SEPT 26, 2024 | SPORTS | By Veronica Bianco, Features Copy Editor
Colorado College men’s soccer (5-1-2) moved up four spots in the national rankings from No. 7 to No. 3 on Sept. 17 after tying Ohio Northern University and beating Emory University in two NCAA tournament rematches on Stewart Field. It is the highest ranking in team history since the polls began in 1996. They entered the season ranked No. 6 and dropped one position after the first weekend of play.
“The No. 3 ranking is a nice recognition for the group and a testament to the team’s success both last year and the first six games of this season, but our focus is solely on the next game and nothing more,” Scott Palgutta, head coach, said.
The ranking came ahead of their toughest slate of games ahead of conference play. The Tigers traveled to Newport News, Va., to face No. 13 Christopher Newport University (5-0-3) and No. 1 University of Mary Washington (8-0-0).
The team drew 1-1 against Christopher Newport. Oliver Ramirez ‘26 scored early, but a red card for CC in the first half put the team on their heels for the rest of the game, and the Tigers didn’t regain the lead.
CC went toe-to-toe with No. 1 Mary Washington — who may be their toughest opponent of the year — but narrowly lost after the Eagles netted a scrappy second-half goal. The teams were neck-in-neck offensively: the Tigers fired eight shots compared to Mary Washington’s 10, and only had one less shot on goal.
“This past weekend was a terrific experience for our team,” Palgutta said. “We proved that we could compete in a hostile environment against excellent teams.”
The team dropped back down to No. 7 in this week’s United Soccer Coaches poll.
The Tigers were national quarter-finalists last year for the first time in three decades, and hope to go even further in the NCAA tournament this year. That starts with performing well in conference play, which begins this weekend.
CC won the SCAC regular-season conference title last year with a perfect 8-0-0 record. They lost to St. Thomas in the conference semifinals but got into NCAAs with an at-large bid.
They’ll play St. Thomas this Saturday at 4 p.m. on Stewart Field to open up SCAC play. Palgutta hopes his team’s preseason matches have set them up for success as they look to repeat as conference champs.
“We learned that we have a tough and resilient group, and these challenging non-conference games should prepare us well for St. Thomas on Saturday,” he said.