Concordia Women's Soccer Earns No. 1 Ranking
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - For the first time since the 2010 Final Poll (Nov. 14), Concordia (Ore.) claims the No. 1 ranking. The Cavaliers tallied 20-of-21 first-place votes and 591 points en route to the top pick in the second regular-season edition of the 2012 NAIA Women's Soccer Coaches' Top 25 Poll, the national office announced Tuesday.
Concordia is tied for the NAIA lead with six wins this season, including three victories against ranked opponents: 2-0 against then-No. 12 Hastings (Neb.); 2-0 against No. 2 Lindsey Wilson (Ky.); and 2-1 against No. 18 Concordia (Calif.). Much of the Cavaliers success this season has been predicated on its defense, which has held opponents to just two goals this season.
Second-ranked Lindsey Wilson received 563 points, while previously top-ranked Lee (Tenn.) fell two spots to No. 3 after opening the season 1-1. The Lady Flames earned one first-place vote and 551 points.
Embry-Riddle jumped one position from No. 5 to No. 4 following a 3-1 upset of Lee on Sept. 9. The victory was the first-ever win against a top-five opponent for the Eagles and snapped the Lady Flames NAIA-best 21 match win streak.
Oklahoma City rounded out the top five with 503 points, while previously top-five Mobile (Ala.) fell to No. 6 after losing to unranked SCAD Savannah (Ga.), 1-0, on Sept. 6.
No. 17 William Carey (Miss.) and No. 22 Siena Heights (Mich.) made the largest leap from last week with each program moving up three places. Conversely, Northwood (Fla.) fell four spots from No. 19 to No. 23.
Two newcomers joined the ranks in No. 16 Vanguard (Calif.) and No. 25 The Master's (Calif.). The Lions boast a 3-0 record, including a 4-0 victory against No. 19 Kansas Wesleyan on Sept. 3, and have yet to be scored on this season. The Master's is 4-1-2 overall with its only loss coming to top-ranked Concordia.
Fourteen conferences/independent/unaffiliated groups are represented throughout the Top 25, led by four from the Southern States Athletic Conference - Lee, Mobile, No. 13 Auburn Montgomery (Ala.) and William Carey - and the Golden State Athletic Conference - No. 8 Westmont (Calif.), Vanguard, Concordia, The Masters. The Unaffiliated Group consisting of the Frontier Conference and TranSouth Athletic Conference is third with three teams, while The Sun, Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference and Heart of America Athletic Conference have two representatives each.
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. The next Top 25 will be announced on Sept. 18.
Notes: (All information dates back to 1999) Concordia (Ore.) earns the No. 1 ranking for the first time since Nov. 14, 2010 ... The top-rank is the 11th all-time for Concordia ... 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), Lee (Tenn.) (11), Concordia (11) and Martin Methodist (Tenn.) (10) ... Lindsey Wilson owns the longest current active streak of consecutive appearances in the Top 25 with 139 ... Concordia (118) and Lee (100) 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 - 05 seasons ... The 2011 Lee squad is the first team to start and end the season at No. 1.
2012 NAIA Women's Soccer Coaches' Top 25 Poll - No. 2 (Sept. 11)
|
RANK |
LAST TIME |
SCHOOL (1ST PLACE VOTES) |
2012 RECORD |
TOTAL POINTS |
|
1 |
2 |
Concordia (Ore.) (20) |
6-0-0 |
591 |
|
2 |
3 |
Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) |
2-1-1 |
563 |
|
3 |
1 |
Lee (Tenn.) (1) |
1-1-0 |
551 |
|
4 |
5 |
Embry-Riddle (Fla.) |
4-2-0 |
546 |
|
5 |
6 |
Oklahoma City |
2-0-0 |
503 |
|
6 |
4 |
Mobile (Ala.) |
4-1-0 |
493 |
|
7 |
7 |
Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) |
4-0-0 |
483 |
|
8 |
10 |
Westmont (Calif.) |
2-1-1 |
438 |
|
9 |
9 |
Baker (Kan.) |
2-1-1 |
437 |
|
10 |
8 |
Spring Arbor (Mich.) |
3-1-1 |
431 |
|
11 |
10 |
Martin Methodist (Tenn.) |
5-2-0 |
388 |
|
12 |
12 |
Cal State San Marcos |
3-1-0 |
380 |
|
13 |
14 |
Auburn Montgomery (Ala.) |
3-0-1 |
375 |
|
14 |
13 |
Judson (Ill.) |
4-0-0 |
349 |
|
15 |
15 |
Graceland (Iowa) |
4-1-0 |
321 |
|
16 |
RV |
Vanguard (Calif.) |
3-0-0 |
305 |
|
17 |
20 |
William Carey (Miss.) |
4-1-0 |
269 |
|
18 |
18 |
Concordia (Calif.) |
3-2-0 |
256 |
|
19 |
17 |
Kansas Wesleyan |
3-1-0 |
243 |
|
20 |
21 |
Bellevue (Neb.) |
3-1-0 |
224 |
|
21 |
22 |
Westminster (Utah) |
5-1-0 |
176 |
|
22 |
25 |
Siena Heights (Mich.) |
3-0-1 |
174 |
|
23 |
19 |
Northwood (Fla.) |
3-3-0 |
157 |
|
24 |
23 |
Carroll (Mont.) |
4-0-0 |
130 |
|
25 |
RV |
The Master’s (Calif.) |
4-1-2 |
115 |
Others receiving votes: Ashford (Iowa) 105; Southern Oregon 65; SCAD Savannah (Ga.) 59; Hastings (Neb.) 45; Grand View (Iowa) 42; William Jessup (Calif.) 39; Missouri Valley 31; Trinity International (Ill.) 28; Rogers State (Okla.) 16; Cumberland (Tenn.) 16; Grace (Ind.) 15; Rocky Mountain (Mont.) 12; St. Ambrose (Iowa) 11; Davenport (Mich.) 9; Ottawa (Kan.) 5; Brenau (Ga.) 3.