Burnaby, BC – After making history a week ago when they became the first Canadian school ever ranked by the NCAA, the Simon Fraser University Clan men’s soccer team has jumped into a tie for fifth in the NCAA DII national rankings.  SFU is tied with the University of the Incarnate Word of San Antonio, TX who are 6-1-0 this season

The rankings are determined by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.

“The ranking is a nice accolade, but our goal is to be ranked at the end of the season, and we still have a lot of battles ahead,” said Head Coach Alan Koch.  “We will continue to take one match at a time and hope we continue on the same path.”

The team’s jump in the rankings comes on the heels of a tough road trip last weekend.

The Clan started the trip in Billings, Montana on Thursday where they defeated MSUB 4-1 on their home turf.  SFU then faced Northwest Nazarene University in Nampa, Idaho on Saturday in a game that went to double overtime.  The game was finally decided in the 101^st minute when Carlo Basso (Coquitlam, BC) scored the first and only goal of the match to give the Clan a 1-0 victory.

“I am incredibly proud of the team for the tenacity they showed in getting two results on the road last week. We had to deal with five flights, the wind in Montana, and the heat in Idaho making it a very challenging trip. Going a few hours down the I-5 today feels like a home game,” said Coach Koch.

The Clan men’s soccer team is back in action tomorrow against Saint Martin’s University in Lacey, WA.  Game time is 3:00 PM.