Division II: National champions Fort Lewis, Saint Rose top preseason polls
Fort Lewis leads the preseason men’s NSCAA Division II soccer rankings, while Lynn, Franklin Pierce, Millersville and Flagier round out the top five.
“Obviously it is always an honor to be ranked number one in the nation at any point of the season, but we are all aware it’s where you’re ranked in December that counts,” fourth-year FLC head coach Oige Kennedy said on the school’s athletics’ website. “If you want to be hosting a national trophy over your head then, you need to be the hardest working team in the nation right now. The rankings will put an extra big target on our backs for teams to shoot at, but everyone connected to this program past and present have relished in that pressure and we look forward to rising to the challenge of defending the national title in the upcoming 2012 season.”
The 2012 top 25 is nearly a mirror image of the final 2011 rankings. Lynn, which fell victim to Fort Lewis 3-2 in overtime of last year’s national title bout when Berekk Blackwell headed home a corner kick in the second minute of extra time, was picked second.
No other team from the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference made it into the Top 25, although Metro State received votes.
Fort Lewis posted a 24-1-0 overall record and went 13-1-0 in RMAC games in 2011. In addition to their third golden NCAA trophy since 2005, the Skyhawks also won NCAA-II Central Region, RMAC regular season, and RMAC tournament titles.
For the women, Saint Rose leads the preseason Division II poll, as Grand Valley State, Armstrong Atlantic State, Chico State and Colorado Mines take the other spots in the top five.
Division II men’s preseason rankings
| Rank | School | Prev. | W-L-T |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fort Lewis | 1 | 24-1-0 |
| 2 | Lynn | 2 | 14-5-3 |
| 3 | Franklin Pierce | 3 | 21-1-1 |
| 4 | Millersville | 4 | 15-7-1 |
| 5 | Flagler | 5 | 17-3-3 |
| 6 | Rockhurst | 6 | 17-3-2 |
| 7 | Southern New Hampshire | 7 | 18-4-0 |
| 8 | Cal State Los Angeles | 8 | 15-2-6 |
| 9 | Simon Fraser | 10 | 18-0-1 |
| 10 | Incarnate Word | 9 | 14-3-0 |
| 11 | Seattle Pacific | 11 | 14-4-2 |
| 12 | Barry | 13 | 12-3-6 |
| 13 | C.W. Post | 12 | 17-3-1 |
| 14 | Midwestern State | 16 | 13-4-1 |
| 15 | Northern Kentucky | 14 | 14-5-0 |
| 16 | California (Pa.) | 15 | 12-4-4 |
| 17 | Mars Hill | 17 | 13-6-1 |
| 18 | Coker | 18 | 18-3-0 |
| 19 | Christian Brothers | 19 | 15-4-1 |
| 20 | Rollins | 20 | 15-4-0 |
| 21 | St. Thomas Aquinas | 21 | 11-4-4 |
| 22 | Saginaw Valley State | 22 | 12-5-3 |
| 23 | Chico State | 24 | 13-4-4 |
| 24 | Anderson (S.C.) | 25 | 17-4-0 |
| 25 | University of Charleston (W.Va.) | RV | 13-6-0 |
2011 final record and ranking shown.
Also receiving votes: Metro State (Colo.), Fort Hays State (Kan.), Lees-McRae (N.C.), Texas A&M International, Northeastern State (Okla.), Cal State Dominguez Hills
Division II women
| Rank | School | Prev. | W-L-T |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saint Rose | 1 | 23-1-1 |
| 2 | Grand Valley State | 2 | 20-1-4 |
| 3 | Armstrong Atlantic State | 3 | 18-3-3 |
| 4 | Chico State | 4 | 13-6-6 |
| 5 | Colorado Mines | 5 | 17-2-4 |
| 6 | California (Pa.) | 6 | 20-1-2 |
| 7 | Abilene Christian | 7 | 20-2-1 |
| 8 | University Of Tampa | 8 | 16-6-2 |
| 9 | Lenoir-Rhyne | 9 | 17-3-1 |
| 10 | Fort Lewis | 11 | 15-3-4 |
| 11 | Northern Kentucky | 10 | 17-5-0 |
| 12 | University Of Bridgeport | 13 | 16-0-1 |
| 13 | Cal State Los Angeles | 12 | 13-4-4 |
| 14 | Slippery Rock | 14 | 16-4-3 |
| 15 | Dallas Baptist | 15 | 16-6-1 |
| 16 | Central Oklahoma | 18 | 15-4-0 |
| 17 | Massachusetts-Lowell | 16 | 11-6-4 |
| 18 | UC San Diego | 19 | 13-3-4 |
| 19 | Seattle Pacific | 21 | 17-3-0 |
| 20 | Lynn | 17 | 11-7-1 |
| 21 | Bellarmine | 20 | 16-3-3 |
| 22 | Columbus State | 22 | 16-4-3 |
| 23 | Saint Leo | 23 | 15-3-1 |
| 24 | Rollins | 24 | 14-3-2 |
| 25 | Cal State Stanislaus | RV | 11-4-6 |
2011 final record and ranking shown.
Also receiving votes: Minnesota State-Mankato, West Florida, Wisconsin-Parkside, Midwestern State, Kutztown (Pa.), North Georgia, Merrimack (Mass.), Quincy (Ill.)
