Sept. 8, 2009

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Despite a tie in its season opener, Bethel (Tenn.) University holds as the No. 1 team in the first regular season 2009 NAIA Men's Soccer Coaches' Top 25 Poll, the NAIA announced Tuesday. With a 2-0-1 overall record, Bethel totaled 19 out of the possible 22 first-place votes and 617 points. In the opener against Lee (Tenn.) on Aug. 25, the Wildcats and Flames played to a 0-0 tie after two overtimes. Since then, the Wildcats have swiped two wins by a combined score of 9-2. Bethel, the defending national champions, now holds a 17-match unbeaten streak dating back to Oct. 4, 2008.

With two first-place votes and 592 total points, No. 2 Concordia (Calif.) moved up three spots from the preseason poll (Aug. 18). The second spot is the highest for the Eagles since No. 2 on Aug. 19, 2008. Concordia took down then-No. 11 Hastings (Neb.), 2-0, at home on Sunday for one of its two early wins.

No. 3 Notre Dame (Ohio) has sprinted out to a 4-0 start to the year. The Falcons earned 581 points and jumped up four spots. Notre Dame has now been ranked in the top 10 in the last six polls. Through four matches, Notre Dame has out-scored its opponents by a 21-3 margin.

A team that is consistently among the top 5, No. 4 Lindsey Wilson (Ky.), tallied 573 total points and the other first-place nod. Lindsey Wilson, who has been ranked in the top 5 in 12 of the last 13 polls, has yet to allow a goal during its 2-0 start.

Moving up five spots to No. 5 is Azusa Pacific (Calif.). The Cougars own a 4-0 record and were awarded 531 total points in the Top 25 poll. Azusa Pacific owns a 14-3 combined scoring advantage including an impressive 2-1 win over then-No. 15 Simon Fraser (B.C.) on Aug. 27.

St. Xavier (Ill.) reaches the Top 25 for the first time since the preseason poll back on Aug. 17, 2004, at No. 24 - the Cougars are No. 12 this week with a 3-1-0 mark. Bethel (Ind.) has also snapped a long drought with a No. 17 ranking this week. The Pilots last were ranked back on Nov. 1, 2006, in the No. 20 slot.

Two teams that made a big fall out of the Top 25 since the Preseason poll is Mount Vernon Nazarene (Ohio) (No. 4) and Mobile (Ala.) (No. 7). Mount Vernon Nazarene is 3-2 on the year having lost its first two games. Mobile is 1-1 having lost to then-unranked Martin Methodist (Tenn.).

The poll was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conferences, independents and unaffiliated groups. The second regular season Top 25 poll will be announced on Sept. 15.

For more information on NAIA men's soccer, please click here.

Notes: No. 1 Bethel (Tenn.) is a relative newcomer to the poll with its No. 1 spot in the Preseason Top 25 - the Wildcats broke over a one-year drought as the last time was Oct. 10, 2007, at No. 23... No. 9 Rio Grande (Ohio) has now been ranked in the Top 25 for the last 16 polls dating back to the 2007 season... At No. 6, Oklahoma City falls out of the Top 5 for the first time in eight polls... There are five teams to lead the country in wins at four apiece.

2009 NAIA Men's Soccer Coaches' Top 25 Poll - (Sept. 8 - #1)

RANK	LAST WEEK	SCHOOL (1st PLACE VOTES)	2009 RECORD*	TOTAL POINTS
1	1	Bethel University (Tenn.) (19)	2-0-1	617
2	5	Concordia University (Calif.) (2)	2-0-0	592
3	7	Notre Dame College (Ohio)	4-0-0	581
4	6	Lindsey Wilson College (Ky.) (1)	2-0-0	573
5	10	Azusa Pacific University (Calif.)	4-0-0	531
6	3	Oklahoma City University	1-0-1	518
7	8	University of Maine at Fort Kent	2-0-0	499
8	T12	Baker University (Kan.)	2-0-1	474
9	2	University of Rio Grande (Ohio)	1-1-0	463
10	23	McKendree University (Ill.)	4-0-1	409
11	18	Auburn University Montgomery (Ala.)	3-0-1	398
12	NR	Saint Xavier University (Ill.)	3-1-0	368
T13	15	Simon Fraser University (B.C.)	4-2-0	364
T13	RV	Graceland University (Iowa)	2-0-0	364
15	NR	Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Fla.)	3-1-0	343
16	NR	Martin Methodist College (Tenn.)	2-0-1	319
17	RV	Bethel College (Ind.)	4-0-1	243
18	NR	Southern Polytechnic State University (Ga.)	3-0-0	217
T19	22	Vanguard University (Calif.)	2-1-0	208
T19	RV	Park University (Mo.)	1-0-0	208
21	24	William Carey University (Miss.)	2-2-2	182
22	11	Hastings College (Neb.)	1-2-0	171
23	T12	Bellevue University (Neb.)	2-1-0	159
24	RV	University of the Cumberlands (Ky.)	2-1-0	124
25	RV	University of Texas at Brownsville	3-0-0	116

Others receiving votes:

Judson University (Ill.) 114; Benedictine College (Kan.) 96; The Master's College (Calif.) 94; Mount Vernon Nazarene University (Ohio) 87; University of Mobile (Ala.) 73; Savannah College of Art and Design (Ga.) 71; Ohio Dominican University 68; Concordia University (Ore.) 58; Westmont College (Calif.) 52; Grand View University (Iowa) 47; Belhaven College (Miss.) 30; Milligan College (Tenn.) 25; Columbia College (Mo.) 16; Northwood University (Fla.) 6; Holy Names University (Calif.) 3; Mid-Continent University (Ky.) 1; Goshen College (Ind.) 1; Shorter College (Ga.) 1; William Jewell College (Mo.) 1; Oklahoma Baptist University 1; Westminster College (Utah) 1

* Records submitted by the raters and through games played Sunday, Sept. 6