Arkansas Vaults Into Top 15
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – A second win over a top-five opponent at home and a red-hot start to the season was enough to earn Arkansas (9-1-0) a No. 15 ranking in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America poll on Tuesday.
The ranking represents the highest spot the Razorbacks have held in the NSCAA poll during head coach Colby Hale’s five-year tenure at Arkansas. Earlier this season, the team was ranked No. 17 following a 4-0 start. The last time Arkansas was nationally ranked was on September 2014 when the NSCAA considered the Razorbacks the No. 18 team in the nation.
Arkansas also vaulted to second place in the NSCAA NCAA Division I Women’s South Regional poll, moving up two spots from last week. Only South Carolina placed higher by taking the top spot in the region.
Three other Southeastern Conference teams are ranked in the NSCAA top 25: No. 8 South Carolina (8-0-1, 2-0-0), No. 12 Florida (6-2-0, 1-1-0) and No. 14 Texas A&M (7-2-0, 2-0-0).
The Razorbacks will face the Gamecocks in Columbia, South Carolina, on Oct. 9 at 1 p.m. in a potential top-25 matchup.
In a separate poll, the NCAA listed the Razorbacks 13th in the nation on its Rating Percentage Index rankings on Monday. The RPI plays a role in the NCAA’s decision-making process to help select teams to participate in the NCAA Tournament. Arkansas earned an NCAA Tournament bid for the first time in school history in 2013, advancing to the Sweet 16. The Razorbacks would make it back-to-back Tournament selections the following year.
Arkansas’ highest RPI ranking in program history was 21st in 2013 before finishing ranked 39th in the nation.
After tying the school record for best start in school history, the 2016 team will attempt to own the record outright by earning its 10th win of the season on the road at Tuscaloosa, Alabama, against the Crimson Tide, on Sept. 22 at 7 p.m.
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