History Made: Crusaders Ranked #1 in the Nation

Hattiesburg, MS

William Carey University from Hattiesburg, Mississippi, were last night ranked number one in the nation for the first time in their history. The crusaders have earned this position through their Elite 8 run last season, and their 7-0-0 start to this. Collecting 14 of the 17 first place votes, WCU secured school history. Coach Barry Farrell will be keen to keep celebrations to a minimum as he looks at the bigger picture of Conference and National titles down the stretch. However, one thing is for sure, this is a proud moment for him and his players, a moment that will live long in the memory.

WCU have outscored opponents 22-5 in their seven games so far, this season. Scoring on average 3.14 goals per game, with just 0.71 in their own net. They remain the only team left in the NAIA who have a 100% record. Within those seven games, they have downed then number 11 Bryan College 3-1, and a pair of 2-0 victories against the Louisiana State Universities (Shreveport & Alexandria), who were both receiving votes in the top 25 polls.

SSU is immensely proud of WCU and in particular star man Paul Bracken. ‘Bracko’ was an instant hit at Crusader field netting 7 goals and tallying up 8 assists in his freshman year, as WCU made it to the NAIA National Tournament Elite 8. This season he started off on fire, contributing an assist in his first game, however after that he picked up a foot injury, which has kept him out ever since. Taking the precautionary step of sitting out non-conference affairs, #PB10 expects to be back for conference play when the Crusaders host #15 Dalton State College.

Take a look at the complete Top 25 below;