2018 NAIA Women's Soccer Coaches' Top 25 Poll ? Poll Nine (Oct. 30)
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – As the top six teams remained the same, upsets across the Midwest and South caused dramatic shifts in the latest edition of the NAIA Women’s Soccer Coaches’ Top 25 Poll. Georgia Gwinnett was the lone newcomer to the Top 10 while John Brown (Ark.) tumbled from No. 7 to No. 24.
Top 25 Highlights (historical information dates back to 1999)
- William Carey (Miss.) defeated Florida College 1-0 on Saturday, Oct. 27, and extended its winning streak to 11 matches.
- Georgia Gwinnett has made significant strides since the beginning of the season. The preseason No. 20-ranked Grizzlies have clawed their way to No. 9 over the course of the last nine polls.
- On Saturday, Georgia Gwinnett defeated then-No. 17 Mobile (Ala.) 3-2 after posting three unanswered goals in the second half. It is the program’s first appearance in the Top 10 in its history.
- After a late-season surge, Texas Wesleyan joins the fray this week at No. 21. The Rams handed John Brown (Ark.) a 1-0 loss with a goal in the first half.
- Texas Wesleyan is undefeated in its final eight matches of the regular season, including a draw to Science & Arts (Okla.) on Oct. 16.
- Spring Arbor continues to hold the longest active Top 25 Poll streak, moving to 94 consecutive appearances in the poll. Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) holds the national record since 1999 with 203 consecutive appearances, which was stopped on Oct. 24, 2017. Keiser (Fla.) is right behind Spring Arbor at No. 9, extending its streak to 92 weeks.
- Lindsey Wilson own the most No. 1 rankings since 1999 with 58, followed by former member Azusa Pacific (Calif.) with 32. Spring Arbor is in third with 23 followed closely by Westmont (Calif.) and former member Concordia (Ore.) with 19 apiece.
Poll Methodology
- The poll was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conferences, Association of Independent Institutions and Unaffiliated Groups.
- The Top 25 is determined by a points system based on how each voter ranks the best teams. A team receives 30 points for each first-place vote, 29 for second-place and so on through the list.
- The highest and lowest ranking for each team (a non-rating is considered a low ratings) is removed and the team’s ranking will be recalculated with an additional point added to each team for every ballot (including discounted ballots) that the teams appears on.
- Teams that receive only one point in the ballot are not considered “receiving votes.”
- For the complete ratings calendar, click here
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2018 NAIA Women’s Soccer Coaches’ Top 25 Poll – Poll Nine (Oct. 30)
| RANK | WEEK | SCHOOL [1st Place Votes] | RECORD | FINAL POINTS |
| 1 | 1 | William Carey (Miss.) [17] | 15-1 | 498 |
| 2 | 2 | Southeastern (Fla.) | 16-1-1 | 474 |
| 3 | 3 | Spring Arbor (Mich.) | 14-1-1 | 467 |
| 4 | 4 | Vanguard (Calif.) [1] | 14-1 | 445 |
| 5 | 5 | Martin Methodist (Tenn.) | 15-1-1 | 436 |
| 6 | 6 | Keiser (Fla.) | 15-2-1 | 426 |
| 7 | 8 | Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) | 14-2 | 398 |
| 8 | 9 | Benedictine (Kan.) | 15-1-2 | 387 |
| 9 | 12 | Georgia Gwinnett | 13-3 | 363 |
| 10 | 14 | Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) | 8-3-2 | 340 |
| 11 | 13 | Hastings (Neb.) | 13-0-3 | 333 |
| 12 | 10 | Westmont (Calif.) | 12-1-3 | 325 |
| 13 | 15 | Cumberland (Tenn.) | 14-2-1 | 293 |
| 14 | 20 | University of Northwestern Ohio | 12-3-3 | 273 |
| 15 | 11 | Marian (Ind.) | 10-4-3 | 268 |
| 16 | 24 | Grace (Ind.) | 16-2 | 259 |
| 17 | 18 | Midland (Neb.) | 12-1-3 | 248 |
| 18 | 22 | Cumberlands (Ky.) | 15-1-2 | 234 |
| 19 | 23 | Trinity Christian (Ill.) | 16-1 | 181 |
| 20 | 17 | Mobile (Ala.) | 11-6 | 179 |
| 21 | NR | Texas Wesleyan | 12-3-1 | 163 |
| 22 | NR | Kansas Wesleyan | 13-2-2 | 157 |
| 23 | NR | Eastern Oregon | 13-1-2 | 144 |
| 24 | 7 | John Brown (Ark.) | 13-3-1 | 141 |
| 25 | 21 | MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) | 14-2-1 | 89 |
Dropped from the Top 25: Ottawa (Kan.), Oklahoma Wesleyan, Science & Arts (Okla.)
Others Receiving Votes: Ottawa (Kan.) 88, Central Methodist (Mo.) 67, Truett McConnell (Ga.) 54, Oklahoma Wesleyan 43, St. Thomas (Texas) 30, Oklahoma City 27, Mount Vernon Nazarene (Ohio) 26, The Master's (Calif.) 22, Science & Arts (Okla.) 8, Taylor (Ind.) 6, Concordia (Neb.) 6, Aquinas (Mich.) 3
