Complete National Rankings | Complete Great Lakes Region Rankings

BEREA, OHIO --  The Baldwin-Wallace College men's soccer team enters a key regional showdown tonight (Wednesday, September 21, 2011) with Allegheny College of Pennsylvania ranked 16th nationally in Division III the latest rankings released by the NSCAA (National Soccer Coaches Association of America).  It is one of the highest rankings Reid Ayers' team has ever received.  Kickoff on Tressel Field at The George Finnie Stadium is at 7:00 p.m.  Fans also can listen to the game LIVE both on radio and via the Internet on campus radio station WBWC's radio site at 88.3 FM and its Internet web site at www.wbwc.com and then go to sports.

B-W is currently ranked second in the Great Lakes Region of Division III and Allegheny is ranked fifth.  Ohio Wesleyan University holds the top spot in this week's regional poll, Thomas More )Ky.) College is second and Ohio Athletic Conference rival Ohio Northern University is fourth.  The Yellow Jackets jumped five spots in the regional poll from last week's rankings and went from being unranked nationally all the way to 16th.

The Yellow Jackets, 6-1 overall, opened the season with an overtime loss to a strong Elizabethtown (Pa.) College, currently ranked ninth in the Mid-Atlantic Region of Division III. Since that match, B-W has ripped off six straight wins and outscored the opposition, 17-6. Included in the six wins are a pair of victories last week against sixth-ranked Case Western Reserve University (3-2) and versus Grove City College of Pennsylvania (3-0).  CWRU was ranked fourth and B-W seventh at the time, and Grove City was receiving votes in the poll.

"This is great for our program and our kids," said Ayers, in his 10th season and B-W as its men's and women's head coach. "But we also know that this is just a poll and that we need to keep working hard every day and play one game at a time. Right now, we are focused on playing a very, very good Allegheny team tonight. A week ago, Allegheny was getting national votes, but then lost to another Ohio Athletic Conference team.  Staying focused for each game is the key.

Following its match tonight, B-W is back in action on Saturday, September 24 when they travel to New Wilmington, Pennsylvania to play Westminster College in the first game of a men's and women's doubleheader at 1:00 p.m. The B-W and Westminster women play at 3:00 p.m.  The B-W men and women are back home next Tuesday when they host a twnibill at Finnie Stadium.  The women kickoff against St. Vincent (Pa.) College at 4:30 p.m. and the men play the College of Mount St. Joseph at 7:00 p.m.

On Saturday, October 22, the Yellow Jacket men's and women's soccer teams will host Ohio Athletic Conference foe Wilmington College in a doubleheader that will be televised by SportsTime Ohio (STO).  This is the fourth straight year that B-W has televised a soccer doubleheader and will put a perfect 6-0 record on the line.

FOR MORE B-W SPORTS INFORMATION, please contact SID Kevin Ruple by telephone at 440-826-2327 and e-mail at kruple@bw.edu and Assistant SID Jeff Miller by telephone at 440-826-2780 and e-mail at jefmille@bw.edu. Fans can access the latest B-W athletics information at www.bw.edu/athletics and we invite you to join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/bwyellowjackets and Twitter at http://twitter.com/bwathletics.