Columns in order:
Adjusted RPI's 2015-17 (conference rating at top),
2018 non-conf. average RPI's and SOS's based on 2017,
2018 pre-season poll rankings
The West Coast Conference saw five of its teams make the RPI top 80 in 2017, and those same five teams were tightly bunched in pre-season polling by the league's head coaches.
Pacific discontinued its original Division I program following the 1985 season. The Tigers returned in 2015, and amazingly made the NCAA Tournament's 2nd round the last two seasons. Pacific returns 16 players from a 2017 team eliminated on penalties by eventual national champion Stanford, including pre-season all-WCC honorees Wouter Verstraaten, Camden Riley and Tariq Branche. In non-conference, the Tigers host Cal and travel to Western Michigan and Stanford.
Portland finished tied for 2nd with Pacific last season, but were on the outside looking in when at-large bids were announced for the NCAA Tournament. The Pilots look to juniors Benji Michel (10 goals, 2 assists in 2017) and Rey Ortiz (6 goals, 13 assists) to lead them in 2018. But having nine of 10 non-conference games at home, just one of which is against a team with a winning record in 2017, means Portland will need to win the auto bid.
Saint Mary's is led by junior Jake Rudel, who led the Gaels in scoring last season with six goals. San Diego will welcome Duke, UNLV and Seattle in non-conference while also traveling up the coast to UCLA. San Francisco also travels to UCLA, along with a trip to the Rockies to play Denver and Air Force and hosts Stanford at home.
The West Coast Conference saw five of its teams make the RPI top 80 in 2017, and those same five teams were tightly bunched in pre-season polling by the league's head coaches.
Pacific discontinued its original Division I program following the 1985 season. The Tigers returned in 2015, and amazingly made the NCAA Tournament's 2nd round the last two seasons. Pacific returns 16 players from a 2017 team eliminated on penalties by eventual national champion Stanford, including pre-season all-WCC honorees Wouter Verstraaten, Camden Riley and Tariq Branche. In non-conference, the Tigers host Cal and travel to Western Michigan and Stanford.
Portland finished tied for 2nd with Pacific last season, but were on the outside looking in when at-large bids were announced for the NCAA Tournament. The Pilots look to juniors Benji Michel (10 goals, 2 assists in 2017) and Rey Ortiz (6 goals, 13 assists) to lead them in 2018. But having nine of 10 non-conference games at home, just one of which is against a team with a winning record in 2017, means Portland will need to win the auto bid.
Saint Mary's is led by junior Jake Rudel, who led the Gaels in scoring last season with six goals. San Diego will welcome Duke, UNLV and Seattle in non-conference while also traveling up the coast to UCLA. San Francisco also travels to UCLA, along with a trip to the Rockies to play Denver and Air Force and hosts Stanford at home.
More previews to come...follow links to rpiupdate.blogspot.com's daily scoreboards, team schedules, conference standings, NCAA Tournament projection and the most updated, accurately adjusted Division I men's soccer RPI rankings available.
