NAIA men's soccer coaches poll of Sept. 17, 2025

        NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana men's soccer vaulted Wednesday into the top 25 of the NAIA coaches poll. The Gold Rush are 18th.
        It's the first time a XULA soccer team has been in the top 25. This is the university's third season of men's and women's varsity teams.
        The Gold Rush are 3-1-1 with a pair of shutout victories against top-10 opponents, including 4-0 Sept. 3 against William Carey — the first time since 2013 that the Crusaders allowed four-or-more goals at home.
        "Making the top 25 is a great achievement for the program," XULA head coach Lucas Cordeiro said. "We're putting Xavier soccer on the map."
        Cordeiro is the first first-year XULA head coach with a team in a regular-season NAIA top 25 since the 2002-03 academic year, when Alan Green (men's tennis, women's tennis) Dannton Jackson (men's basketball) did it.
        In the previous coaches poll Sept. 3, XULA led the "others receiving votes" teams and was four points behind No. 25 Westcliff.
        Next for the Gold Rush:
        •  3:30 p.m. Sept. 25 at home against Texas College (Lafreniere Park, Metairie, La.)
        •  3:30 p.m. Sept. 27 at home against Southwest (N.M.) (Lafreniere)
        •  3:30 p.m. Oct. 2 at Texas A&M-San Antonio
        •  3:30 p.m. Oct. 4 at Our Lady of the Lake
        •  3:30 p.m. Oct. 9 at home against Texas A&M-Texarkana (Lafreniere)

Photo of 2025 XULA men's soccer team by Yamlak Tsega