KANSAS CITY, Mo. - In preparation for this weekend's Midwest Collegiate Conference Tournament semifinal matchup, the Ashford University men's soccer team ascended to No. 24 in the nation in the newest NAIA Top-25 Coaches Poll released yesterday.

The Saints received 182 votes, moving past last week's 24th-ranked team, Concordia University (Calif.). Concordia fell out of the Top 25 for the first time in 36 polls this week after being upset by California Baptist.

Ashford was rated 25th in the eighth edition of the national rankings last week and is just 62 votes out of the top 20, where No. 20 Hannibal-Grange sits with 244 votes.

With a record of 17-0-2, Ashford still has the most wins of any team in the nation over higher-ranked programs like No. 8 Bethel College (Ind.) (16-0-1), No. 14 University of Texas at Brownsville (15-0-1) and No. 5 University of Maine at Fort Kent (14-0-1).

The top-seeded Saints hit the field on Sunday again in Rock Island, Ill., for their showdown against No. 4 seed Mt. Mercy College on Ericson Field at Augustana College.