WPU Dips to Eighth Following First Loss of 2024
Oskaloosa–After succumbing to defeat for the first time this fall, the Statesmen men’s soccer team fell a pair of spots as the NAIA released its fourth top-25 poll Wednesday.
WPU (12-1-1, 6-1 Heart) slipped to #8 with 330 points. It marks the 15th poll in a row in which the navy and gold are ranked in the top 25.
The Statesmen now sit second among the six Heart of America Athletic Conference programs in the poll. Four squads are in the top 25 with Missouri Valley serving as the leader at #7, while MidAmerica Nazarene is #21 and Central Methodist is #22. Benedictine (unofficially 26th) and Baker (unofficially 35th) are also in the ranking.
Dalton State (Ga.) takes over the top spot in the nation with 418 points and 13 first-place votes. Oklahoma Wesleyan is second with the final three first-place ballots, while Mobile (Ala.), St. Thomas (Fla.), and Bellevue (Neb.) round out the top five.
WPU returns to Oskaloosa Saturday to host Park in Heart play at 12 p.m.
NAIA Men’s Soccer Rating #4 — October 9, 2024
Number in parentheses is first-place votes)
1. Dalton State (Ga.) (13)
2. Oklahoma Wesleyan (3)
3. Mobile (Ala.)
4. St. Thomas (Fla.)
5. Bellevue (Neb.)
6. Indiana Wesleyan
7. Missouri Valley
8. William Penn
9. Bethel (Ind.)
10. Cumberlands (Ky.)
11. Milligan (Tenn.)
12. William Carey (Miss.)
13. Keiser (Fla.)
14. Cumberland (Tenn.)
15. Mid-America Christian (Okla.)
16. Columbia (Mo.)
17. Bethel (Tenn.)
18. Indiana Tech
19. Westcliff (Calif.)
20. Madonna (Mich.)
21. MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.)
22. Central Methodist (Mo.)
23. UC Merced (Calif.)
24. Southern Oregon
25. Louisiana Christian
Receiving votes: Benedictine (Kan.) 57, LSU Shreveport (La.) 52, Union Commonwealth (Ky.) 49, William Woods (Mo.) 32, Trinity Christian (Ill.) 20, Williams Baptist (Ark.) 18, Huntington (Ind.) 16, John Brown (Ark.) 15, Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) 15, Baker (Kan.) 11, Carroll (Mont.) 9, Oklahoma City 8, Georgia Gwinnett 7, Mount Vernon Nazarene (Ohio) 6, Aquinas (Mich.) 4, Governors State (Ill.) 3, Marian (Ind.) 3, Tennessee Southern 2, Spring Arbor (Mich.) 2, Grace (Ind.) 2.
