Cobbers High Jump Into National Top 20
MOORHEAD, Minn. (9/02/14)—Strengthened by a pair of wins over tough WIAC teams on the opening weekend of the season, Concordia has jumped all the way to No.18 in the first National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) national rankings.
Complete NSCAA North Regional Rankings
The Cobbers beat UW-Stevens Point and UW-Oshkosh by identical 1-0 scores with both games being decided in the final minute of the first overtime period.
In addition to their No.18 national ranking, Concordia climbed all the way to the No.1 ranking in the North Region. The Cobbers are one of four teams from the MIAC to be ranked in the top 10 of the region. Macalester is currently ranked third while St. Benedict is seventh and St. Thomas is ninth.
Concordia entered the season on the heels of a two-week goodwill trip to Costa Rica. Concordia was ranked fourth in the MIAC preseason coaches' poll. The Cobbers return eight starting players from last year's team that finished in a tie for third place. CC has made the conference playoffs 11 straight seasons which is the longest streak of any school in the MIAC. The Cobbers have three returning All-Region players.
The Cobber will face another stiff test this weekend when they host the annual Cobber Invite tournament. Concordia will square off against No.6-ranked Wheaton (Ill.) on Saturday, Sept. 6 at 5 p.m.
NSCAA National Rankings - Sept. 2, 2014
1. Trinity University (Texas)
2. Washington University (Mo.)
3. Middlebury College
4. Ithaca College
5. Johns Hopkins University
6. Wheaton College (Ill.)
7. Emory University
8. Messiah College
9. Carnegie Mellon University
10. Montclair State University
11. The College of New Jersey
12. Hardin-Simmons University
13. Thomas More
14. Williams College
15. Misericordia University
16. Rochester Institute Of Technology
17. Capital University
18. Concordia College-Moorhead
19. Lynchburg College
20. University Of Chicago
21. Nazareth College
22. Loras College
23. University Of Puget Sound
24. William Smith
25. MIT
Also receiving votes: Augustana College, Christopher Newport University, Macalester College, University of Rochester, Haverford College