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)
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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).
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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.