A month ago, Connecticut languished outside the top-25, a program that started slow -- slower than usual -- and took longer, much longer, to pick up the speed that had made it one of the premier teams in the country over the past few years.
Consider the Huskies caught-up.
A week after being profiled by NCAA.com, Connecticut shot up to No. 8 in Tuesday's poll, following a week in which the Huskies dropped Yale and Seton Hall to up their unbeaten streak to nine games (an 8-0-1 run). The Huskies' shutout streak ended at 799:39 in the Seton Hall win -- the first goal scored against Connecticut in October -- but a 3-1 win over the Pirates should soothe the sting.
And as the Huskies climbed higher in the top-10, two more teams made their way into the top flight of college teams, with South Florida and Virginia breaking back in at No. 9 and 10, respectively. For the Bulls, it was a return to a tier that they'd once surveyed from near the top -- as high as No. 3 -- but a loss and a tie three weeks ago sent them hurtling downwards. But, three straight wins have the green gang back on track. For Virginia, a 2-0 win over Boston College gave the Cavs their third straight win, sending them back into a top-10 crammed with four ACC teams.
All in all, the poll saw a good deal of disruption, although only three teams entered the top-25, with all of them checking in at No. 22 or below. Into that No. 22 spot moved Iona, followed by UNC Wilmington at No. 23 and Missouri State at No. 25. Moving out to make room were Cal, Drake and Ohio State.
For Cal, the drop has been dramatic. Two polls ago, the Bears stood at No. 10 in the country. But a disastrous run through two straight Pac-10 weekends -- weekends that handed Cal four straight losses, including two shutouts at the hands of UCLA and a combined one goal scored by the Bears -- has them reeling.
On the opposite side of the coin, Akron stood atop the country yet again, blowing to a 5-1 win over Michigan last Tuesday -- the Zips' first-ever win over the Wolverines in Ann Arbor -- and then blowing past Buffalo this weekend. The Zips, who surprised some people in the country with their early success, just seem to be getting better.
But their accompaniment in the No. 2 position did change this week, with former No. 2 UCLA falling for the first time in 11 games with a loss to Stanford on Sunday, and Wake Forest sliding into the second spot after a Friday win over then-No. 5 Maryland (who slipped one spot to No. 6) and a 4-1 breeze past Davidson on Sunday. The Bruins took a tumble, however, falling five spots to No. 7.
Heading down the chart, North Carolina (up one spot to No. 3) and UCSB kept on climbing, with the Gauchos taking down Cal State Fullerton most recently.
Leaving the top-10 were Monmouth, which took its first loss of the season to St. Francis (Pa.) on Sunday and sunk from No. 7 to No. 14, and Charlotte, which fell to No. 9 after picking up a win and a tie in conference over the weekend.
Other big movers were Northwestern, moving up five spots to No. 12, and Butler, up six to No. 17.
Consider the Huskies caught-up.
A week after being profiled by NCAA.com, Connecticut shot up to No. 8 in Tuesday's poll, following a week in which the Huskies dropped Yale and Seton Hall to up their unbeaten streak to nine games (an 8-0-1 run). The Huskies' shutout streak ended at 799:39 in the Seton Hall win -- the first goal scored against Connecticut in October -- but a 3-1 win over the Pirates should soothe the sting.
 Photo Courtesy of Virginia
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And as the Huskies climbed higher in the top-10, two more teams made their way into the top flight of college teams, with South Florida and Virginia breaking back in at No. 9 and 10, respectively. For the Bulls, it was a return to a tier that they'd once surveyed from near the top -- as high as No. 3 -- but a loss and a tie three weeks ago sent them hurtling downwards. But, three straight wins have the green gang back on track. For Virginia, a 2-0 win over Boston College gave the Cavs their third straight win, sending them back into a top-10 crammed with four ACC teams.
All in all, the poll saw a good deal of disruption, although only three teams entered the top-25, with all of them checking in at No. 22 or below. Into that No. 22 spot moved Iona, followed by UNC Wilmington at No. 23 and Missouri State at No. 25. Moving out to make room were Cal, Drake and Ohio State.
For Cal, the drop has been dramatic. Two polls ago, the Bears stood at No. 10 in the country. But a disastrous run through two straight Pac-10 weekends -- weekends that handed Cal four straight losses, including two shutouts at the hands of UCLA and a combined one goal scored by the Bears -- has them reeling.
On the opposite side of the coin, Akron stood atop the country yet again, blowing to a 5-1 win over Michigan last Tuesday -- the Zips' first-ever win over the Wolverines in Ann Arbor -- and then blowing past Buffalo this weekend. The Zips, who surprised some people in the country with their early success, just seem to be getting better.
But their accompaniment in the No. 2 position did change this week, with former No. 2 UCLA falling for the first time in 11 games with a loss to Stanford on Sunday, and Wake Forest sliding into the second spot after a Friday win over then-No. 5 Maryland (who slipped one spot to No. 6) and a 4-1 breeze past Davidson on Sunday. The Bruins took a tumble, however, falling five spots to No. 7.
Heading down the chart, North Carolina (up one spot to No. 3) and UCSB kept on climbing, with the Gauchos taking down Cal State Fullerton most recently.
Leaving the top-10 were Monmouth, which took its first loss of the season to St. Francis (Pa.) on Sunday and sunk from No. 7 to No. 14, and Charlotte, which fell to No. 9 after picking up a win and a tie in conference over the weekend.
Other big movers were Northwestern, moving up five spots to No. 12, and Butler, up six to No. 17.
A small correction to your post. Akron did NOT gain their first ever win over Michigan with their 5-1 blow out pasting of the Wolverines. In fact, it was Akron's first win over Michigan in Ann Arbor. Over all, Akron is 5-3-0 all time against Michigan. Michigan has yet to win on Akron's pitch.