KANSAS CITY, Mo. - After three straight weeks in the weekly United Soccer Coaches top 25 poll, the Missouri State Bears have cracked the top 10 with a No. 9 ranking.

The fourth poll of the season released Tuesday afternoon has the Bears jumping six spots from No. 15 the week before. This is the first time since 2021 that the Bears have reached the top 10 when they were also No. 9 near the end of the regular season. 

This week's ranking marks the sixth time in program history the Bears have reached the top 10. The first time was in 1999 when the Bears climbed their way up to fourth in the poll released on October 25, 1999. Missouri State finished that season 17-1-3 and made its second-ever NCAA Tournament appearance. 

Missouri State's highest-ever ranking was No. 3 on September 11, 2000, the following year after a 4-0-0 start. Other seasons the Bears made the top 10 on the national poll include 2005 and 2019.

The Bears were also ranked No. 8 in College Soccer News' Top 30 weekly poll released on Monday.

Other MVC schools also earned rankings this week. UIC (5-1-1, 1-0-0 MVC) grabbed the final spot in the United Soccer Coaches top 25. Bradley (4-0-3) is No. 10 on the West Region United Soccer Poll, while MSU sits at No. 3 in the West Region. Finally, Western Michigan (5-1-1, 1-0-0 MVC) is slotted at No. 28 by College Soccer News.

The new ranking comes following the Bears' 3-0 road victory over the Northern Illinois Huskies (2-5) to open Missouri Valley Conference play. 

Missouri State (4-0-1, 1-0-0 MVC) will look to build upon the new ranking and remain undefeated when it welcomes Belmont (3-2-2, 0-1-0 MVC) on Friday, September 22 at 7:00 p.m.