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UNCG climbs four spots to No. 21 in Soccer America poll
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Off to the best start in school history, UNCG's women's soccer team climbed to No. 21 in the Soccer America Top 25 Poll this week.
The Spartans won both of their games last week in emphatic fashion, thumping Georgia Southern 5-1 on Friday before dropped defending Southern Conference tournament champion Davidson 4-0 on Sunday.
This is third week this season UNCG has been ranked by Soccer America. The Spartans earned their first ranking since 1998 on Aug. 30, jumping into the poll at No. 18 after a 3-0-0 start. After falling out the following week, UNCG returned to the rankings on Sept. 27, tying for 25th.
At 9-1-1, UNCG is off to the best start in the program's 23-year history. The 1991 squad previously held that distinction, opening 9-1-0 before dropping its next game.
The Spartans are in the top 15 in the nation in winning percentage with a .864 mark.
UNCG is 4-0-0 in the SoCon so far this year, improving to 42-2-2 in regular-season league games since the start of the 2006 season.
The Spartans have been even more impressive in nonconference games. UNCG knocked off then-No. 10 Wake Forest on Aug. 23 before playing to a scoreless draw on Sept. 3 with Southern Cal, which was unranked at the time but has spent four weeks in the rankings this year. On Sept. 10, the Spartans downed Charlotte, which is now 9-3-0 on the season and has beaten the likes of NC State and Pittsburgh.
In addition to climbing four spots in the Soccer America poll, UNCG is a season-high 24th in this week's TopDrawerSoccer.com Women's Tournament 64 Ranking, a projection of the NCAA tournament bracket.
Winners of six straight games for the first time since the 2008 season, the Spartans will host The Citadel and College of Charleston this weekend. Those teams are tied for second in the league behind UNCG.
UNCG hosts The Citadel on Friday at 7 p.m. and College of Charleston on Sunday at 1 p.m. at UNCG Soccer Stadium. Admission is free.
Soccer America Top 25 Poll
TEAM (W-L-T) LAST WEEK
1. Stanford (9-0-2) 2
2. Boston College (9-1-1) 1
3. North Carolina (10-1-1) 3
4. Portland (12-1-0) 4
5. Maryland (9-1-1) 5
6. Virginia (9-2-1) 6
7. Notre Dame (11-1-0) 7
8. Florida (9-1-1) 8
9. Florida State (10-2-0) 10
10. Oklahoma State (10-1-1) 11
11. Texas A&M (9-3-0) 14
12. BYU (10-1-1) 15
13. UCLA (7-3-1) 9
14. South Carolina (9-2-2) 19
15. Santa Clara (7-3-2) 13
16. California (6-1-4) 16
17. Illinois (9-2-0) 21
18. Ohio State (8-2-1) 24
19. UCF (8-2-2) 18
20. UC Irvine (10-1-2) 23
21. UNCG (9-1-1) 25
22. Denver (10-2-0) 25
23. Marquette (8-3-2) NR
24. Minnesota (9-2-2) 12
25. Siena (10-0-0) NR
25. New Mexico (7-1-3) NR
(Records through games played Oct. 3.)
- UNCG -
