INDIANAPOLIS – Only one spot separates the Ohio Valley men’s program from being No. 1 in the nation following Tuesday’s new release of the United Soccer Coaches Poll.
The dominoes were set to tumble following No. 1 Lynn’s loss to No. 19 West Alabama on Monday.
The Fighting Scots (4-0-0, 1-0-0 Great Midwest) did their part by dispatching their second nationally-ranked opponent, No. 20 Northwood, on Monday in a game rescheduled from rain.
Ohio Valley was rewarded with the No. 2 position in the United Soccer Coaches Poll, the highest for any Great Midwest Athletic Conference sport program since the league’s inception in 2012.
The Fighting Scots are carving out a strong non-conference resume in regional play by beating then-No. 20 Maryville and most recently, the nationally-ranked Timberwolves in Charleston, WV. OVU also scored five times in the second half to blank Alderson Broaddus and blanked Illinois Springfield in the season opener.
OVU is averaging over 10 points per game as a team and almost four goals per contest, both league-leading numbers.
Three of the four Fighting Scots wins have come via the shutout as Jorge Bravo has made the seamless transition to fill the shoes of 2017 All-American stopper Carlos Rubio.
The offense features a few new shiny toys in head coach Luis Rincon’s attack, including reigning Great Midwest Offensive Player of the Week Jorge Pradillos and Juan Hoyos, who have taken the league by storm.
Both newcomers rank top 10 in the conference in goals and points.
Add in a Great Midwest best six assists from a key returner, Alex Horveno, from last year’s conference regular-season and tournament champ squad and it’s scary that the OVU offense is clicking in midseason form this early in the year.
Ohio Valley has outscored its opponents by a combined score of 15-2. The Fighting Scots have games against Davis & Elkins, which started the year ranked 25th, and Alderson Broaddus.
The United Soccer Coaches Poll tabbed OVU seventh in the preseason, No. 3 in the first official and No. 2 in the most recent edition. Midwestern State (TX) is currently the No. 1 team in the country with a 3-0-0 record.