CHICAGO, Ill. --  North Park Men's Soccer jumped up one spot from ninth to eighth in the Week 7 United Soccer Coaches (USC) National Top 25 Poll unveiled on Tuesday afternoon. This is NPU Men's Soccer's highest ranking by USC since the Aug. 7, 2018 (preseason) poll where the Vikings were ranked second, following their National runner-up finish in 2017.

The Vikings' minuscule Goals Allowed Average of 0.56 leads the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) and ranks 16th across Division III Men's Soccer. Their Goal Differential of +22 also receives national recognition with a ranking of 35th. North Park recorded its 10th shutout in a 2-0 win over Carroll last Saturday, becoming the only CCIW team to reach double-digit shutouts in 2024. 

North Park was the top-ranked Region VIII team in the first round of Regional rankings released on Oct. 16 and are expected to retain that position in the next batch of rankings set to come out tomorrow, Oct. 23. The Vikings already have wins over three of the seven teams shown in Region VIII rankings: #5 Washu, #6 U-Chicago, and #7 Illinois Wesleyan.

North Park's varsity team is not back in action until a trip to Naperville for a conference match against North Central College. Kickoff at Benedetti-Wehrli is set for 2:00 PM CT.