DII, DIII power rankings: Sept. 30 edition

DII, DIII power rankings: Sept. 30 edition
by Will Parchman
September 30, 2014

Sound the upset klaxon. A No. 1 went down last week for the first time in 2014.

The first two 2014 TDS Division II and III men's and women's power rankings hadn't witnessed the upset of a No. 1, but that changed this week. DII women's No. 1 Cal State Stanislaus faltered in a 1-0 loss to CSU Monterey to drop precipitously in the rankings this week. That opened the door for our first new No. 1, which Tampa gladly assumed. Will anyone follow CSU Stanislaus on the upset train?

Here's a look at this week's full rankings in each of our four polls.

Men's

Division II

RANK PREV TEAM RECORD COMMENTS
1 1 Southern New Hampshire 7-0-0 Another perfect week for the Penmen, who crushed Saint Anselm 6-0 and beat Adelphi 3-1. They've now outscored teams a combined 30-5.
2 2 Young Harris College 6-0-1 Flagler only recently dropped out of the top 10, so Young Harris' 1-0 win on Sept. 27 shouldn't go unnoticed. A 2-0-0 week solidifies their position.
3 3 Quincy 9-0-0 No change in the top three thanks to Quincy's pair of wins last week, including a 3-2 nailbiter vs. Drury won in the last 10 minutes.
4 4 Charleston 8-0-0 A perfectly dominant week kept the Golden Eagles from falling. Wins that add up to a 10-1 week bring their season total to 42 goals. In eight games.
5 5 Lynn 6-1-0 A week after suffering its first loss of the season, Lynn rebounded with a huge 2-1 win over a very good Tampa side.
6 6 Saint Leo 4-0-2 Two wins keeps Saint Leo in the power poll's good graces this week. A 2-0 win over a Nova team that'd been a thorn in many sides stands out.
7 8 (+1) Seattle Pacific 6-0-1 The first movement comes thanks to Metro State's stumble and SPU's perfect week. A road win in 2OT over U-Mary won't soon be forgotten.
8 7 (+1) Mercyhurst 7-2-0 After a pair of early losses, Mercyhurst is rolling. Lots of confidence after winning three straight a combined 12-1.
9 NR Saginaw Valley State 7-0-1 One of the few unbeatens left in men's DII soccer makes its first appearance in the poll this week. The Cardinals already have four OT wins this year.
10 10 Midwestern State 6-1-1 A 1-0-1 week keeps MSU here. They seemingly had a sweep, but an 83rd minute penalty allowed St. Edwards to skip town with a draw.


Division III

RANK PREV TEAM RECORD COMMENTS
1 1 Messiah 10-0-0 Another week, another spate of dominance. Two wins by a combined 8-0 scoreline reinforces questions about who can challenge the Falcons.
2 2 Amherst 5-0-2 Amherst faced two top 10 teams in a week and didn't lose either. Last week, a 1-1 draw against No. 8 Tufts was packaged with a 1-0 win over Bates. 
3 5 (+2) Emory 9-0-1 Emory hops Loras and replaces Middlebury thanks to an immense nine-game winning streak, including two comfortable shutouts last week.
4 4 Loras 8-1-1 Loras only faced one team last week but took care of business in a 3-2 win over Central to open conference play with a win. Victim of Emory's climb.
5 6 (+1) Brandeis 8-0-0 There aren't many perfect teams left in NCAA soccer. Brandeis is one thanks to a single win last week, 2-0 over a two-loss Babson team.
6 7 (+1) Franklin and Marshall 8-0-1 Still no trips for the Diplomats, who took care of Stevenage and Washington last week a combined 6-1.
7 10 (+3) Kenyon 9-0-0 Kenyon might as well be lashed to a rocket. The climb continues thanks to wins over Capital (5-1) and Depauw (1-0).
8 3 (-5) Middlebury 5-1-1 The Panthers' five game shutout streak exploded in a 3-0 road loss to a three-loss Colby side. Ouch. Three goals in 16 minutes will leave a mark.
9 9 SUNY Oneonta 7-0-2 A loss and a draw allows the Red Dragons to stay put in a sea of turmoil in the bottom half of the poll. Cory Santangelo is up to five goals.
10 8 (-2) Tufts 5-1-2 Tufts has gradually lost ground over the last two weeks, and a pair of draws last week won't help the optics. No. 8 Middlebury awaits on Oct. 4.


Women's 

Division II

RANK PREV TEAM RECORD COMMENTS
1 2 (+1) University of Tampa 7-0-2 A win and a loss kept Tampa near the top for our first seismic top-down shake after CSU Stanislaus lost. Until they lose, this is the Spartans' poll now.
2 3 (+1) Western Washington 7-0-1 Two wins last week allowed the Vikings to hop to No. 2, including a 2-1 OT win over Saint Martin's to keep a round number in the loss column.
3 5 (+2) Minnesota State-Mankato 8-0-0 Can no one stop the Mavericks? The answer so far's been no, especially after two blowouts victories last week over Bemidji and Crookston.
4 4 Saint Rose 7-0-1 Saint Rose continued into the NE-10 schedule by drawing a very good Adelphi side - season's first blemish - and then topping Franklin Pierce. 
5 1 (-4) Cal State Stanislaus(w) 8-1-0 Down goes No. 1. The Warriors' power had been unchecked until three-loss Monterey Bay pulled off a 1-0 upset last week. How will they respond?
6 6 Barry 3-1-1 Barry had two games on the schedule last week, but one was washed out and the other postponed. Can't penalize a team for bad weather.
7 7 Grand Valley State 6-1-0 The defending champs are 3-0 since suffering their first setback, including a rampant 6-0 win over Findlay last week.
8 8 (+1) Columbus State 6-0-1 Columbus State won games against Tusculum and Aiken a combined 9-2 last week, proving that the team of record in the Peach Belt may be right here.
9 9 (-1) Rollins 6-1-0 Rollins only played one game last week but took care of business in a 6-1 win over Florida Tech. The only loss was to No. 8 Columbus State.
10 10 Sonoma State 9-0-0 On form like this, Sonoma State won't be stuck at No. 10 for long. With Stanislaus' loss, is the door open for Sonoma State to win the league?


Division III

RANK PREV TEAM RECORD COMMENTS
1 1 Trinity (Texas) 6-0-1 If there's a loss on the Tigers' schedule, it's hard to find. Trinity rolled over three teams last week a combined 13-0, and they haven't given up a goal since Sept. 14.
2 2 Washington (Mo.) 8-0-1 Washington finally gave up its unblemished record, but a 0-0 draw against No. 6 Wheaton won't embarass anyone.
3 3 Messiah 9-0-0 Messiah's knocking on Washington's door after another perfect week. A glimpse at the schedule doesn't reveal any obvious pitfalls, either.
4 4 Carnegie Mellon 8-0-0 Another quietly successful week for for Tartans, who only had one game but took care of business in a 3-0 win over Frostburg State.
5 5 Amherst 7-1-0 Amherst made its big move last week, and it consolidated power this week with consecutive wins over Tufts and Bates, the former on the road.
6 6 Wheaton (Ill.) 8-1-1 A week after losing its first game, Wheaton took apart UW-Eau Claire 5-0 before drawing No. 2 Washington. Plenty of questions still linger.
7 7 (+3) Lynchburg 9-0-0 The Hornets are arguably the hottest team in the nation right now, and a pair of massive wins last week only served to feed the narrative.
8 7 (-1) Johns Hopkins 9-2-0 The Jays are on a six-game win streak after last week's pair of 3-0 victories. Lynchburg, which beat JH earlier this season, is just too hot to ignore.
9 8 (-1) Emory 6-0-2 It took two overtimes, but Emory avoided an upset by dropping Centre 1-0 on Sunday. The train may be slowing, but it certainly hasn't stopped.
10 9 (-1) Williams 6-1-0 After a loss to No. 5 Amherst on Sept. 20, Williams is 3-0, including a comfortable 3-0 win over Connecticut College last week.
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