Newport News, Va., is the place for college soccer this weekend as three teams ranked in the top 13 of the United Soccer Coaches poll will compete. The No. 3 Colorado College men's soccer team will face No. 13 Christopher Newport on Friday, Sept. 20, at 5 p.m. MT and No. 1 Mary Washington on Saturday, Sept. 21 at 3 p.m. MT. 
 
Last Time Out 
 
CC collected four points from a tough weekend at home as No. 13 Ohio Northern and Emory visited Stewart Field. The Tigers tied with the Polar Bears 1-1 on Friday in a rematch of last season's Sweet 16 matchup. They defeated Emory 2-1 on Saturday to move to 5-0-1. 
 
Sophomore Wyatt Linggi had the game-winning header in the 64th minute after a throw-in assist from Rex Karjian. It broke the 1-1 tie, but CC did have the lead at the halftime break thanks to a goal scored by midfielder Luke Stefanski in the 34th minute. 
 
The night prior, senior Remi Maher dished out his second goal of the season to take a 1-0 in the 82nd minute to break the stalemate. The Polar Bears responded with their own goal in the 86th minute to save the tie and escape with a point.
 
Highest National Ranking in Program History
 
The latest United Soccer Coaches national poll was released on Tuesday, and the Tigers were named the No. 3 team in the country. This is the highest ranking in program history since the polls debuted in 1996. 
 
CC entered the season ranked No. 6 and dropped to No. 7 last week, but the two wins over ONU and Emory elevated the Tigers to the historic spot. 
 
Another Chance At More History
 
CC will be able to make more history this weekend, as the latest national polls make the trip more enticing. Host Christopher Newport jumped to No. 13 after winning 2-0 in its most recent matches against Rutgers-Camden and Catholic University. 
 
Mary Washington jumped from No. 9 to 4 a week prior and is now No. 1. This is the Eagles' first No. 1 ranking since last season, when they were the highest-ranked team from Sept. 12-26. 
 
The Tigers have defeated a No. 1 ranked team before. In 2015, head coach Scott Palguta's first season at the helm, the Tigers downed No. 1 Trinity (TX), who was ranked the top team in the D3soccer.com men's soccer poll. CC won the game 3-1 and finished the season 14-3-3. 
 
Other Numbers Nationally
 
The Tigers are ranked eighth in the nation in goal differential after outsourcing their opponents 21-2 through the first three weeks. They also rank sixth in shots per game (22.5) and 11th in total goals (21). 
 
Defensively, CC ranks 11th  in goals against average, only surrendering 0.333 goals per match. The team also ranks 19th in shutout percentage (0.667) 
 
Scouting The Opposition
 
No. 13 CNU enters the week with a 4-0-2 record after downing both Rutgers-Camden and Catholic by a final score of 2-0 in each match. The Captains have surrendered only one goal all season and have four shutouts through the first three weeks. 
 
Sophomore Manzi Siibo leads the team with three goals and nine shots, but the Captains have spread the wealth this season. Eight players account for the 12 CNU goals and two players have three assists. 
 
No. 1 Mary Washington is right back where it was a year ago, at the top of the national polls. The Eagles are a perfect 6-0 to start the year and have outscored their opponents 22-5. 
 
UMW has a pair of the top goal scorers in the nation. Sammy Amorose is tied for sixth with six goals, and Carter Berg is tied for 31st with five. In points, Amorose ranks 17th with 13.
 
On the defensive side, in six games, goalkeeper Freddy Rogers is ranked 21st in the nation in goals-against-average (.378). 

Up Next

CC returns home to Stewart Field to start conference play against the University of St. Thomas (TX) on Saturday, Sept. 28 at 4 p.m. MT.