| 1 | St Olaf | Minnesota IAC | 11-0 | They were the only team in Division I, II, or III that had won every game when the coaches left them at No. 1 for a third straight week. Through those 11 they had outscored opponents 30-3, posted eight shutouts, and sat at a 0.273 goals-against average, with a MIAC regular-season unbeaten run that had reached 36 games. The 2-2 at UW-Platteville on Oct. 6 is the first crack, and it came after this snapshot. Until someone beats them, the seat stays theirs. |
| 2 | Chicago | University AA | 9-1 | The Maroons have the best combination of results and league weight on the board after the Oles. That one loss is the only reason they are not arguing for No. 1. Nine wins in the UAA orbit still beat a perfect NESCAC record built on fewer games. |
| 3 | Middlebury | NESCAC | 7-0-2 | Unbeaten, and the coaches still have them second. The two draws are why they sit third here. They have not lost, but they also have not separated the way an 11-0 St. Olaf or a 9-1 Chicago has. |
| 4 | Case Western | University AA | 8-0-2 | Still no losses, and the UAA schedule is not a soft landing. The draws keep them off the top step. Eight wins without a defeat in that league is a top-five résumé until somebody hands them a loss. |
| 5 | Washington & Lee | Old Dominion AC | 8-1 | One loss, eight wins, and a climb the coaches have them at sixth. The ODAC is a two-team race with Lynchburg, and W&L has handled the rest. That single defeat is the tax for sitting fifth instead of third. |
| 6 | St John’s MN | Minnesota IAC | 11-1 | Eleven wins is the loudest record outside Northfield. The one loss, and the fact it came in the same league as a still-perfect St. Olaf, is why a team this prolific is sixth and not second. They can bury almost anyone. They have not buried the Oles. |
| 7 | Williams | NESCAC | 8-1-1 | A win tally that would have them higher in a thinner league. The loss and the draw are the NESCAC tax. They look like a top-half conference side that can nick anyone on the right night, not a team that has locked a region. |
| 8 | Montclair St | New Jersey A.C. | 10-2 | Ten wins is not an accident. Two losses are why they are eighth instead of sitting with Rowan. The Red Hawks have volume. They do not yet have the clean sheet of results the unbeaten NJAC side has. |
| 9 | St Lawrence | Liberty League | 9-0-1 | Coaches have them fifth. This board is a little colder because the Liberty slate still has to prove it travels. Nine wins and a single draw is a real surge. One more signature result and the gap between fifth and ninth closes fast. |
| 10 | Calvin | Michigan IAA | 8-1-1 | Quietly one of the better mid-major records in the country. The loss and the draw are the ceiling for now. MIAA play will decide whether this is a tournament lock or a good September that flattened out. |
| 11 | Rowan | New Jersey A.C. | 7-0-2 | The coaches have them fourth. Two draws are the only marks on the sheet, which is why they are eleventh here instead of top five. Unbeaten is unbeaten. The Profs still need a win that separates them from Montclair and the SUNY cluster. |
| 12 | CT College | NESCAC | 5-2-1 | Thin record, high league. Two losses would bury most teams. Doing it inside the NESCAC, with Middlebury and Tufts on the calendar, is why they survive at 12. Dangerous on a good night, ordinary on a bad one. |
| 13 | Lynchburg | Old Dominion AC | 7-1-2 | The early win at W&L is still one of the better scalps on anyone’s sheet. The loss and two draws are why they trail the Generals. October in the ODAC will tell us if that result was a statement or a head start. |
| 14 | Hope | Michigan IAA | 7-1-1 | Scoring has not been the problem. The loss and the draw are. They belong in this range until they beat a team already on the board or drop one they should not. |
| 15 | Messiah | Mid Atlantic | 8-1-1 | Eight wins and a single loss is a familiar Messiah shape, just no longer an automatic top-10 shape. The MAC is theirs to manage. A national measuring stick is what this ranking is waiting on. |
| 16 | Tufts | NESCAC | 6-1-3 | Defending champs, and the record shows it. One loss and three draws is why last year’s No. 1 is 16th. The talent has not left. The consistency has not shown up yet. |
| 17 | SUNY Oneonta | SUNY AC | 7-0-2 | Unbeaten and under-ranked by the coaches, who left them just off the poll. The two draws are the knock. A clean win over Cortland would jump them several spots overnight. |
| 18 | SW Univ TX | SAA | 8-1 | Eight wins, one loss, and a national poll that has them 13th. This board is stingier with the SAA résumé. The record is real. A result against a current top-15 side would end the argument. |
| 19 | North Park | Ill & Wisc | 8-1-2 | One loss, two draws, six wins, and a coach poll spot at 22. They are here because they keep hanging around the UAA neighborhood. A win over Chicago would rewrite the bottom third of this list. |
| 20 | Hobart & Smith | Liberty League | 9-2 | Nine wins is the case for them. Two losses, in a league St. Lawrence is navigating with one draw, is the case against a higher spot. Volume without the clean sheet. |
| 21 | Cortland St | SUNY AC | 7-2-1 | Preseason top-10 team living in the teens. Two losses did that. The bounce-back wins are why they are still here instead of off the page. Oneonta and the rest of the SUNYAC will decide the month. |
| 22 | Chris Newport | Coast-to-Coast | 6-1-1 | One loss, one draw, and a schedule that has not yet included enough of this list. The Captains have taken care of their business. W&L and the Coast-to-Coast gauntlet are the exams that move them. |
| 23 | Kenyon | North Coast AC | 7-2 | Seven wins, two losses, and a fresh appearance on the coaches’ Top 25 at 25. The NCAC is deeper than the record suggests. They are here on results, not reputation, and two losses is the right tax. |
| 24 | Emory | University AA | 7-1-2 | Preseason top-five, now 24th, and only receiving votes nationally. The loss and two draws in a league Chicago and Case are owning is the whole story. Talent is not the question. The results against that talent are. |
| 25 | DePauw | North Coast AC | 8-2 | Eight wins gets you on the list. Two losses, and a conference mate in Kenyon with a cleaner path, gets you the last chair. Beat a team above them and the stay becomes a climb. |
The NCAA has Hope College ranked #9. You don’t have them in your top 25?
Hi Michael. Thanks for the comment. I like Hope. I watched them take care of Wabash in convincing fashion. I do have them on my radar but need to see more out them. Think if they dispatch DePauw and Chicago, they will definitely be in consideration of the Top 25.
GAC vs MAC game was actually postponed over the weekend due to weather delays. They finished the balance of game yesterday evening, resulting in a 1-0 Win for the Gusties. That said, it was a very even game.
Who do you like in the Dennison v. Mary Washington game?
This is most definitely a tough one. I think Denison is peaking at the right time, and Mary Washington has been pretty dominant. I am going to go with Mary Washington. Am thinking this may be their year.
The shadow of Dave Brandt is finally waning and exposing the Machine that was Messiah Mens Soccer. Dave Brandt has shown that he can coach. He has adapted, and delivered success at different levels and programs. HIs successful runs at Messiah perpetuated a system that was based upon the ability to recruit talent that far surpassed the division. Messiah could effectively do what they wanted, and bullied other schools. Brad McCarty inherited this reality, and simply ran the same system year after year. However, the world has changed. D3 soccer is not what it was, and there is a new and emerging parity that never existed. The talent will only increase as D1 roster limits drive players that normally would have happily held bloated roster spots at a D1 program out to other divisions. Brad McCarty is showing his limited coaching ability and his inability to adapt. Messiah has always been predictable, but teams still couldn’t match the talent. Now that the talent can be and is matched – Messiah must adapt to survive. However, the inability…… and honestly the arrogance of McCarty is on full display. Teams must adapt, and coaches must make adjustments based on personnel. However, the theme at Messiah is to force players into the system, which leads to great talents only getting worse under McCarty’s direction. As one example, look at the phenomena of Matt McDonald. He took the nation by storm his Senior year to win the NPOY – only to return for a 5th season to turn in a year that was lackluster at best……this reality was based on the country knowing who he was, adjusting to cover him (man marking and doubling), and McCarty not adjusting shape or scheme to take advantage of his amazing talent. Instead – the same system is run, and one man (even a NPOY) cannot be greater than his algorithm. The bloom is coming off the rose…and I think questions will continue about Brad McCarty. At minimum, the soccer world should be wondering why he was suspended from coaching this past spring for knowledge of and inappropriate reporting and handling of hazing traditions within his team.
Messiah creating confusion is a kind descriptor….I think this culture may be showing that it is more cult than anything……..Saying that, I wont entirely count them out – as they should be able, in spite of their challenges be able to at least bully the MAC and have success win conference….time will tell.
What are your thoughts on Redlands under their new coach from the East Coast, as well as the other SCIAC teams this year? With two wins against two top-four opponents early in the season, does this change the perception of West Coast soccer?
Ended up watching it this morning and did not know the score. These were the notes I took as I watched it. Will say, the look different. And maybe more competitive? I think barring anything crazy, they can make another run for the SCIAC title and dare I say win the tournament. I do think they are trying to find their own way… but for a first year coach… dang, I was impressed. I don’t know if it changes anyone’s mind about West Coast soccer, I’ve always been high on it. There are structural issues I think that make it tough, but I always look at schools outside the east as having great soccer.
Watching on FloSports. From a Tech perspective, it’s good. My only feedback would be that they allow for speeding up the game to 1.5x ot 2.x. Not something I think I can do. Alex Ortega’s first year at Redlands having come from Amherst. Already seeing flashes of his Amherst years seeping in to how Redlands plays. Pressure all over the field, much more aggressive than is past years. But seems like they are still trying to find out who they are. Still work to keep possession. Emory is doing good dealing with Redlands, but having a tough time keeping the ball for any stretch. 10 in and both are trying to figure out each other. And as I type that, Redlands is getting into the box and force Redlands keeper to come up with a big save. Best opportunity in this young game. First 15 and Redlands has been on the front foot. Emory trying to get behind Redlands back line on counters and almost have some success with it. But when the can’t, really struggling to get into dangerous spots. Most dangerous play is… creating chaos with long throw ins into the box. Forgot it’s Cali and probably still hot as the dickins, and they do a hydration break. And after the break, Emory put Redlands under pressure forcing a good save by the keeper, but best opportunity for Redlands. Both teams are definitely wasteful with the bal when in possession. Just fail to connect at times in open space. Clearly a bit of a set piece challenge between the two.. Each has opportunities from set plays more so than from the run of play. After Emory had their opportunity, Redlands had one that just went wide of the goal. Ok, we go to half time. I think Emory doesnt have the bite they had last year, and Redlands is on a path that could see them be a force again out of the West. Second half started and it’s getting a little physical. And Emory with another set up, ball goes back post but no one on the end of it. Starting to open up a little bit. Hydration break with neither team quite being able to get a goal. Lot of battling all over the field. Must be hotter than usual as I think both teams are working through their fitness. Seems to be some cramping. After the break, Redlands really pushing forward, but Emory Keeper is just collecting easy balls. Redlands is getting the looks, just not keeping it on frame. Had a wide open shot that looked like the take off of a SpaceX rocket. With two minutes left, Redlands really trying to break the stalemate. With 2:42 left, they end up with a corner and send everyone forward, except for the keeper. An outswinger is cleared out and recovered which gets sent back out wide. Player goes down but play on…. Emory struggling to get a hold of the ball and clear it out, in spite of having 9 players back within the 18 or just outside the box. Ball makes its way across the 18 an from the keepers left a Redlands player hits it one time and bends it far post for a spectacular goal. Nothing the keeper could do, it is just a great shot. 1-0 Redlands. 2 minutes left. This is another big win against a ranked team, first beating Trinity and now, yes, game over, Emory. Really impressive. Redlands looking good. Added some physicality to the game, and made it tough for Emory to ever get comfortable. Puts Emory at 2-1-1 and Redlands at 3-0-1. Will have to keep an eye on them.
Hobart returned 9 starters and the vast majority of their top minute carriers in the field from an undefeated ’25 season. OT loss in NCAA to a tough/scrappy/deep and always well coached Messiah team was a disappointment. But watch out for the Statesmen this year.
They look like they are on a but of a mission this year. I just put out my Top 25 and have them at 20th. They are going to damage some teams if they can keep the momentum going. Thanks for reading.
SC.
Statesmen have a strong combination of senior leadership and young talent. Eleven goals in five games might not raise eye brows … BUT 7 different goal scorers with a sophomore being the leading scorer should.
This Hobart squad has depth, plenty of team speed and talent in what seems to come in an unusual variety of shapes, sizes (ranging from 5’6 to 6’2) and styles on the pitch.
Looking forward to conference play kicking off this week! Don’t sleep on the Liberty League – Several strong teams this year.