Oct. 5, 2010

Contact: Chad Waller, NAIA Director of Sports Information & Media Services, cwaller@naia.org

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – No. 1 Simon Fraser (B.C.) remains on top of the fifth regular season edition of the 2010 NAIA Men’s Soccer Coaches’ Top 25 poll, the national office announced Tuesday. The Clan is a perfect 8-0 on the season and has been the top-ranked club for four straight weeks. The next seven teams hold their spots in the poll: No. 2 Rio Grande (Ohio), No. 3 Notre Dame (Ohio), No. 4 Hastings (Neb.), No. 5 Vanguard (Calif.), No. 6 Maine-Fort Kent, No. 7 California Baptist and No. 8 William Jewell (Mo.).

Two newcomers slide into the Top 25 this week. No. 22 Saint Xavier (Ill.) is ranked for the first time this season with its’ last mention coming on Sept. 22, 2009 (No. 22). At 6-2-1 overall, the Cougars have gone unbeaten in the last five matches. After a three-week absence, No. 23 Bethel (Tenn.) hops back in thanks to four wins in its’ last five contests.

The Master’s (Calif.) (No. 23) and Mount Vernon Nazarene (Ohio) (No. 25) both fell out of the Top 25 this week. Both clubs have dropped two-straight matches.

Simon Fraser, winners in 17 of its last 18 matches, posted 16 first-place votes and a total of 616 points. The Clan ranks in the top-20 offensively by averaging 3.1 goals per contest. They hold a 25-2 scoring advantage in eight games. Simon Fraser puts its unblemished record on the line this week at Seattle Pacific on Wednesday followed by a road trip to St. Martin’s (Wash.) on Saturday.

No. 2 Rio Grande notches its fourth-straight week with at least five first-place votes. This week, the Red Storm gathered six first-place nods and a total of 607 points. Rio Grande has shut out eight of its 11 opponents en route to an 11-0 mark. Rio Grande has been ranked in the top 10 for the last 17 straight polls, dating back to the start of the 2009 season.

With an 11-0 record, No. 3 Notre Dame has been on a roll this year. The Falcons have allowed only two of 11 opponents to score and, maintain a 51-3 scoring advantage. For the consecutive straight week, Notre Dame is ranked in the third spot and tallied 583 points. The 4.6 goals per game average is good for third in the country.

Hastings sits at No. 4 with 558 total points and a 9-0 season mark. The Broncos have allowed a mere four goals through nine matches and have pitched five shutouts. Hastings has two home matches this week starting with Doane (Neb.) on Tuesday and Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) on Saturday.

Vanguard is ranked fifth for the third-straight week. The Lions have vaulted quickly among the Top 25, as they were not ranked in the preseason or the first-regular season poll. Vanguard, with an 8-0-1 record, recorded 542 total points this week. Vanguard heads to No. 7 California Baptist in a battle of first-place teams in the Golden State Athletic Conference (Fresno Pacific is also undefeated in league play) on Tuesday.

The Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC), Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC) and Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) all claim three schools apiece in the Top 25. No. 5 Vanguard, No. 7 California Baptist and No. 12 Azusa Pacific (Calif.) hail from the GSAC. Representing the HAAC is No. 8 William Jewell (Mo.), No. 14 Benedictine (Kan.) and No. 21 Lindenwood (Mo.). The SSAC has No. 9 Belhaven (Miss.), No. 11 Mobile (Ala.) and No. 18 (tie) William Carey (Miss.). The Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC), Mid-South Conference and The Sun Conference all place 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. The sixth regular season Coaches’ Top 25 Poll will be announced on Oct. 12.

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NOTES: There are five schools tied for the most wins (11) in the country… Overall, there are nine programs without a defeat on the season… In five polls this year (including Preseason Top 25), there have been 42 teams ranked… No. 10 Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) is tied with Rio Grande for the most No. 1 mentions since 2000 at 31 times… Overall, there have been 14 different teams to claim the No. 1 spot during that span, led by Lindsey Wilson and Rio Grande (31), followed by Bethel (Tenn.) (11), Auburn Montgomery (Ala.) (9), Azusa Pacific (Calif.) (5), Concordia (Calif.) (5) and Simon Fraser (B.C.) (4)… Lindsey Wilson and Simon Fraser (B.C.) now hold the distinction of being consecutively ranked the longest among active schools -- 38 straight polls, dating back to the 2007 Preseason Top 25 Poll… Maine-Fort Kent is next in line with 34 straight rankings, followed by Rio Grande (Ohio) (32) and Azusa Pacific (Calif.) and Notre Dame (Ohio) tied at 25… 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. 5)

Others receiving votes:

Oklahoma City University 86; Cedarville University (Ohio) 84; University of the Cumberlands (Ky.) 82; Westmont College (Calif.) 67; McKendree University (Ill.) 60; Shorter University (Ga.) 32; Concordia University (Ore.) 25; Davenport University (Mich.) 22; Warner University (Fla.) 16; Rogers State University (Okla.) 12; Thomas University (Ga.) 9; Aquinas College (Mich.) 9; Union College (Ky.) 8; Columbia College (Mo.) 7; Auburn University Montgomery (Ala.) 6; Fresno Pacific University (Calif.) 6; Houghton College (N.Y.) 5; Illinois Institute of Technology 3; Mountain State University (W.Va.) 3; Baker University (Kan.) 3; University of Great Falls (Mont.) 1; The Master's College (Calif.) 1; Mid-Continent University (Ky.) 1; Northwood University (Fla.) 1; Park University (Mo.) 1; Campbellsville University (Ky.) 1; California State University-San Marcos 1; Bethel College (Ind.) 1; Westminster College (Utah) 1

* Submitted by the raters and reflecting the overall record