Movement Appears in NAIA Men’s Soccer Top 25: Dalton State Holds at No.1, Lindsey Wilson and Keiser Surge
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - In the latest NAIA Men's Soccer Netting Professionals Top 25 Coaches' Poll, Dalton State (Ga.) held firm at No. 1, and was the only team to remain in its previous position. Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) closed the gap, coming in at No. 2, trailing by just ten votes. Indiana Wesleyan returned to the top ten, while Keiser (Fla.) made a notable jump within the top ten from No. 9 to No. 6.
WVU Tech made a dramatic entrance into the Top 25, coming in at No. 22, after defeating then-ranked No. 2 Cumberlands (Ky.) last week. Overall, this latest poll reflects midseason adjustments as teams settle into conference play.
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1. Dalton State (Ga.) Record: 6-0-2 Notes: Dalton State (Ga.) preserved its unbeaten record last week, battling to a 1-1 draw at Faulkner (Ala.) before responding with a dominant 6-1 win over Point (Ga.) on Sunday. Up Next: The Roadrunners are back in action at home Wednesday evening against UT Southern (Tenn.) and wrap up the week on Saturday against Blue Mountain Christian (Miss.). |
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2. Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) Record: 8-0-1 Notes: Lindsey Wilson’s (Ky.) aggressive attack has piled up 200 shots through nine games, ranking fourth nationally and second in shots per game at 22.2. Up Next: The Blue Raiders have powered their way to a seven-game win streak and now face a tough stretch with back-to-back ranked contests against No. 14 Cumberland (Tenn.) on Wednesday and No. 8 Cumberlands (Ky.) on Thursday. |
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3. Oklahoma Wesleyan Record: 5-0-3 Notes: Stefan Schenk has been a standout in net, posting a 0.33 goals-against average to rank second nationally and an .889 save percentage to rank fourth through four games and 270 minutes of play. He has tallied eight saves. Additionally, Oklahoma Wesleyan has dominated on the scoreboard, outscoring opponents 24-7 this season. Up Next: The Eagles will take on Southwestern (Kan.) on Wednesday before closing the week against Tabor (Kan.) on Saturday, aiming to keep their unbeaten run intact. |
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4. MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) Record: 6-1-3 Notes: After suffering its first loss of the season to Mount Mercy (Iowa) last week, MNU responded with a hard-fought 2-2 draw against then-ranked No. 16 Grand View. Up Next: MNU will face RV Clarke (Iowa) on Saturday in its only matchup of the week. |
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5. Bethel (Ind.) Record: 7-1-2 Notes: Bethel (Ind.) has not lost since an early-season setback to Cumberlands (Ky.) on August 23. Since then, the Pilots have recorded six wins and two draws, most recently earning a 1-1 tie with Taylor (Ind.) and a 4-0 victory over Mount Vernon Nazarene (Ohio). Up Next: The Pilots have two matchups this week, facing Saint Francis (Ind.) on Wednesday and and Goshen (Ind.) on Saturday in the US Highway 20 Cup. |
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6. Keiser (Fla.) Record: 6-0-1 Notes: The Seahawks remain unbeaten at 6-0-1, outscoring opponents 27-3 this season and posting four shutouts. Keiser averages 3.86 goals per game while allowing just 0.43. Up Next: The Seahawks aim to keep their perfect start alive Wednesday morning when Keiser hosts unbeaten New College of Florida at Arrigo–Vecellio Field. |
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7. William Penn (Iowa) Record: 6-1-3 Notes: William Penn (Iowa) has started Heart of America Athletic Conference play strong, posting a 4-0-2 record and sharing first place in the standings with Grand View (Iowa). Up Next: Their only game this week comes on the road Saturday afternoon against William Woods (Mo.). |
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8. Cumberlands (Ky.) Record: 5-3-2 Notes: Cumberlands (Ky.) kicked off Mid-South Conference action on Sept. 20 with a dominant 5-0 victory over No. 14 Cumberland (Tenn.) and added another win against Georgetown (Ky.), giving them a 2-0 start in conference play. Up Next: Cumberlands faces No. 15 Georgia Gwinnett on Wednesday and Union Commonwealth (Ky.) on Saturday. |
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9. William Carey (Miss.) Record: 7-2-1 Notes: Daniel Mulero has been a key offensive contributor for William Carey (Miss.), tied for fourth in assists (8) and third in shots (44) in the NAIA. The Crusaders are riding a six-game win streak, most recently beating UT Southern (Tenn.) 2-1 and Blue Mountain (Miss.) 4-1. Up Next: Crusaders will take on Brewton-Parker College (Ga.) on Thursday and Thomas (Ga.) on Saturday. |
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10. Indiana Wesleyan Record: 6-2-2 Notes: Indiana Wesleyan began conference play last week and currently sits 1-0-1 in the Crossroads League after a draw with then-ranked No. 24 Spring Arbor (Mich.) and a 3-0 win over Taylor (Ind.). Up Next: The Wildcats travel to face No. 21 Grace (Ind.) on Wednesday and return home to host Huntington (Ind.) on Saturday. |
| TREND | RANK | LAST POLL | INSTITUTION [FIRST-PLACE VOTES] | RECORD | POINTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ● | 1 | 1 | Dalton State (Ga.) [10] | 6-0-2 | 498 |
| ▲ | 2 | 3 | Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) [8] | 8-0-1 | 488 |
| ▲ | 3 | 5 | Oklahoma Wesleyan (Okla.) | 5-0-3 | 462 |
| ▼ | 4 | 2 | MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) | 6-1-3 | 448 |
| ▲ | 5 | 7 | Bethel (Ind.) | 7-1-2 | 432 |
| ▲ | 6 | 9 | Keiser (Fla.) | 6-0-1 | 403 |
| ▲ | 7 | 8 | William Penn (Iowa) | 6-1-3 | 391 |
| ▼ | 8 | 4 | Cumberlands (Ky.) | 5-3-2 | 388 |
| ▲ | 9 | 10 | William Carey (Miss.) | 7-2-1 | 372 |
| ▲ | 10 | 11 | Indiana Wesleyan (Ind.) | 6-2-2 | 344 |
| ▼ | 11 | 6 | Bellevue (Neb.) | 7-4-1 | 276 |
| ▲ | 12 | 14 | LSU Shreveport (La.) | 4-0-5 | 275 |
| ▲ | 13 | 16 | Grand View (Iowa) | 8-0-3 | 271 |
| ▼ | 14 | 13 | Cumberland (Tenn.) | 8-1-2 | 249 |
| ▲ | 15 | 17 | Georgia Gwinnett (Ga.) | 5-1-2 | 240 |
| ▲ | 16 | 19 | Life (Ga.) | 6-0-2 | 226 |
| ▼ | 17 | 12 | Indiana Tech (Ind.) | 6-3-1 | 191 |
| ▲ | 18 | 20 | Madonna (Mich.) | 9-0-1 | 187 |
| ▼ | 19 | 15 | Marian (Ind.) | 6-2-3 | 179 |
| ▼ | 20 | 18 | Xavier (La.) | 4-1-1 | 178 |
| ▲ | 21 | 22 | Grace (Ind.) | 8-1-2 | 154 |
| ▲ | 22 | NR | WVU Tech (W.V.) | 6-0-2 | 60 |
| ▲ | 23 | RV | Northwestern Ohio (Ohio) | 7-2-1 | 59 |
| ▲ | 24 | RV | Bethel (Tenn.) | 5-0-1 | 55 |
| ▲ | 25 | RV | John Brown (Ark.) | 6-2-1 | 52 |
| ▲ | 25 | RV | Midland (Neb.) | 7-1-2 | 52 |
Receiving Votes: Rio Grande (Ohio) 42, Baker (Kan.) 41, Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) 39, Southern Oregon 38, St. Thomas (Fla.) 35, Clarke (Iowa) 30, Missouri Valley (Mo.) 28, Central Methodist (Mo.) 26, Florida National 21, Spring Arbor (Mich.) 20, Stanton (Calif.) 18, Mount Mercy (Iowa) 14, Milligan (Tenn.) 14, Oklahoma City 12, Union Commonwealth (Ky.) 10, Ottawa (Kan.) 9, Southwestern Christian (Okla.) 7, Faulkner (Ala.) 5, LSU Alexandria (La.) 2, Carroll (Mont.) 2.
Key: Steady●| Climbed ▲ | Dropped ▼
Poll Methodology
- The national poll is for publicity purposes only and does not influence the selection process for national championship consideration.
- A panel of head coaches representing each conference and the Continental Athletic Conference (Independents) votes in the poll.
- The Top 25 teams are selected using a points-based system:
- 30 points for a 1st-place vote, 29 for 2nd, 28 for 3rd, and so on.
- The highest and lowest rankings received by each team are discarded before final tallying.
- Teams receiving only one point are not listed as “receiving votes.”
- For the Preseason Poll, there is no "previous ranking" column since it is the initial poll and differs from the prior rating system.
