The UB women’s soccer team achieved their first ever top-25 national ranking in program history, earning the No. 25 spot in the latest poll from Top Drawer Soccer (TDS). The milestone comes a week after the Bulls’ upset win over Pittsburgh, which marked the first time they had ever beaten a top-10 ranked team.
The ranking marks another shot of momentum for the Bulls, who have established themselves as a formidable team early into the season; they are currently the only team from the Mid-American Conference (MAC) to break into the rankings.
“Any time you can do a first in program history just means you’re doing a lot of things right,” head coach Shawn Burke said in an interview with WGRZ.
This isn’t the first time the team has gotten off to a strong start. Last season, UB went undefeated for seven consecutive games, but ended the season with back-to-back losses and were unable to reach the playoffs. They will look to move past the disappointment of last season and continue to reach new heights.
“I think of [the] mentality we had last year as a good experience but ultimately a lesson learned. I think we’ve got the right group to handle it better this year,” Burke said.
Rodrigo Feijão is the assistant sports editor and can be reached at rodrigo.feijao@ubspectrum.com
Photo: Courtesy of Tracey Drury
