Statesmen Dip to #17
The William Penn men’s soccer team suffered its first loss in well over a month and it affected the squad’s position in the rankings as the NAIA released its seventh top-25 poll Wednesday.
Oskaloosa–The William Penn men’s soccer team suffered its first loss in well over a month and it affected the squad’s position in the rankings as the NAIA released its seventh top-25 poll Wednesday.
WPU (9-2-4 overall, 4-1-3 Heart), which lost for the first time since September 4 (5-0-3 during the unbeaten stretch), fell three spots from the last poll to #17 with 244 points.
The navy and gold are one of four representatives in the poll from the Heart of America Athletic Conference, all of whom are in the top 25. League-leading Missouri Valley, which defeated WPU last Saturday, tops the Heart at #14, while MidAmerica Nazarene has fallen to #22. Mount Mercy is now in the top 25 at #24.
Mid-America Christian (Okla.) continues to sit first in the country with 496 points and 15 first-place votes. St. Thomas (Fla.) moves up to #2 with the final three first-place ballots. Dalton State (Ga.), Grace (Ind.), and Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) round out the top five.
William Penn returns to Oskaloosa Saturday to host Culver-Stockton in Heart play at 1:30 p.m.
NAIA Men’s Soccer Rating #7 – October 18, 2023
Number in parentheses is first-place votes)
1. Mid-America Christian (Okla.) (15)
2. St. Thomas (Fla.) (3)
3. Dalton State (Ga.)
4. Grace (Ind.)
5. Lindsey Wilson (Ky.)
6. William Carey (Miss.)
7. Rio Grande (Ohio)
8. Oklahoma Wesleyan
9. Mobile (Ala.)
10. Bethel (Ind.)
11. Bethel (Tenn.)
12. Florida National
13. Union (Ky.)
14. Missouri Valley
15. Indiana Wesleyan
16. Keiser (Fla.)
17. William Penn
18. Cumberlands (Ky.)
19. Westcliff (Calif.)
20. Concordia (Neb.)
21. Missouri Baptist
22. MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.)
23. Tennessee Wesleyan
24. Mount Mercy
25. Southern Oregon
Receiving Votes: Louisiana Christian 53; Columbia (Mo.) 52; Menlo (Calif.) 45; Thomas (Ga.) 42; Briar Cliff 34; Milligan (Tenn.) 26; Lawrence Tech (Mich.) 22; Southeastern (Fla.) 18; Bellevue (Neb.) 16; Vanguard (Calif.) 15; Reinhardt (Ga.) 15; Saint Xavier (Ill.) 13; Faulkner (Ala.) 12; John Brown (Ark.) 10; UC Merced (Calif.) 9; College of Idaho 8; Ottawa (Kan.) 5; Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) 3.
