklahoma | 14-3 | 234 |
20 | 22 | Park University (Mo.) | 11-3-1 | 226 |
21 | 24 | Houghton College (N.Y.) | 13-5 | 197 |
22 | 20 | Missouri Valley College | 12-4-2 | 185 |
23 | RV | Southern Polytechnic State University (Ga.) | 11-3-2 | 167 |
24 | 25 | University of Texas at Brownsville | 15-3-1 | 165 |
25 | 23 | Illinois Institute of Technology | 13-5 | 138 |
Others receiving votes:
Concordia University (Ore.) 101; William Carey University (Miss.) 59; Saint Thomas University (Fla.) 51; Lambuth University (Tenn.) 51; Aquinas College (Mich.) 45; McKendree University (Ill.) 41; Saint Xavier University (Ill.) 30; Bethel University (Tenn.) 22; Davenport University (Mich.) 14; Bellevue University (Neb.) 13; Baker University (Kan.) 11; Mount Vernon Nazarene University (Ohio) 9; Northwood University (Fla.) 7; Bethel College (Ind.) 6; Oklahoma City University 6; Holy Names University (Calif.) 3; Columbia College (Mo.) 3; Mid-Continent University (Ky.) 1; College of Idaho 1; Judson University (Ill.) 1; Lindenwood University (Mo.) 1; Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Fla.) 1; Brescia University (Ky.) 1; Olivet Nazarene University (Ill.) 1; Union University (Tenn.) 1; Biola University (Calif.) 1; Campbellsville University (Ky.) 1.
* Submitted by the raters and reflecting the overall record through games played Nov. 7
