KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Riding the second-longest winning streak in the nation, the FGCU men’s soccer team is ranked #15 in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Top-25 Poll on Tuesday, the highest regular-season ranking in program history.

After starting the season 0-2-1, FGCU has won six games in a row – one shy of the longest streak in the nation which is currently shared by Loyola Chicago and Butler. The Eagles lead the country in goals (25) and points (70) heading into a Tuesday-evening match at Rutgers.

It marks the third-straight season that the Eagles have been nationally ranked, and the #15 ranking is four spots higher than FGCU’s previous regular-season high mark of #19, set three times and most recently last September. It’s just the second time in program history that FGCU has been ranked in the NSCAA poll (full ranking history at the end of this release) after receiving votes last week.

FGCU made the largest jump among any team this week in the NSCAA poll, effectively moving up 17 spots from being the 7th team receiving votes outside the top 25 last week. Among the teams FGCU is ranked ahead of include Washington, West Virginia, Kentucky and Michigan State. Despite several other prominent national polls each week, the NSCAA top 25 is the only poll the NCAA officially acknowledges.

“It’s certainly a nice reward and great recognition for our guys, our program and the University,” said program-founding head coach Bob Butehorn, whose teams have now been ranked on 16 separate occasions since 2010. “But it’s important for our guys to remain focused on our ultimate goal, and that continues tonight against Rutgers. It’s a long season, and while the national ranking is a great testament to how we’ve been playing recently, we need to continue riding that momentum.”

Replacing 13 letterwinners – including a trio of professional players – off a team which won an unprecedented sixth-straight ASUN regular-season title last year, the Eagles opened the season with 2-1 losses at Northwestern and Loyola Marymount and battled Michigan to a 2-2 draw before commencing their recent unbeaten run.

In their last three games, FGCU has outscored its opponents 14-2, including a dominant 5-0 rout of nationally-ranked UNCW on Sept. 17. The Eagles have scored four or more goals in three-straight games for the first time in program history. Two of the three hat tricks in program history have occurred in the last three games, with Albert Ruiz (Barcelona, Spain/ CE L’Hospitalet/UE Cornella) recording his versus UNCW and Arion Sobers-Assue (Miami, Fla./DeMatha Catholic HS) securing his as part of a 5-1 win over FAU on Sept. 20.

The current six-game winning streak is tied for the third-longest in program history along with a midseason run in 2013. The program record is eight-straight victories, set in 2010 and again in 2012. Additionally, FGCU has won five-consecutive contests over non-conference foes for the first time in program history.

With its season-opening 4-1 ASUN win over NJIT, FGCU now owns a dominant 37-4-4 record in all ASUN regular-season games since the start of the 2010 season. All four of those losses have come on the road, and out of a possible 135 points that could have been earned in that time, the Eagles have claimed an impressive 115 of them (85.2 percent) en route to an unprecedented six-straight ASUN regular-season titles.

The Eagles have remained in the New York City area following the match with NJIT and will play Rutgers tonight, Tuesday, at 7 p.m. The Scarlett Knights are 0-6-1 on the year following a 0-0 double-overtime tie at home against #4 Indiana Friday night.

FGCU RANKING HISTORY
10/5/2010: #25 Soccer America
10/12/2010: #24 Soccer America
10/14/2010: #24 Top Drawer Soccer
10/19/2010: #21 Soccer America
10/26/2010: #23 Soccer America
11/2/2010: #19 Soccer America
11/9/2010: #19 Soccer America
11/16/2010: #20 Soccer America (Final Poll)
8/2/2011: #14 Goal.com (Preseason Poll)
8/30/2011: #22 Goal.com
9/27/2011: #25 Goal.com
9/9/2014: #24 NSCAA and Soccer America
8/31/2015: #19 Top Drawer Soccer
10/13/2015: #22 Top Drawer Soccer
10/20/2015: #22 Top Drawer Soccer
9/27/2016: #15 NSCAA

NSCAA TOP-25 POLL (Points)
1) Maryland – 597
2) Notre Dame – 573
3) Syracuse – 518
4) North Carolina – 514
5) Clemson – 483
6) Indiana – 468
7) Butler – 449
8) Denver – 430
9) Louisville – 418
10) Creighton – 357
11) Wake Forest – 346
12) Loyola Chicago – 330
13) UCLA – 309
14) Charlotte – 286
15) FGCU – 202
16) Washington – 192
17) West Virginia – 169
18) Virginia Tech – 166
19) UMass Lowell – 140
20) Kentucky – 124
21) Utah Valley – 108
22) San Diego State – 101
23) Akron – 83
24) UNCW – 81
25) Michigan State – 55
FGCU Opponents Receiving Votes: USF (16)

TICKET INFORMATION
Single-game tickets are available for all remaining home games. More information, including special discounts and group rates, can be accessed by visiting FGCUTickets.com. To purchase tickets, or for additional inquiries, call the FGCU Ticket Office at 239-590-7145 Monday-Friday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. or log on to FGCUTickets.com.

FOLLOW ALONG
For up-to-the minute information and a behind-the-scenes look at the FGCU men’s soccer program, follow on Twitter @FGCU_MSoccer, Instagram @FGCU_MSoccer, Facebook /FGCUMSoccer and YouTube /FGCUAthletics.

COACH BUTEHORN
FGCU is led by Bob Butehorn, who has coached six professional players and 54 ASUN All-Conference selections since FGCU started its program in 2007. In just five years of postseason eligibility, Butehorn has guided FGCU to three ASUN Tournament championships and NCAA Tournament appearances – in 2011, 2012 and 2014 – and has won an unprecedented six-straight ASUN regular-season championships. His teams have been ranked nationally on several occasions by multiple media outlets. Now in his 14th season as a head coach, Butehorn has a 121-92-26 (.561) overall record, 87-60-22 (.580) mark in his 10th season at FGCU and 49-17-6 (.722) record in ASUN contests.

SUPPORT THE CAUSE
FGCU Athletics sponsors events throughout the year to benefit the FGCU Campus Food Pantry (www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry) and the Harry Chapin Food Bank (www.harrychapinfoodbank.org), FGCU Athletics’ charities of choice. For more information, including how to make a contribution, please visit www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help raise awareness.

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