Box Score
Week two of the NCAA Division II Regional Soccer Rankings saw little change in the South Region, as the top three teams remained the same, and Florida Southern held on to #7. Six teams will be selected for the South Region Tournament on November 7, putting the Moccasins right on the edge of their fourth straight NCAA postseason bid.
The Sunshine State Conference continued to hold the top seven positions, led by Saint Leo (14-1-1), Rollins (11-1-2) and Florida Tech (9-3-1). Tampa (10-4-2) jumped two spots to #4 after two wins last week, including a 2-0 decision over previous #4 Nova Southeastern (9-4-2), which fell to fifth. Lynn (8-5-1) dropped from #5 to #6, following a 2-1 loss to Florida Tech. Florida Southern remained #7 after playing just one game last week, a 1-0 loss to Saint Leo. The Moccasins previously lost to Florida Tech, Tampa and Lynn, and tied Nova Southeastern.
Sitting behind are Florida Southern are the same three teams from the Gulf South Conference who were in those spots last week, and one team from that conference is guaranteed a bid to the South Region Tournament. West Florida (10-3-2) is still #8, despite a 2-0 loss to North Alabama (14-3), which moved up to #9. Valdosta State fell from #9 to #10. Florida Southern has already beaten both West Florida and North Alabama this year, but it carries no weight if either of them wins the GSC Tournament to earn the automatic bid.
The Moccasins have just one regular season game remaining, and will have to beat Rollins on Wednesday night in order to have any chance at qualifying for the SSC Tournament. If the Mocs do beat the Tars, they'll still need Lynn to lose on Thursday to Barry, which would then eliminate the Knights. A tie in either of those two games would still end Florida Southern's season, since the Knights own the tie-breaker based on their head-to-head win over the Mocs earlier this season.
Earning a spot in the SSC Tournament would help the Mocs' chances of making it into the regional tournament. The winner of the SSC Tournament receives an automatic bid to regionals, regardless of its ranking or record, but the Mocs would also have the opportunity to beat at least three regionally ranked teams above them along the way. Even winning two games in the SSC Tournament could force the committee to decide between an impressive late-season surge by Florida Southern, and Lynn's head-to-head win over the Mocs, or the scoreless tie the Mocs had with Nova in late September.
The final regional rankings will be announced on Wednesday, November 2, before regional bids are extended the following Monday.
