Top Stories

SBI College Soccer Top 25: Sept. 17th Edition

CAL Men's Soccer vs Maryland

Photoo Michael Pimentel/GoldenBearSports.com

By IVES GALARCEP

Another week marked another shake-up at the top of the SBI Top 25, and after a slew of upsets and surprising results, a pair of Pac-12 teams stand atop the heap and neither of them is former No. 1 UCLA.

The Cal Golden Bears saw their perfect record blemished by a road draw vs. Penn State, but their body of work to date was enough to earn them the top spot in the latest SBI Top 25. Joining them at the top is Washington, which shook off the loss of standout goalkeeper Spencer Richey to remain unbeaten on the season.

Few folks would have pegged Wisconsin as a college soccer powerhouse when the season began, but the state boasts two unbeaten teams in the Top 25 as Wisconsin and Milwaukee boast identical 4-0-1 records. Wisconsin earned an impressive pair of road wins in Florida against Florida Gulf Coast and

The list of teams with perfect records is down to three, with Cal-State Northridge posting an impressive win vs. New Mexico to remain unbeaten on the season. Clemson debuts in the Top 25 on the strength of a 6-0 start, while University of Maryland-Baltimore County is on the fringes of the Top 25 due to a weaker schedule than the teams ahead of them.

Two teams that have rebounded well from bad season-opening losses to climb back up the rankings are Virginia Commonwealth and Northwestern. Both teams came into the season with high expectations, only to stumble in their season openers, but now both have put together outstanding runs to regain the ground they lost. VCU claimed another ranked victim with a win vs. Akron last week, while Northwestern has posted four straight shutout victories.

Here is the SBI College Soccer Top 25 for Sept. 17th:

SBI COLLEGE SOCCER TOP 25

1- CALIFORNIA (3-0-1)

2- WASHINGTON (4-0-1)

3- NOTRE DAME (2-0-2)

4- CREIGHTON (4-1)

5- CAL-STATE NORTHRIDGE (6-0)

6- UCLA (3-1-1)

7- VCU (3-1-1)

8- AKRON (4-2)

9- NORTH CAROLINA (2-0-2)

10- NEW MEXICO (3-1-1)

11- GEORGETOWN (4-2)

12. ST. JOHN’S (5-1)

13- WAKE FOREST (3-1)

14-NORTHWESTERN (4-1)

15-  SAINT LOUIS (4-1)

16- CLEMSON (6-0)

17- UAB (3-1-1)

18- MILWAUKEE (4-0-1)

19- FURMAN (4-1)

20- TULSA (4-1-1)

21- BUTLER (4-1-1)

22- WISCONSIN (4-0-1)

23- ELON (4-0-1)

24- COASTAL CAROLINA (3-2)

25- MICHIGAN STATE (3-1)

————–

HONORABLE MENTION

North Carolina State (3-1), George Mason (4-0-1), Marquette (3-2-1), UMBC (5-0), UC-Irvine (3-1-2), West Virginia (3-2-1), UCSB (3-2), Fairleigh Dickinson (4-1), Duke (2-1-2), UNC-Greensboro (3-2).

———

What do you think of this week’s rankings? Who do you think should be No. 1? Who didn’t make our Top 25 that you feel should have?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Warning: homer bias.

    Ives, no mention of Maryland, who went down to UNC and earned a draw? Now they drop out of the top 25? Their only losses this year are to Cal (SBI #1) and VCU (SBI #7).

    Reply
  2. This is a total homer comment, but isn’t it a bit harsh to the Cards to see Louisville drop all the way out of the top 25 & honorable mention? They won one/lost one this weekend. For that matter, no Indiana either?

    Reply
    • Until Indiana starts beating someone of substance, I don’t disagree with their absence. Sorry for the triple negative – to translate –
      Indiana does not deserve to be in the top 25 because they lose to any team with talent. Signed by an IU alum who watched their preseason game against UNC.

      Reply
    • Fair points, alums. I guess I’m used to top 25s that give teams a week or two to sort things out before the plummet like a stone (a la college football, or for that matter, the NSCAA Top 25).

      Reply

Leave a Comment