Central now No. 1 in NCAA men’s soccer regional rankings
PELLA — A good week for the Central College men’s soccer team kept improving Wednesday afternoon as it was announced the team has moved up to No. 1 in the NCAA Division III North Regional Rankings.
The Dutch (14-2-2) are also the No. 2 team in the United Soccer Coaches North Region poll. The NCAA regional polls are used in the national tournament selection process.
Central is 3-1-0 against the other six teams ranked in the region. It has a 2-1 win at No. 2 Luther College, a 3-2 win against No. 3 Loras College and a 3-2 win at No. 5 Gustavus Adolphus College (3-2). The Dutch lost against No. 7, the University of Dubuque, 2-0.
St. Norbert College and the University of St. Thomas (Minn.) are also included in the top seven at No. 4 and No. 5, respectively.
On Tuesday, Central beat Buena Vista University 5-0 to clinch the program’s first-ever conference title.
The American Rivers Conference tournament will kick off Saturday afternoon with quarterfinal matches. As the top seed, Central will have a bye and play the semifinal at home on Wednesday from Pella’s A.N. Kuyper Athletics Complex.
