INDIANAPOLIS – In what has turned into a rapid ascent, the undefeated men’s program at Lake Erie continued to climb up the United Soccer Coaches Poll for the fifth week of the regular season.
 
At 10-0-0, the Storm is one of just teams in Division II with an identical record, joining No. 2 ranked Maryville from the Great Lakes Valley Conference. Both Lake Erie and Maryville are part of the new Super Region 3 for the NCAA Championship qualification process.
 
Lake Erie is inside the top 10 for the second consecutive week after breaking in at No. 19 the week prior. This is the fourth straight week Lake Erie has appeared in the United Soccer Coaches Poll.
 
Incrementally, the Storm started out at No. 16, climbed to No. 13 and went from No. 9 to No. 6, trending upward like a hot stock commodity.
 
The Storm have a commanding lead in the current Great Midwest conference point standings, sitting with 18 on the strength of six league victories.
 
Lake Erie started last week as one of the top defensive teams in the country, ranking third in save percentage behind two-time conference player of the week GK Tom John. The Storm opened up the offense a little bit more with a late flurry against Malone and then stymied Walsh in a Sunday matchup.
 
Senior midfielder and team captain Jonathon Carr also swept conference and national offensive weekly honors.
 
Carr and Ayden Von Essen are both tied for third in the conference in goals scored with six while Ameer Saade and Carr each have four assists to lead the team. Carr and Javier Borreguero each have three game-winning shots while Tom Akinola has also been credited with two.
 
Defending conference champion Tiffin (6-1-2, 4-1-1) is also receiving votes in the national poll for the second straight week. The Dragons have been ranked once during the current season in the preseason poll.