Final NAIA Women's Soccer Regular Season Top 25 Released
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Lee (Tenn.) holds on to the No. 1 ranking for the fourth-straight week in the final regular season NAIA Women's Soccer Coaches' Top 25 Poll, the national office announced Sunday. The Lady Flames, who claimed their ninth-straight Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) tournament title with a 5-1 win over Faulkner (Ala.) on Saturday, tallied all 21 first-place votes and 591 points en route to the program's 15th all-time top billing, dating back to 1999.
The 2012 NAIA Women's Soccer Modified Ratings Percentage Index (MRPI) and 31-team national championship field will be announced Sunday at 5 p.m. CST. The official bracket and pairings for the event is scheduled to release Monday at 2 p.m. CST.
Vanguard (Calif.) leapt to No. 2 with 560 points after posting a 2-1 victory over Biola (Calif.) on Saturday in the finals of the Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) Tournament. Additionally, the victory gave the Lions the season sweep of the regular-season and postseason conference titles. No. 3 Mobile (Ala.) (540 points) and No. 4 Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) (527 points) each fell one position after losing in their respective conference tournaments. Concordia (Ore.), who won the Cascade Collegiate Conference Tournament crown, 2-1, in an overtime thriller against Northwest (Wash.), remained at No. 5 with 522 points.
No. 16 Cumberland (Tenn.) made the highest jump of seven spots from No. 23 following a 2-1 win against top-seeded and then-No. 3 Lindsey Wilson in the championship match of the Mid-South Conference Tournament. Embry-Riddle (Fla.) was the other significant mover in the poll, jumping four places from No. 18 to No. 14 after winning The Sun Conference Tournament title.
Judson (Ill.) dropped from No. 16 to No. 22 for the largest tumble. The Eagles were bounced in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) semifinals by eventual tournament champion Robert Morris (Ill.), who with the victory returned to the poll for the first time since the preseason poll (Aug. 14) at No. 20.
Baker (Kan.) (No. 24) fell from the rankings.
Thirteen conferences/independents/unaffiliated groups are represented throughout the Top 25, led by five squads from the SSAC - Lee, Mobile, No. 9 William Carey (Miss.), No. 19 Brenau (Ga.), and No. 24 Auburn Montgomery (Ala.). The CCAC is second with three teams, respectively.
The poll was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conference/independent/unaffiliated groups.
For a complete women's soccer ratings calendar, click here.
Notes: (All information dates back to 1999) Lee (Tenn.) earns the No. 1 ranking for the 15th time in program history and sixth time this season ... Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) owns the most No. 1 rankings all-time with 41, followed by former NAIA member Azusa Pacific (Calif.) (33), Westmont (Calif.) (19), Concordia (Ore.) (16), Lee (14) and Martin Methodist (Tenn.) (10) ... Lindsey Wilson owns the longest current active streak of consecutive appearances in the Top 25 with 148 ... Concordia (127) and Lee (109) are the only other programs to occupy a spot in the poll 100-or-more consecutive weeks ... The Blue Raiders also lead the way with consecutive weeks at No. 1 with 13, spanning the 2004 - 2005 seasons ... The 2011 Lee squad was the first team to start and end the season at No. 1 ... William Carey's (Miss.) No. 10 rating on Sept. 18 marked the first time the Crusaders were in the top-10 since Sept. 6, 2011 (No. 7) ... Lee, No. 3 Mobile (Ala.), Lindsey Wilson, Concordia and No. 7 Spring Arbor (Mich.) have been ranked in the top-10 in every poll this season.
2012 NAIA Women's Soccer Coaches' Top 25 Poll - Final (Nov. 11)
|
RANK
|
LAST TIME
|
SCHOOL (1ST PLACE VOTES)
|
2012 RECORD
|
TOTAL POINTS
|
|
1
|
1
|
Lee (Tenn.) (21)
|
17-1-1
|
591
|
|
2
|
4
|
Vanguard (Calif.)
|
16-2-0
|
560
|
|
3
|
2
|
Mobile (Ala.)
|
15-3-2
|
540
|
|
4
|
3
|
Lindsey Wilson (Ky.)
|
15-4-1
|
527
|
|
5
|
5
|
Concordia (Ore.)
|
15-2-2
|
522
|
|
6
|
6
|
Oklahoma City
|
19-1-0
|
503
|
|
7
|
7
|
Spring Arbor (Mich.)
|
18-2-1
|
476
|
|
8
|
10
|
Martin Methodist (Tenn.)
|
15-3-0
|
453
|
|
9
|
9
|
William Carey (Miss.)
|
14-4-1
|
442
|
|
10
|
11
|
Kansas Wesleyan
|
19-1-0
|
420
|
|
11
|
8
|
Olivet Nazarene (Ill.)
|
16-3-0
|
405
|
|
12
|
12
|
Graceland (Iowa)
|
17-2-1
|
393
|
|
13
|
15
|
Northwood (Fla.)
|
13-4-1
|
371
|
|
14
|
18
|
Embry-Riddle (Fla.)
|
15-5-0
|
346
|
|
15
|
14
|
Cal State San Marcos
|
11-5-3
|
281
|
|
16
|
23
|
Cumberland (Tenn.)
|
18-2-0
|
274
|
|
17
|
19
|
Westmont (Calif.)
|
12-5-1
|
268
|
|
18
|
17
|
Benedictine (Kan.)
|
15-2-3
|
266
|
|
19
|
18
|
Brenau (Ga.)
|
13-5-0
|
257
|
|
20
|
RV
|
Robert Morris (Ill.)
|
15-6-0
|
246
|
|
21
|
22
|
Davenport (Mich.)
|
17-2-1
|
197
|
|
22
|
16
|
Judson (Ill.)
|
16-4-0
|
194
|
|
23
|
20
|
Rocky Mountain (Mont.)
|
14-2-2
|
182
|
|
24
|
24
|
Auburn Montgomery (Ala.)
|
11-6-2
|
132
|
|
25
|
21
|
Carroll (Mont.)
|
12-2-3
|
126
|
Others receiving votes: Ashford (Iowa) 122; Biola (Calif.) 85; Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) 71; Baker (Kan.) 68; Viterbo (Wis.) 61; Bellevue (Neb.) 20; Grace (Ind.) 17; Texas at Brownsville 16; Northwest (Wash.) 3.