Still standing: How did New Mexico handle their new standing as the top team in the country, you ask? Quite well, actually. The Lobos pitched two shutout wins and are one victory away from ending the season as the only undefeated squad in Division I Men’s soccer. The program will head into the MPSF Tournament as the No. 1 seed beginning Nov. 10, yet there are still valid questions about their worth as a national championship contender that won’t be answered until the NCAA Tourney. In other words, they’re in the exact same place they were last week. Nothing to see here; move along. 

 

The mighty fall: We had some costly slipups this past week that altered rankings and conference power. No. 14 Old Dominion suffered consecutive losses to unranked James Madison and Northeastern that likely lost them the Colonial Athletic Association – James Madison can clinch with a win in one of their remaining two matches. No. 15 UC Irvine could’ve all but won the Big West but they tripped in a 3-2 loss to UC Riverside that now forces them to win their season-finale

 

The worst tumbler of all, though, has to be No. 5 Connecticut – you know, the former No. 1? The Huskies ended their regular season with a 1-0 loss to Seton Hall to finish their last four matches at 1-2-1 after exhibiting such dominance early in the season.  

 

Conference races: Other than New Mexico, which seemingly wrapped up the MPSF sometime in the offseason, conference regular season races are very much alive heading into the last few matches. One of the huge surprises lies in the Missouri Valley, where Missouri State is hanging with No. 3 Creighton. Both teams have identical 4-1-0 conference records, giving the Bears a chance to grab an improbable share of the title heading into the last regular season match. UCLA now looks firmly in control of the Pac-12 and should clinch in the next match or so while things are as hazy as ever in the ACC: North Carolina can seal it with a win over Boston College in the finale, while a loss would mean chaos. 

 

Ohio State took over the Big Ten lead with a weighty 2-0 win over Wisconsin on Sunday and can now clinch things by winning their finale … UAB and South Carolina are taking their bid for Conference USA down to the final match. 

 

Running with the Bulls: South Florida had to work extra hard to earn their Big East Red title with an adventurous 0-0 tie with Rutgers on Monday. Originally scheduled to land in New York on Saturday, the Bulls flight was delayed due to storms and they ended up in Boston for the better part of the day. So after finally arriving in New York and driving to New Jersey for their Sunday match, the game was canceled because of snow and ice. Sigh. So the teams were forced to find a new venue in Newark, N.J., at the New Jersey Institute of Technology where they finally played Monday. In the end, the result was worth the wait.

 

That’s a first: Marquette captured their first ever Big East Blue title after a 1-0 triumph over Pittsburgh on Saturday. Callum Mallace scored the winning goal in the 59th minute and the Golden Eagles will now set their sights on the conference tournament beginning Sunday. … UC Riverside is also on the verge of making history for its program as the Highlanders close in on their first ever postseason. If UC Riverside can win its final match against UC Davis on Saturday – or they get some help from one of their pursuers – the program will reach its first conference tourney.