FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NSCAA NATIONAL DIVISION III MEN'S SOCCER POLL

LEWISTON, Maine -- For the first time since 1993, the Bates College men's soccer team earned a national ranking by the National Soccer Coaches' Association of America.

Coach George Purgavie's squad earned the 24th spot in the national poll with a pair of wins in the first week of the season. The Bobcats defeated Maine-Farmington, 1-0, on Sept. 12, thanks to an early goal by senior forward Chris Sporcic (Stratham, N.H.). Bates then knocked off New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) rival Amherst College, 2-1, in overtime. The Lord Jeffs were ranked 14th in the nation at the time. Bates won the game on senior midfielder Bryan Stevens's (Southwick, Mass.) penalty kick three minutes into the extra session.

Bates plays its first two road games of the season this week, travelling to St. Joseph's College on Wednesday at 4 p.m. and Trinity College on Saturday.

NSCAA DIVISION III NATIONAL POLL
Rank	School			Record	Points	Prev.
1 	St. Lawrence, N.Y. 	5-0-0 	400 	1 
2 	Williams, Mass. 	3-0-0 	384 	2 
3 	Rowan, N.J. 		7-0-0 	362 	3 
4 	Ohio Wesleyan 		6-0-0 	347 	10 
5 	Greensboro, N.C. 	4-0-1 	330 	5 
6 	Trinity (TX) 		4-0-0 	321 	11 
7 	Linfield, Ore. 		5-0-0 	308 	8 
8 	Johns Hopkins, Md. 	4-0-1 	300 	12 
T9 	Richard Stockton, N.J. 	6-0-1 	246 	9 
T9 	Plattsburgh, N.Y. 	7-0-0 	246 	13 
11 	Christopher Newport, Va. 6-0-0 	234 	15  
12 	Wheaton, Mass. 		5-0-0 	221 	19  
13 	Wilmington, Ohio 	7-1-0 	206 	7  
14 	Gustavus Adolphus, Minn. 5-0-0 	191 	16  
15 	Drew, N.J. 		4-1-1 	184 	21  
16 	Rhodes, Tenn. 		5-1-0 	175 	NR  
17 	Roanoke, Va. 		6-0-0 	151 	20  
18 	Ramapo, N.J. 		6-0-0 	114 	17  
19 	Wheaton, Ill. 		4-1-1 	100 	4  
20 	Rochester, N.Y. 	3-0-0 	87 	RV 
21 	Elizabethtown, Pa. 	4-1-0 	83 	6 
22 	Claremont, Calif. 	5-0-0 	62 	25 
23 	Otterbein, Ohio 	5-1-0 	46 	RV 
24 	Bates, Maine 		2-0-0 	30 	NR
25 	Messiah, Pa. 		4-1-1 	22 	RV 

Also receiving votes: DePauw, Ind.; Macalester, Minn.; College of New
Jersey; WI-Oshkosh; Fredonia, N.Y.; Middlebury, Vt.