Our Week 3 Coaches Poll is in and the east continues to hold the higher standard. With almost half the season gone the front runners, dark horses, and playoff contenders are starting to take shape. So see how the Coaches of the league ranked their top 10 teams in all of CRL below!
1.) UCF (8-0)
UCF continues to dominate the eastern conference on what seems to be the best non-varsity program team in CRL. After another week of being undefeated, they rank 2nd in goal +/- and have the highest team shot% in the east to flex their efficiency. With this run continuing one can only ask if the wave will keep going deep into the playoffs and beyond.
2.) Northwood Blue (6-1)
Northwood has only looked to reassert their dominance on the league after their loss to UCF. As they crushed the rising stars from Virginia Tech 3-0 without breaking a sweat. With a rotation of players all considered to be at the top of the collegiate pool, great things are expected for this roster.
3.) Stockton (4-1)
This season finally seems to be the season where Stockton finally breaks from punching up at the top dogs, to becoming a Championship contender themselves. They currently foster the best defense in CRL only allowing 0.83 goals per game suffocating their opponent. They have split against other top-rated opponents as they lost 2-3 to Virginia Tech but were able to sweep St. Clair.
4.) Columbia (6-0)
Sitting just one game differential out of first place in the west they are in a constant battle with Las Vegas for the #1 slot. They continue to breeze through everyone and don’t look to be slowing down. They face off against LSU this week in what will be both sides’ first big test of the season.
5.) St. Clair (4-2)
After failing to push up further in the power rankings with a loss to Stockton this team looks ahead in their schedule to keep their footing above the middle of the pack eastern teams. To do this they will face off against USF who is currently at 3-3 and in the playoff picture in the east.
6.) UNLV (6-0)
Coaches are still not convinced that the West is home to two of the top 5 teams in CRL. UNLV is doing everything in their power to prove them wrong as they are taking out almost every team 3-0, only dropping 1 game in 6 series. The addition of Tuv has seemed to add only more cohesion to one of the West’s powerhouses from the fall and they look to remain at the top with or without the approval of the community.
7.) LSU (3-0)
Louisiana has been taking care of business in their early matchups. They have yet to be tested as all of their opponents have been under .500. Looking ahead a matchup against Columbia this week will definitely showcase their current talent and star players.
8.) Virginia Tech (6-2)
The surprise of the season for many, Virginia Tech already has more wins through their first 8 game of this season than they did through all of last fall. Led by Aekoh, all three of these players have stepped up from last season and have taken down Stockton and Akron which put the entire league on notice. With how good they have been it has been tough with half of their games going the distance and the team securing a 3-1 record in those game 5’s.
9.) Akron (4-2)
Buzz, Reticence, and Fal continue to holster the expectations of the Akron that once was as they are considered among the top of CRL. However, with a tough loss to Oakland and a long series against Virginia Tech, they have slid from where they once were. With a lot of top matchups coming sooner rather than later, Akron must get one or two staple wins to remain in the same conversation as some of these other eastern powerhouses.
10.) Seton Hall (2-3)
Although sitting in 9th place in the east they have had a fairly tough schedule to start the season matching up against UCF and St. Clair. With that said they must continue to separate themselves from the other playoff contenders and must avoid losses to teams such as Florida who have started to find themselves. The league still holds Seton Hall in high regard and we should expect a bounce back from them soon.
Catch all these teams and more CRL action Tuesdays and Wednesdays at: https://www.twitch.tv/collegecarball
