Wittenberg Men's Soccer Joins Tiger Women In National Rankings
The Wittenberg University men's soccer team is off to its best start in more than a decade with an 8-2-1 record, and voters in the weekly National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Division III poll have taken notice. The Tigers broke into the Oct. 2 poll at No. 16, the highest ranking in program history.
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Matt Borland (in white)
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Springfield, Ohio — The Wittenberg University men's soccer team is off to its best start in more than a decade with an 8-2-1 record, and voters in the weekly National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Division III poll have taken notice. The Tigers broke into the Oct. 2 poll at No. 16, the highest ranking in program history.
The Tigers, who last reached the NCAA Division III Tournament in 1996, have won four straight games since losing to nationally ranked Emory and Centre at the Centre College Adidas Invitational. Most importantly, Wittenberg has opened North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) play with a pair of wins, heading into a difficult home stretch that starts with a home game against defending regular season champion Denison on Saturday, Oct. 6, and ends with a road date against 2006 national semifinalist Ohio Wesleyan on Friday, Oct. 26.
Most recently, Wittenberg recorded two 2-0 victories last week, on the road at Muskingum and at home against NCAC rival Wooster. Shane Price, class of 2009 from Minford, Ohio, scored a goal in each game to run his team-leading total to eight on the season. Matt Borland, class of 2009 from Kettering, Ohio, had a goal and an assist in a superbly played game against Wooster.
The Tigers are the highest ranked NCAC team in the men's NSCAA poll, as Ohio Wesleyan, a preseason top 10 team, now checks in at 19th. Wittenberg checks in at No. 2 in the Great Lakes Region poll, behind only seventh-ranked Case Western Reserve. Five of the 10 teams ranked in the Great Lakes Region hail from the NCAC.
The Tiger men have company in the national rankings again this week as the Wittenberg women stand 19th in the latest balloting. The Tigers have ridden a ranking rollercoaster over the last four weeks, breaking into the poll at No. 18 on Sept. 12, then falling into the "Others Receiving Votes" category the next week, then skyrocketing up to a program-best ninth before a 0-0 tie against Wooster dropped them to No. 19 this week.
A year after winning the program's first-ever NCAC Tournament title, the Tiger women have matched the men with an 8-2-1 record through the first half of the season. After a road date at Indiana Wesleyan on Wednesday, the Tigers close the season with seven straight NCAC contests, culminating with a road date against perennial national powerhouse Ohio Wesleyan on Friday, Oct. 26.
The Tiger women are one of two NCAC teams in the national poll, behind 12th ranked Denison, which Wittenberg will host on Wednesday, Oct. 10. The Big Red, who ended Wittenberg's season a year ago in the second round of the NCAA Division III Tournament on penalty kicks, are the top-ranked team in the Great Lakes Region. Wittenberg, one of four NCAC teams among the 10 ranked in the region, stands No. 2 in the latest balloting.
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