Box Score
For the first time in program history, the Florida Southern women's soccer team has taken over the #1 spot in the NCAA South Region rankings. The Moccasins flip-flopped positions with Rollins this week, moving up from #2, with West Florida and Nova Southeastern holding at #3 and #4 respectively. Barry remained at #5, and Florida Tech jumped into the #6 slot as teams battle for position in the final week of the regular season.
The Moccasins (9-3-2 before Wednesday night's loss to Saint Leo) jumped over Rollins (9-2-2) after defeating Nova Southeastern 5-0 last week, while the Tars tied Florida Tech, 0-0. The Mocs will take on Florida Tech this Saturday in their regular season finale after falling to Saint Leo on Wednesday night. That game will also have a major impact on the SSC standings, with Florida Southern, Nova Southeastern and Rollins all still in contention for the regular season title. The Moccasins need a win plus a loss or a tie by Nova Southeastern, or a tie combined with a loss by Nova, and a loss or a tie by Rollins in its final game. The Tars go on the road to face Tampa on Thursday night.
West Florida appears to be solidly in the third position after a 2-1 win over North Alabama and a 5-3 victory over West Georgia last week gave the Argonauts the regular season championship in the Gulf South Conference. They finished with a perfect 7-0 league record and are 14-2 overall, with their only two losses coming early in the year to Florida Southern and Rollins. The Argonuats play two NAIA opponents this weekend before the GSC Tournament begins next Friday.
Nova Southeastern (8-4-1 at the time of the ranking) nearly defeated West Florida too this year, but lost 2-1 in overtime. The Sharks also lost to North Alabama that same weekend, and later lost to Florida Southern, but have a tie with Rollins and wins over Barry, Florida Tech and Tampa.
In the #5 position, Barry actually has a losing record overall (7-8-1) but two of those losses came to NAIA opponents. The Bucs have also beaten North Alabama and Tampa, but lost to Florida Southern, Rollins, West Florida and Nova. Their only Division II game remaining is against Eckerd on Thursday, and Barry needs a win plus outside help just to make the SSC Tournament.
Florida Tech jumped into the rankings this week at #6 after a tie with Rollins and a win over Barry last week. They were 7-5-1 at the time of the ranking and have since beaten Palm Beach Atlantic. The Panthers may still need a win over Florida Southern and a good performance in the SSC Tournament to stay ahead of North Alabama (13-3) and Tampa (11-5), which are #7 and #8 in this week's South Region poll.
Palm Beach Atlantic and Harding complete the rankings at #9 and #10 respectively.
NCAA Tournament pairings and sites will be announced on Monday night, November 8. The top two teams in each region are given the opportunity to host the first weekend of the regional tournament and also earn a first-round bye. The #1 seed will play host to the #4 and #5 teams, while #2 will host #3 and #6. The first two rounds are scheduled for November 12 and 14, with the regional championship game and NCAA quarterfinals to be played the following weekend. The national semifinals and championship game will be played in Louisville, Kentucky the first week of December.
