KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Azusa Pacific has moved up one spot in the United Soccer Coaches national rankings each of the last four weeks and is now the No. 1 team in the nation as announced by the organization on Tuesday morning.
 
The Cougars have won their first nine contests of the 2019 season and been the No. 1 team in the NCAA West Region rankings for the last three weeks. Adelphi tied one of its matches last week to forfeit the top ranking making room for Azusa Pacific to move to the top.
 
Azusa Pacific men’s soccer joins Hawai`i Pacific women’s tennis in 2018 and California Baptist volleyball in 2017 as PacWest teams to recently be ranked No. 1 nationally.
 
After reaching the NCAA West Regional championship match, the Cougars have established themselves as a team set to make another deep playoff run. In the third match of the year, Azusa Pacific defeated defending West Region champion and preseason nationally-ranked No. 2 Cal Poly Pomona. The Cougars also have wins over Western Washington and Point Loma, which are both regionally ranked.
 
This week, Azusa Pacific will face Point Loma for a second time, and the following Saturday, Azusa Pacific has a rematch with Concordia on its home field on October 19. That begins a five-match home stretch for the Cougars.
 
The first published NCAA Super-Regional Rankings will be released on October 30. The top-10 teams in the Super Region will advance to the postseason, the top four teams will host the opening rounds and the top two teams will receiving opening-round byes.