Last Friday night's victory over then-ranked No. 3 Midwestern State not only gave the University of the Incarnate Word men's soccer team a leg up on the Lone Star Conference standings, but was a very important victory for regional and national recognition for the Cardinals.
Case in point: Before last weekend, UIW was not ranked in the NSCAA (National Soccer Coaches Association of America) National Top 25 poll and were third in the regional poll behind MSU and Texas A&M International (who was ranked No. 22 in NCAA's Division II). Now, the Cardinals are ranked 1st in the South Central Region and have skyrocketed up to the No. 8 spot on the Division II National Poll.
Incarnate Word is 4-1-0 on the season overall and are riding a four-game winning streak. The lone loss of the 2011 season happened in the first game of the year – a 2-1 loss to Colorado School of Mines (then ranked 8th in the nation in the pre-season polls).
Midwestern State has dropped to No. 2 in the regional poll and is now ranked 12th nationally.
UIW (1-0 in the Lone Star) is outscoring opponents 13-to-4; out-shooting the teams they've faced 17.0-to-8.6; and have a 2.60 goals-per-game average so far this season. On the defensive side of things, the team hasn't allowed a goal against in its last three contests (a 5-0 victory over Lindenwood University; a 1-0 win over Midwestern State; and a 3-0 win over Texas-Permian Basin).
Now, with a No. 8 ranking, the Cardinals will be on the road this weekend for two games. On Friday, UIW goes head-to-head with TAMIU, which is currently ranked 19th in the nation with a 4-0-1 record, at 8 p.m. in Laredo. Then, Incarnate Word faces off against cross-town rival St. Mary's University over at STMU at noon on Sunday.
You can see the full national poll by clicking here.
