Contact: Anna Fox, Sports Information Graduate Assistant, amfox@noctrl.edu

United Soccer Coaches Top-25
United Soccer Coaches Region VIII
CCIW Press Release
 
Sept. 26, 2023 - The North Central College men's soccer team has jumped up eight spots to be the No. 14 ranked team in the nation and moved up one spot to become the No. 2 ranked team in the region, announced by United Soccer Coaches Association on Tuesday afternoon. Riley Johnson also earned the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW), Defensive Player of the Week for the first time, awarded by the CCIW on Tuesday morning.
 
North Central has moved up to become the No. 14 ranked team in the nation as a result of their current season success (9-1-0). The team added two wins to their record this week after shutting out Elmhurst University 4-0 and defeating Aurora University in a nail biting match 2-1. North Central is the only CCIW school in the national ranking poll.
 
Messiah University has moved up to the No. 1 position, while University of Mary Washington moved down to the No.2 position. Amherst University skipped up four spots to No. 3, followed by Montclair State University at No. 4, and University of Chicago at No. 5.
 
North Central has moved up to the No. 2 spot in the region rankings for this week. University of Chicago remains at No. 1 for the third straight week. Calvin University moved down to No. 3 followed by Milwaukee School of Engineering (No. 4) and North Park University (No. 5). Carthage College, the last CCIW school represented in the region's poll, currently sits at No. 6.
 
Johnson earned CCIW Defensive Player of the Week after helping the Cardinals secure two wins, one against Lake Forest and one against Elmhurst University. Johnson has tallied four shutouts on the season, with two of the shutouts coming from their back to back wins last week. Johnson also has a total of 14 saves on the season. The Cardinals goalkeeper has been a key player in helping the team be ranked No. 14 in the nation and No. 2 in the region.
 
The Cardinals will take on the Kalamazoo College Hornets on Saturday, September 30th in Kalamazoo, Michigan at 6 p.m.
 
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