At the midpoint of the 2018 season, the Saint Ignatius varsity soccer squad is the team to beat in Ohio and the United States.

The Soccer Cats have fired out to a 7-0-1 mark in the first half of the season, including 7-0 and 9-2 victories over St. Edward and Copley last week. Copley entered the match as the No. 10 team in Ohio.

As a result, the Wildcats remain perched atop state polls.

The Ohio Scholastic Soccer Coaches Association and Max Preps each ranked the men of Mike McLaughlin '85 as the No. 1 squad in the state. The Wildcats received 100 points in the OSSCA poll, 10 points above No. 2 Olentangy Liberty. Max Preps' rankings give the Wildcats a 12.2 mark for the strength of schedule, second only to 8-1-4 St. Xavier (12.8). In the Max Preps rankings, Olentangy Liberty (10-1) dropped to No. 7 after a 2-1 home loss to No. 2 Archbishop Moeller (7-0-1). 

Nationally, the Wildcats also stack up well. USA TODAY continued to grant the No. 2 spot in its rankings to Saint Ignatius, behind No. 1 St. Benedict's Prep (NJ). Chaminade (NY) leaped up in the poll to No. 10. The Wildcats will play both teams in the last weekend of September. 

Top Drawer Soccer still has the Wildcats as the No. 4 team in the country, behind St. Benedict's, Naperville North (IL), and Salesianum (DE). 

The Wildcats will be in action tonight against Lake Catholic. The Cougars carry a 3-3-3 record following a 2-0 win over Gilmour Academy last night.