Women's Soccer | 10/19/2026 11:45:00 AM

ERIE, Pa. – The Gannon women's soccer team climbed three spots to fifth in the Atlantic Region and moved into fourth among Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) teams in the latest NCAA Division II National Power Index (NPI) rankings, released Monday, Oct. 19.

The Golden Knights, under 27th-year head coach Colin Petersen, enter the week with an 11-2-2 overall record and a 10-2-1 mark in PSAC play after extending their winning streak to nine matches. Gannon sits second in the PSAC West standings with 31 points, just three behind division-leading Slippery Rock (34).

Gannon climbed 16 spots nationally from No. 51 to No. 35 with an NPI rating of 57.165, up from 55.634 in last week's initial rankings.

The latest rankings place Gannon fifth in the Atlantic Region, trailing first-place Fairmont State, second-place Kutztown, third-place West Chester and fourth-place Slippery Rock.

Gannon ranks fourth among PSAC programs in the NPI rankings, trailing first-place Kutztown, second-place West Chester and third-place Slippery Rock. Shepherd follows in fifth among conference teams, while Millersville sits sixth.

The Golden Knights also hold a narrow advantage over Frostburg State, which sits sixth in the Atlantic Region and No. 36 nationally with an NPI rating of 57.134, just 0.031 points behind Gannon's 57.165.

The NPI is a new ranking system adopted by Division II for the 2026-27 academic year to help evaluate teams for NCAA Tournament selection. The system uses a data-driven formula that considers a team's wins and losses, strength of schedule and quality of opponents.

Unlike traditional rankings, the NPI evaluates teams on a national scale, allowing programs from different conferences and regions to be compared using the same system.

Rankings for men's and women's soccer will continue to be released every Monday before transitioning to daily updates, Monday through Friday, beginning the week of Oct. 26.

The Golden Knights enter the week following a 1-0 victory over Adelphi on Wednesday and a 4-1 road win over Lock Haven on Saturday.

Gannon returns to PSAC West action Wednesday, Oct. 21, when it travels to Slippery Rock for a pivotal 3 p.m. matchup between the division's top two teams in the conference standings and two of the Atlantic Region's top five teams in the NPI rankings.

The Golden Knights then return home Saturday, Oct. 24, to host Pitt-Johnstown at McConnell Family Stadium for Senior Day, with kickoff scheduled for 3 p.m.