KANSAS CITY, Mo. - For the first time in program history, the Concordia-St. Paul soccer team (7-0-2, 4-0-2 NSIC) earned a spot on the United Soccer Coaches Division II Top-25 poll, being slotted in the #22 spot in this week's poll.
For the first time since the program made the move to NCAA Division II membership (1999), earned the national ranking after being ranked fourth in the United Soccer Coaches Central Region Poll last week.
The Golden Bears currently sit in third place in the NSIC standings, trailing Augustana and Bemidji State by only two points. CSP is ahead of formerly ranked #4 Minnesota State (now receiving votes) and Southwest Minnesota State who are both 4-2 in conference action. The Golden Bears are currently the only nationally ranked team in the NSIC.
The women's soccer NCAA DII is made up of 23 conferences and 276 teams. Concordia is the third NSIC team to be ranked within the top 25 in the nation this season. Bemidji State was ranked 18th at the start of the season and Minnesota State had been as high as second.
The Golden Bears head into their fourth weekend of conference play with a 7-0-2 overall record and a 4-0-2 record in NSIC games. This the best record the Golden Bears have had to this point in the season in their program history, and their best start to conference play ever. CSP is only three wins away from matching the past two previous seasons win total, which was the most wins under head coach Steve Bellis.
An important factor in the team's success this season has been their tough defense and their ferocious offense. The 2019 team is currently sitting at seven shutouts and is just three shy of last year's record of 10 shutouts. Through nine games, the Golden Bears have only allowed four goals, for the second lowest goals against average in the NSIC at 0.44. The Golden Bears have had four shutout games in a row.
Offensively, CSP is ranked second in the NSIC in goals (18) and assists (15), they also are ranked third in the NSIC in shots on goal with 78.
CSP continues their schedule this Friday, October 11 and Sunday, October 13 at Sea Foam Stadium against the University of Sioux Falls and Southwest Minnesota State, respectively. Live stats and video links are available on the soccer schedule page.
