KANSAS CITY, MO. (Dec. 7, 2016) – Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) women's soccer earned the No. 25 ranking in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Women's Soccer Coaches' Top 25 Poll, the national office announced Wednesday.
The Saints began the 2016 season ranked No. 21 in the Top 25 Preseason Poll that was released Aug. 16. They dropped off the poll, but received 39 votes on Sept. 20, 12 votes on Sept. 27, 11 votes on Oct. 4, 20 votes on Oct. 11, 37 votes on Oct. 18, 40 votes on Oct. 25, 52 votes on Nov. 1 and 70 votes on Nov. 8.
In previous years, the Saints were ranked 18 on Nov. 17, 2013; No. 19 on Oct. 29, Nov. 5, Nov. 12 and Dec. 11 in 2013; and 21 on Oct. 15 and 22, 2013. In 2014, they began the season as No. 19 and received 35 votes on Dec. 10, 2014. Last season, the Saints ranked No. 24 on Aug. 18 and Nov. 15 and they finished out the year at No. 22.
Head Coach Arthur Salazar said, "Overall it was a good finish to a start that posed a lot of question. The team really came together and worked hard to get things on track and made it a very productive season. Our upperclassmen did a great job of leading by example and not letting our goal get away from us. Again, this finish continues to keep us in the discussion of being a nationally recognized program within the NAIA, and hopefully encourages all of us to work harder in order to break into the next level of being a national contender."