By Erica Henry

The first NJCAA Division I Top 15 soccer polls of the 2010 regular season have been released and Darton College’s men are ranked No. 6 and women are ranked No. 11.

The DC men are 5-0 and have outscored opponents 25-2, including four shutouts. Mynor Perez is the leading scorer with eight goals and two assists.

“I’m happy for the players and Darton College,” said head coach Bart Sasnett.  “The school and team deserves this kind of recognition but No. 6 is a long way from No. 1 … we still have work to do.”

Conference foe Georgia Perimeter was pre-season ranked No. 2 and now holds a No. 13 ranking after five matches. They boast a 3-2 mark. Middle Georgia is still undefeated with a record of 4-0; they are unranked, as Darton was in the pre-season.

The Darton women, meanwhile, are ranked No. 11 with a record of 3-1, only falling to the No. 1 and defending national champions, Tyler JC.

DC has consistently been considered one of the top Women’s JUCO programs over the past five years.

“We have a balanced attack, not relying on one or two dynamic scorers,” said head coach Ken Veilands. “The ranking is a reflection of our current team and past tradition.”

The Darton College defense is solid and led by defender Ari Walsh and goal keeper Fiona Ryan.  Ryan has 12 saves on the season.

“We are young, starting as many as nine freshmen, so each time we take the field for competition it becomes vital that it is a learning experience,” said Veilands.