KANSAS CITY, Mo. – After earning its first red banner in December of 2018, William Carey (Miss.) will enter the season as the No. 1 ranked team in the nation in the preseason edition of the Top 25. The Crusaders put on a solid defensive effort in the 2018 NAIA National Championship as the team from Hattiesburg, Miss. recorded three shutouts in four matches at the final site in Orange Beach, Ala.

Top 25 Highlights (historical information dates back to 1999)

• William Carey finished with 17 of the 18 first-place votes as it will look to defend its title beginning on August 21 with a tilt against LSU Alexandria (La.) at home.
• The Crusaders will return one of the top players in the nation in 2018 in midfielder Ana Paula Santos. The junior recorded 21 goals in 19 games a season ago and was named an NAIA First-Team All-America selection in addition to national championship most valuable player.
• Keiser (Fla.) retained its spot at No. 2 after dropping a close 1-0 match in the 2018 championship. Matilda Ovenberger will return for her sophomore campaign after taking-home First-Team All-America honors in just her freshman season. The native of Sodra Sanby, Sweden netted 32 goals a season ago which ranked her sixth in the nation in that category. She was also named the national championship outstanding offensive player.
• Southeastern (Fla.) will begin the season ranked third in the nation and have the nation’s top goal scorer back in the mix. Uchenna Kanu is coming off a summer in which the senior played for her native Nigeria in the World Cup and earned a start against Germany. Kanu recorded an NAIA-record 57 goals a season ago.
• Spring Arbor (Mich.) and Benedictine rounded-out the Top 5 in the poll.
• The Cougars will be without one of the top offensive threats in NAIA history in Bethany Balcer in 2019. The former two-time national player of the year is currently tied for the lead in goals for Reign FC with three on the season.
• Spring Arbor continues to hold the longest active Top 25 Poll streak, moving to 97 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 95 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

2019 NAIA Women’s Soccer Coaches’ Top 25 Poll – Preseason (August 14, 2018)

Dropped from the Top 25: None

Others Receiving Votes: Oklahoma Wesleyan 83, Marian (Ind.) 81, Central Methodist (Mo.) 59, Columbia (Mo.) 32, Aquinas (Mich.) 31, Cumberlands (Ky.) 17, LSU Shreveport (La.) 17, The Master's (Calif.) 17, Tennessee Wesleyan 16, MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) 12, Ottawa (Kan.) 6, Truett McConnell (Ga.) 3.