KANSAS CITY – The Slippery Rock University men's soccer team jumped two places to No. 9 in this week's National Soccer Coaches Association of America/Hendrickcars.com NCAA Division II poll, released Tuesday afternoon
The No. 9 ranking is the highest ranking in the program's history, topping a one-week stay at No. 11 last season and again in last week's poll.
Slippery Rock, under the direction of first-year head coach Michael Bonelli, opened the 2010 season with a 3-0-1 overall record and a 2-0-0 record in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference play.
SRU moved up two places in this week's national poll on the strength of a 2-0 week in conference play with a 2-1 win over No. 18 Millersville and a 1-0 win over West Chester.
The Rock is ranked second in the Atlantic Region behind No. 4 Charleston (W. Va.). All nine of the other top-10 teams in the Atlantic Region poll are on Slippery Rock's schedule this season.
SRU has played two of its three games against nationally-ranked opponents and has played three of its four games against teams ranked in the top seven of the regional rankings at the time of the game.
The Rock and Charleston, then ranked first in the region and seventh in the nation, played to a 1-1 draw. Millersville was ranked 18th in the nation and third in the region when it traveled to SRU and West Chester was ranked seventh in the region prior to last weekend's game.
Slippery Rock is back in action today against its next regionally ranked opponent when 10th-ranked Shepherd travels to Thompson Stadium for a 4 p.m. match.
NSCAA/Hendrickcars.com National Rankings – Week 2
* 2010 Rock opponents
1. Cal State Los Angeles
2. Midwestern State (Texas)
3. Colorado Mines
T4. Charleston (W. Va.) *
T4. Southern New Hampshire
6. Northern Kentucky
7. Wingate (N.C.)
8. St. Leo (Fla.)
9. Slippery Rock (Pa.)
10. Incarnate Word (Texas)
11. Cal State Dominguez Hills
12. Ashland (Ohio) *
13. Montevallo (Ala.)
14. Lynn (Fla.)
15. Dowling (N.Y.)
16. Metro State (Colo.)
17. East Stroudsburg (Pa.) *
T18. Merrimack (Mass.)
T18. Bellarmine (Ky.)
20. Chico State (Calif.)
21. Clayton State (Ga.)
22. Regis (Colo.)
23. Florida Southern
24. Truman State (Mo.)
25. Southern Conn. State
Also receiving votes: Mercyhurst (Pa.) *
NSCAA/Hendrickcars.com Regional Rankings - Week 2
* 2010 Rock opponents
1. Charleston *
2. Slippery Rock
3. East Stroudsburg *
4. Mercyhurst *
5. California (Pa.) *
6. Millersville *
7. Gannon *
8. West Virginia Wesleyan *
9. Wheeling Jesuit *
10. Shepherd *