“To have broken into the top 25 is exciting – for our program, our team, our alums, the university, and our students,” said head coach Pete Fewing. “We want to be a top 25 team, a top 10 team, so we’re pleased. To be ranked this early is encouraging, but we know we still have a job to do because we can quickly fall out of that top 25 if we don’t take care of business.”
The No. 22 ranking is a first for both the program and Seattle U athletics – the first national ranking in a coaches poll since the Redhawks returned to Division I competition. The women’s soccer team received votes in the same poll at the end of the 2013 season.
This week, the Redhawks also earned rankings in the Soccer America DI Men’s Top 25, coming in at No. 24, and the Top Drawer Soccer DI Men’s Top 25, earning a No. 25 ranking. SU is receiving votes in the College Soccer News DI Top 30 National Poll.
After their most successful Division I season in 2013, the Redhawks opened the 2014 season with a 2-1 win vs. Furman and a 2-0 shutout at College of Charleston. Shane Haworth (Puyallup, Wash.) was named Western Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week while Jeff Rose (Carmichael, Calif.) was named GoSeattleU.com Featured Student-Athlete of the Week. Rose and Brady Ballew (Marysville, Wash.), the Aaron Olitsky Memorial Classic Tournament MVP, scored a pair of goals each in the opening two matches.
No. 22 Seattle U (2-0-0) faces No. 4 Washington (1-0-0) on Thursday, Sept. 4 at 7:30 p.m. at Husky Soccer Stadium in Seattle, Wash. The match will be broadcast on the Pac-12 Network in Washington and Oregon, with links and channel listings on the men’s soccer schedule page at GoSeattleU.com.
Single game tickets for Thursday’s match can be purchased on day of game at the Husky Soccer Stadium box office starting 1.5 hours prior to the start of the match, on Ticketmaster.com, by phone at (206) 543-2200, or in person at 3910 Montlake Blvd. from 8:30 am – 5 pm on weekdays.
The Redhawks host UPenn (Sept. 12) and UConn (Sept. 14) in their regular season home opening weekend, with the UConn match to be broadcast on NSCAATV.
Single game tickets for all matches at Championship Field can be purchased on day of game starting one hour prior to kickoff at the main gate at the corner of 14th and E Cherry. Fans can also purchase the Redhawk Sports Pass (includes general admission to all regular season home games for men’s and women’s soccer, volleyball, women’s basketball, and baseball) for $50 by calling the Redhawk ticket office at (206) 398-GOSU(4678).