(SAN DIEGO) Entering the final week of the regular season, PLNU Men's Soccer earned its best ever rankings in both the United Soccer Coaches Poll and the NCAA Super Region 4 Poll.
Point Loma moved up to No. 6 in the United Soccer Coaches national rankings, surpassing its previous best ranking of No. 9 that the team had earlier this season.
Meanwhile, PLNU slots in at No. 2 in the first official NCAA Super Region 4 rankings of the season. That ties its best ever ranking in the poll, previously achieved in 2017.
The top-10 teams in the Super Region 4 rankings come season's end will qualify for the NCAA Tournament, with seeds 1-4 guaranteed to host first or second round postseason matches.
This week, the Sea Lions will look to clinch a second straight PacWest championship, with Point Loma (10-1-3 overall, 8-0-1 PacWest) currently tied atop the conference standings with Menlo (10-4-2, 8-1-1) but with a game in hand.
Going into its final two matches of the regular season, PLNU will know exactly what results it needs to repeat as conference champions, as Menlo takes on Biola at noon on Thursday, before Point Loma kicks off at Fresno Pacific at 5 p.m.
If the two teams have the same result in their respective games on Thursday, then Point Loma will clinch at least a share of the conference title and need at least a tie in its final game on Saturday at Academy of Art to secure the outright crown.
However, if Menlo ties or loses to Biola, Point Loma could claim the outright conference championship by bettering Menlo's result, with a game still to play.
Menlo is the only team that can catch or potentially surpass the Sea Lions in points, meaning PLNU has already clinched the No. 1 seed in the upcoming conference tournament, as Menlo is ineligible for the postseason as part of its transition from NAIA to NCAA Division II.
The PacWest Championships will take place Nov. 14 and Nov. 16 in Irvine at OC Great Park.
