Soccer Earns Highest-Ever Regional Ranking
October 21, 2008 | Soccer
Oct. 21, 2008
GREENVILLE, N.C. - On the strength of another unbeaten weekend in Conference USA play, the first-place East Carolina soccer team moved up in the regional rankings of two polls. The National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) has given the Pirates a No. 7 nod in its Southeast Region poll while Soccer Buzz, the exclusive collegiate publication for women's soccer, has placed ECU at No. 8 in its Southeast Region chart. The rankings are the highest-ever for the program in each poll.
East Carolina picked up four valuable points in a scoreless tie with Colorado College and a 2-1 victory over UTEP at Bunting Field this weekend to remain in first-place in C-USA with three games left before the league tournament. Memphis is close behind in the standings, just two points back of the Pirates with a showdown at Bunting Field set for Oct. 26.
With the win over UTEP, ECU tied the program record for most overall (11) and C-USA (six) victories. If the Pirates can overcome UAB at West Campus Field in Birmingham on Friday evening, they will also set a new school standard for most road wins in a season (six).
The 2008 C-USA Championship is slated to start on Nov. 5 at Rice with the title contest (Nov. 9) televised by CBS College Sports. The Pirates are the only members of the conference to have thus far clinched one of the eight tourney spots, reserved for the top eight finishers in the standings.
