Tartans Rise to Number One in the National Rankings
Sept 26 – (KANSAS CITY, Mo.) – The Carnegie Mellon University women's soccer team's 9-0 start to 2023 has been noticed by opponents and the voting committee for the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 Division III Poll. After tying for the No. 2 spot last week with Christopher Newport University, the Tartans earned the No. 1 ranking for the first time in program history after two road victories.
The Tartans have seven shutouts this season and went 777 minutes and 23 seconds without allowing a goal before Baldwin Wallace University was able to put in just the second goal against the Tartans this season.
The 9-0 start for the Tartans ties the program's best opening run from 2014 and their seven consecutive shutouts tie the school record set in 2002 and 2012.
Fifteen different players have scored for the Tartans with senior midfielder Cecelia Dieterich leading with five goals. Junior midfielder Gemma Jefferson has four goals and four assists to lead the team in points with 12. Junior midfielder/defender Alana Frederick has assisted on five goals this season.
Sophomore Abby O'Connor leads the goalkeeping unit in minutes played with 482 while starting seven games and earning two shutouts. She's shared in four shutouts while freshman Maddie Kellogg hasn't surrendered a goal in 254 minutes of action, sharing five shutouts. Freshman Kate Bergan has also seen action, playing 72 minutes.
The Tartans welcome Marietta College (3-3) to campus on Wednesday, September 27 for a 7:30 p.m. contest before opening University Athletic Association (UAA) play at No. 18 Brandeis University (4-0-3) on Saturday, September 30 at 11 a.m.
After two weeks of all eight UAA teams earning a national ranking or receiving votes, six are ranked in the top 18 this week with one receiving votes.
NATIONAL - POLL 3 - SEPTEMBER 26, 2023
| Rank | School | Prev | W-L-T |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carnegie Mellon University | 2 | 9-0-0 |
| 2 | Christopher Newport University | 2 | 9-0-0 |
| 3 | Washington University (Mo.) | 4 | 7-0-0 |
| 4 | William Smith College | 1 | 4-0-3 |
| 5 | Messiah University | 5 | 5-2-0 |
| 6 | Case Western Reserve University | 7 | 8-0-1 |
| 7 | Pomona-Pitzer Colleges | 9 | 7-0-0 |
| 8 | Johns Hopkins University | 6 | 6-1-1 |
| 9 | Amherst College | 10 | 7-0-1 |
| 10 | Montclair State University | 11 | 6-1-0 |
| 11 | Williams College | 13 | 6-0-1 |
| 12 | University of Wisconsin-La Crosse | 12 | 7-1-0 |
| 13 | University of Rochester | 14 | 6-0-1 |
| 14 | The College of New Jersey | 20 | 5-1-1 |
| 15 | Emory University | 17 | 4-1-1 |
| 16 | California Lutheran University | 18 | 7-0-1 |
| 17 | Misericordia University | 15 | 4-3-0 |
| 18 | Brandeis University | RV | 4-0-3 |
| 19 | Calvin University | 16 | 6-0-2 |
| 20 | Clarkson University | 22 | 6-1-2 |
| 21 | Hamilton College | RV | 4-0-3 |
| 22 | Swarthmore College | NR | 6-0-1 |
| 23 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | 8 | 6-1-1 |
| 24 | University of New England | NR | 4-0-3 |
| 25 | Simpson College | RV | 7-1-0 |
Records shown are through games of September 24, 2023
Also receiving votes: New York University, Wesleyan University, Franklin & Marshall College, Tufts University, Rowan University, Centre College, Bowdoin College, Loras College, Hardin-Simmons University, Middlebury College, Washington & Lee University, North Central College