KANSAS CITY, Kan. – The Fort Lewis College men’s soccer team (8-0-0 overall, 5-0-0 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) climbed one spot today in the national rankings to No. 2 in the fifth NCAA Division II poll of the season, released earlier today by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) and Continental Tire.

The Skyhawks, ranked No. 3 a week ago, won three straight at home last week, defeating Colorado Mesa 3-0 on Wednesday, Adams State 6-1 on Friday, and UC-Colorado Springs 1-0 on Sunday.

“I think it’s a great achievement to this point that this group of players have earned, as they started outside the Top 25 to start the season” said third-year FLC head coach Oige Kennedy. “They know that the only ranking they need to worry about is the one at the end of the season.”

Fort Lewis hits the road for a pair of games this coming weekend. FLC travels to No. 20 Colorado Mines (6-2-0, 4-1-0) for a 7 p.m. tilt Friday and to Colorado Christian (0-8-1, 0-5-0) for a 1 p.m. game Sunday.

The RMAC placed three teams in the Top 25 in the fifth coaches’ poll of the season: No. 2 Fort Lewis, No. 17 Metro State (6-2-1, 4-1-0) and No. 20 Colorado Mines.

Additionally, several Skyhawks rank highly amongst NCAA Division II leaders. Senior midfielder Thomas Hoang leads the nation in assists (seven) and ranks fifth in assists per game (0.88). Senior goalkeeper Ryan Wirth ranks second in goals against average (0.25) and tenth in saves percentage (.895).

As a team, Fort Lewis is tied for the national lead in winning percentage (1.000), ranks second in goals against average (0.25), third in shutout percentage (0.75), and eighth in team goals (22) and save percentage (.895).