KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Now nearly a month into the season, the Cumberland Phoenix men's soccer team leads all of the MSC with a No. 3 ranking after an unbeaten start to the season, as announced by the league office this morning.

Cumberland Men's Soccer jumped from No. 6 to No. 3 in the second edition of the NAIA Coaches' Poll after finishing the last two weeks with a record of 2-0-2, including a 2-1 win at No. 21 Grand View and a 3-3 draw at No. 9 William Penn.

After the Phoenix's road trip, they headed back home to open conference play against Bethel (Tenn.) and took a 3-1 win to begin Mid-South action. Then, they ended the two-week period with a 0-0 draw against RV UT Southern. Cumberland enters the poll with a record of 5-0-2.

The Phoenix's offense has been the major focus, ranking fifth in the country in goals (22), seventh in assists (19), and ninth in shot percentage (.259). Individually, Luis Cerejo, David Barbakadze, and Wesley Mendoza have been a three headed monster, combining for 17 goals and 10 assists for 44 points. Both Mendoza and Cerejo were honored with Mid-South Conference Offensive Player of the Week awards for their stellar play. 

Oklahoma Wesleyan leads the NAIA Coaches' poll with 14 first-place votes and a record of 3-0-1, with Indiana Tech sitting in second with a record of 6-1-1. MidAmerica Nazarene (3-1-1 record) and William Carey (6-0-1 record) round out the top five.

In the Mid-South, Lindsey Wilson remains at No. 10 with a record of 4-2, and Cumberlands drops to No. 23 with a record of 2-3-1.

This is the highest ranking in Cumberland Men's Soccer history, and their highest ranking since 2015.

Cumberland's next challenge is on the road, as the Phoenix face off against Freed Hardeman at 6:00 PM on Friday, September 18th.