Soccer on the Rise in the Patriot League: Lacrosse may be the league's top sport from a national perspective but soccer is moving up quickly, both on the men's and women's side.
In men's soccer, Lehigh has moved up to #13 in the nation in the NSCAA/adidas poll (#21 in Soccer Times) and Colgate is at #24 in the NSCAA poll. If Lehigh should falter in the PL tournament, there is a good chance that the league could get two bids to the NCAA tournament.
The news is also good on the women's side, where the league's first division is clearly the strongest in league history. Navy is the only unbeaten, untied team in the nation. Some observers had not given the Navy squad the credit it deserved until Thursday night, when they defeated Penn State, the #8 team in the nation. Navy had been ranked #19 and #25 in two of the major polls but they will take a big jump upwards in the polls if they prevail today against Bucknell.
Bucknell also is having a good season and stands at #12 in the Mid-Atlantic regional rankings. In fact, if the Bison were able to pull off a miraculous upset of Navy this afternoon, they would win the league and host the tournament. Very much a long-shot however. Also Colgate has a #8 ranking in the somewhat weaker Northeast region and Lehigh is still very strong. If Navy should lose in the PL playoffs, there is a very good chance for the PL to be a two-bid league for the first time.
With Colgate. American, and Lafayette now giving soccer scholarships, it seems like a pretty good bet that others will eventually follow suit. If that happens, it can only raise the profile of the league in general. Given that many soccer players are also good academically, there is a real chance for the PL to be a significant player in the soccer world (as they are now in men's lacrosse) in future years.
NOTE: Since this was published, the Bucknell women's teams stunned Navy 2-1 at Annapolis to prevent the Mids from finishing undefeated and untied. Before the Bison's first goal, Navy had not given up a goal in close to 1000 consecutive minutes. Subsequent to that game (and Navy's win over Penn State), Navy is now ranked 16th in the country and 4th in the Region by Soccerbuzz. Bucknell moved up to 8th in the Region - their highest ranking ever. Bucknell will now host the PL tournament on Friday and Sunday.
In men's soccer, Lehigh has moved up to #13 in the nation in the NSCAA/adidas poll (#21 in Soccer Times) and Colgate is at #24 in the NSCAA poll. If Lehigh should falter in the PL tournament, there is a good chance that the league could get two bids to the NCAA tournament.
The news is also good on the women's side, where the league's first division is clearly the strongest in league history. Navy is the only unbeaten, untied team in the nation. Some observers had not given the Navy squad the credit it deserved until Thursday night, when they defeated Penn State, the #8 team in the nation. Navy had been ranked #19 and #25 in two of the major polls but they will take a big jump upwards in the polls if they prevail today against Bucknell.
Bucknell also is having a good season and stands at #12 in the Mid-Atlantic regional rankings. In fact, if the Bison were able to pull off a miraculous upset of Navy this afternoon, they would win the league and host the tournament. Very much a long-shot however. Also Colgate has a #8 ranking in the somewhat weaker Northeast region and Lehigh is still very strong. If Navy should lose in the PL playoffs, there is a very good chance for the PL to be a two-bid league for the first time.
With Colgate. American, and Lafayette now giving soccer scholarships, it seems like a pretty good bet that others will eventually follow suit. If that happens, it can only raise the profile of the league in general. Given that many soccer players are also good academically, there is a real chance for the PL to be a significant player in the soccer world (as they are now in men's lacrosse) in future years.
NOTE: Since this was published, the Bucknell women's teams stunned Navy 2-1 at Annapolis to prevent the Mids from finishing undefeated and untied. Before the Bison's first goal, Navy had not given up a goal in close to 1000 consecutive minutes. Subsequent to that game (and Navy's win over Penn State), Navy is now ranked 16th in the country and 4th in the Region by Soccerbuzz. Bucknell moved up to 8th in the Region - their highest ranking ever. Bucknell will now host the PL tournament on Friday and Sunday.
posted by bison137 | 7:51 AM
1 Comments:
I was at that 2004 game in the horse barn, and after an 8-hour drive to get there, I must say I was very disappointed (both in the quality of play from both teams, and with the final score). Thanks for looking into it!
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