SMU slides in, UCF surges to top of Week 10’s men’s soccer power rankings

As regular-season matches come to a close, the pursuit of an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament is kicked into high gear. The power ranking for Week 10 of men’s college soccer has some major movement with UCF stealing the top spot from West Virginia, Wake Forest dropping out after an unranked tie at Louisville and SMU reentering the mix.

Here’s a breakdown of Andrew McDevitt’s Power 5 picks:

5. SMU | 11-1-2 (Prev. UR)

Welcome back Mustangs! SMU clinched a share of the American Atletic Conference regular-season title with a 1-0 win at UAB. The lone goal came from junior Kyran Chambron Pinho’s stellar near-post free kick earning his first of the season. The win also marked head coach Kevin Hudson’s 100th career victory. The Mustangs have a chance to close out conference play undefeated on Wednesday, Nov. 1, as they host Temple and look to extend their 5-0-1 conference record.

That free kick conversion feeling …

Check out Pinho’s goal just three minutes into the second half⬇️⬇️⬇️#PonyUp pic.twitter.com/x7OQYRA43L

— SMU Men’s Soccer (@SMUSoccerM) October 28, 2023

4. Marshall | 13-2 (5)

The Herd picked themselves up after a rocky two-game spell and dusted out a pair of second-half goals to beat ODU in their last road match of the regular season. The much-needed victory was helped by Matthew Bell’s 10th assist of the season tying for the program’s single-season assists record. Next up, Marshall closes out regular season play on Tuesday, Oct. 31, as they host South Carolina.

3. West Virginia | 11-1-4 (1)

At some point, they had to lose, right? The Mountaineers fell for the first time this season with a narrow 1-0 loss at Kentucky that forced the Wildcat goalie to make eight saves. WVU drops to 4-1-3 in conference with a shot at improving on Tuesday, Oct. 31, at home against ODU.

2. Notre Dame | 11-1-4 (3)

The Fighting Irish trounced No. 20 Pitt 6-nil to claim the program’s first undefeated ACC record (6-0-2). But wait, there’s more. Junior Eno Nto scored a career-high four goals while Bryce Boneau directed a career-high three assists to help earn the program’s largest margin of victory over a ranked opponent. Notre Dame’s 20-point total in ACC regular season play is the most any ACC team has earned since 2018, and has earned them a first-round bye into the ACC tournament.

🎩 AND 1

A performance to remember from Eno…