Oct. 15, 2002
First, please accept our apologies for the bad link to last week's Newsletter lead regarding the improved competitiveness of Patriot League teams.
But that improvement was evident again this week when three men's soccer teams - American, Holy Cross and Lehigh - were ranked among the Top 25 in the country in this week's National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) rankings.
Men's soccer joins men's lacrosse as the only PL sports to place three teams in the national rankings in the same week. Several others, like football and field hockey, have had two teams in the Top 25 on occasion or have had several teams listed among "others receiving votes."
Lehigh knocked off 18th-ranked Duke last week afternoon in Durham, N.C., and followed with a win at regionally-ranked Pennsylvania. Those wins helped the Mountain Hawks move up to No. 1 in this week's Middle Atlantic Regional poll and 17th in the country. The Duke victory was less than 48 hours after gained a 1-0 decision over Army on a rainy night in West Point.
American has been receiving attention - and NSCAA Top 25 votes - most of the season. The Eagles are ranked third in the New York Region this week and tied with Holy Cross for 24th place in the national poll. HC certainly did its part to gain recognition, topping American Sunday afternoon in Washington, D.C. in an overtime thriller.
Two other men's soccer teams - Bucknell and Colgate - have been among the top 10 teams in their respective regions this season.
Additionally, all five have beaten or tied Top 25-ranked teams this season, lending credibility to the recent article in Sports Illustrated about the best college athletic programs in the country.
It was a somewhat subjective article, but six PL members listed among the 200 colleges is a sign that the League is making progress in one of its goals - becoming more competitive on the national level.
That success is not just limited to men's soccer.
In women's soccer, both Army and Navy are regionally ranked and have combined for a 17-1-5 overall record this year. The two teams battled to a 1-1 draw last Friday at West Point.
In field hockey, Holy Cross knocked off 19th-ranked Syracuse recently, 3-1, and Lafayette and American are among other teams receiving votes in the national coaches poll.
In volleyball, American defeated Duke earlier this year and is gearing to have the League Championship match televised live on Comcast in the Middle Atlantic region. The Eagles are fourth in the NCAA Northeast Regional rankings.
In football, Lehigh is in the Top 20 in both major polls this week after starting the season in the No. 1 position. Fordham, Colgate, Holy Cross, Lafayette and Towson are the other teams that have earned recognition from the national voters in various weeks.
And the basketball season will open in a little over a month with the two defending PL champions - Bucknell women and Holy Cross men - competing at Penn State and Kansas, respectively, in the pre-season NIT tournaments.
This is just a sampling of recent PL successes which have earned the respect and recognition of national voters and Sports Illustrated. It's the building blocks for the future.