St. Mary’s Receives First-Ever National Ranking in NSCAA Poll

Kansas City, Kans. - The St. Mary's College of Maryland women's soccer team achieved a program milestone on Tuesday afternoon when The National Soccer Coaches Association of America/adidas® announced this week's Division III National Poll.  St. Mary's earned a ranking of No. 25, marking the first time in program history that the Seahawks have received a national ranking.

St. Mary's is off to an impressive start as the Seahawks are unbeaten in their first nine matches of 2008, owning a 6-0-3 mark thus far.  SMCM is one of only seven squads ranked in this week's Top 25 that are currently unbeaten.  And four of those teams are ranked in the top four: No. 1 Williams (7-0-0), No. 2. Lynchburg (10-0-2), No. 3. Wisconsin-Eau Claire (12-0-2), and No. 4. Messiah (10-0-2).

The Seahawks break into the Top 25 this week after receiving votes in last week's poll.

Factors contributing to St. Mary's national ranking were their 3-2 road victory over perennial regional power, Elizabethtown College, and a 2-2 draw with No. 9 Johns Hopkins University.  The Seahawks have been an offensive threat, outscoring opponents 34 to 9.

For the second consecutive week, St. Mary's is fourth in the NSCAA/adidas® Middle Atlantic Regional Poll behind Johns Hopkins, Messiah, and Rowan.

The Seahawks were seventh in the September 23rd regional poll and 10th in the one for September 16th.  The September 16th ranking was the first time since the 1990 season that SMCM had been regionally ranked.

St. Mary's has been idle since its 3-3 draw with the University of Mary Washington on October 1st but the Seahawks will return to action this Saturday, October 11 as they welcome Stevenson University to Seahawk Stadium for a Capital Athletic Conference tilt at noon.

NSCAA/adidas® Division III National Poll
     Week 8 - 10/07/08