KANSAS CITY, Mo. – For the first time in program history, the Northwestern College men’s soccer team (7-1-1, 3-0 GPAC) have been nationally ranked. The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) announced earlier today this week’s coaches’ poll which tabbed the Raiders No. 23.
Coming off sweeping the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Player of the Week honors in junior goalkeeper Ezekiel Foltz (Sioux Center, Iowa/Sioux Center) and junior midfielder James Bolger (Boyle, Republic of Ireland/Abbey Community College) swept the honors announced by the league office yesterday, Tuesday, Sept. 28.
The Raiders defeated No. 22 Morningside 2-1 in overtime last Wednesday, thanks to Bolger’s first goal of the season with less than 10 seconds to go in the first overtime period. They followed that performance defeating then 2-0 Concordia in a GPAC match on Saturday, downing the Bulldogs 1-0.
Multiple times under the direction of head coach Dan Swier the Raiders have received votes in the national rankings but had never broken into the top-25 until this week.
GPAC in the rankings:
No. 23 Northwestern Red Raiders (7-1-1, 3-0 GPAC)
RV (16) Morningside Mustangs (5-3, 2-1 GPAC)
The Raiders are back in action this evening with a GPAC clash with Mount Marty (3-3-1, 1-2 GPAC) in Yankton, S.D. before returning to the NWC Soccer Complex on Saturday, Oct. 2 to face the Jimmies of the University of Jamestown (3-3-2, 2-2-1 GPAC).
