Another week and the Panthers have been accustomed to seeing themselves near the top of the rankings. It has been a weekly occurrence for the Panther soccer squad to see a rise in the rankings as well.
The Panthers have surged in the current NJCAA poll and are currently No. 8 in the NJCAA Division II level. They have registered at least 75 points in the past two weeks.
The preseason poll had the Panthers ranked at No. 15, but that didn't last long. They progressed to No. 13 and No. 11 in the following weeks. Despite rocking an impressive winning streak and overall record (7-0-1), they only managed to move up tied for No. 11 going into their pivotal Skyway showdown with Prairie State.
The pollsters took notice and moved them up to No. 8 after the victory (4-3) and there are plenty of opportunities ahead.
"I feel so grateful and so blessed by God about the victory (over Prairie State), the way we played is the way that a champion team plays, and that's our goal to become national champions. Today when my legs were not corresponding anymore I started to play with my heart and I tried to motivate my teammates, all of this is for God's glory and honor," said star forward Matheus Okuma on the recent success.
Oakton (road) and Rock Valley (home) are both on the docket for this week before Skyway play heats up. Currently, at 4-0 and atop the Skyway standings, the Panthers will quietly be looking to rise even higher up the rankings.
The competition has been fierce and the Region IV foes have been in the rankings as well. Prior to a recent loss by Triton, they and Prairie State were both in the Top 10.
Prairie State remains in the top 10 and is one of a handful of exceptional foes in Region IV play. We may see all of those squads come postseason time, with a few potentially making it to nationals.
Original source can be found here.
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