By IVES GALARCEP
The Final SBI College Soccer Top 25 of the regular season features two teams who started the season near the top, and look poised to make runs at an NCAA title.
Notre Dame has climbed to the top of the heap after a strong run through the ACC regular season, and now the Fighting Irish head toward the semifinals looking like a good bet to challenge Maryland for the ACC title.
UCLA may wind up losing out on the Pac-12 title to Washington, but after recently beating both Washington and California, the Bruins have moved into the No. 2 spot, just one spot off the No. 1 ranking they started the season with.
California has seen their dream season collapse a bit late, with three losses in four matches to go from No. 1 to threatening to fall out of the Top 10. The Golden Bears dropped an overtime decision to arch-rival Stanford on Wednesday night to slide out of the top five after recent losses to Washington and UCLA.
The West Coast is well-represented, with UCSB and UC-Irvine making big moves in the latest ranking. One team that might surprise some with its inclusion, but is absolutely a worth ranked team, is Delaware. The Blue Hens own some impressive victory this season, and they are a good bet to book their place in the NCAA Tournament.
Here is how the final SBI College Soccer Top 25 of the regular season shakes out:
SBI COLLEGE SOCCER TOP 25
1- NOTRE DAME (12-1-5)
2- UCLA (10-3-4)
3- WASHINGTON (13-1-4)
4- AKRON (14-3-1)
5- MARYLAND (11-3-5)
6- GEORGETOWN (13-4-1)
7- UCONN (10-2-5)
8- CALIFORNIA (12-4-2)
9- NEW MEXICO (11-4-2)
10- VIRGINIA (10-4-4)
11- UCSB (12-4-3)
12- ILLINOIS- CHICAGO (15-3)
13- WAKE FOREST (9-5-5)
14- MILWAUKEE (13-2-2)
15- UC-IRVINE (12-4-3)
16- MICHIGAN STATE (11-4-3)
17- PENN STATE (11-5-1)
18- LOUISVILLE (11-4-3)
19- NORTHWESTERN (10-5-3)
20- COASTAL CAROLINA (15-4)
21- WISCONSIN (13-4-2)
22- DELAWARE (14-4)
23- CHARLOTTE (10-5-3)
24- UMBC (13-1-2)
25- WILLIAM & MARY (10-4-2)
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HONORABLE MENTION
George Mason (10-2-4), Saint Louis (12-4-2), Clemson (11-6-2), UAB (12-5-1), Marquette (10-5-2), Elon (13-4-2), Cal-State Northridge (14-5-1), Dayton (14-2-2), Furman (11-4-2), Providence (11-4-2), Central Florida (8-4-5), North Carolina (8-5-5), Old Dominion (10-5-1), VCU (10-6-2), Navy (13-3-2)
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What do you think of this week’s rankings? Who do you see being ranked too highly? Who do you feel isn’t getting enough respect?
Share your thoughts below.