October 20, 2009
Lacey, WA – Both the Saint Martin’s men’s and women’s soccer teams find themselves ranked in the latest National Soccer Coaches Association of America West Region poll.
The men’s team finds itself in 8th place. The Saints improved to 9-6-0 this past week with a win over No. 24 ranked Seattle Pacific. The Falcons are ranked third in this week’s regional poll. It was only the second loss for SPU this season; their only other loss was also to the Saints on October 1st.
“The men are excited to be in a great position going into the final three games of the season. Our first NSCAA ranking is a great honor, but is something that we hope is the start of more honors to come,” said head coach Rob Walker. “We are thankful for the moment but recognize the quality of our opposition and understand that more wins will only come from our collective effort.”
It is the first regional ranking for the Saints who are in their third year of competition. The Saints are also currently holding on to first place in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference with a record of 4-1-0. They will finish their season out on the road with game against Northwest Nazarene, Montana State Billings and Western Washington.
The women are ranked 10th in the current poll. SMU is 8-7-0 overall after knocking of Central Washington this past weekend. They are on a three game road swing as they travel to Western Oregon this weekend then to Northwest Nazarene and Montana State Billings.
“Our women have battled through some tough times this year with some ongoing injuries,” said Walker. “We have played some great soccer that has been highlighted with spirit, flair and athleticism. We have been ranked before and we understand the honor and I think the girls enjoy the responsibility of the challenge that this brings out in us and our competition.”