The latest NCAA soccer RPI has SLU at 51, which obviously isn’t going to get them an at-large bid. SLU’s only chance to get in is to get the automatic bid as conference champion. And to get that, it really helps to be the first or second place finisher in the league, which gets you the first round bye. SLU is tied for second right now with Dayton, behind, strangely, Fordham, and a point ahead of the league’s best team, Charlotte. SLU’s overall record is 9-5, which isn’t that bad, but they don’t have a good win anywhere on their resume and don’t have left any chances for one, unless they play Charlotte in the conference tourament.

SLU’s final four games are on the road and if it wins out, it will finish in the top two. Of the four teams left on SLU’s schedule, two of them, Xavier, which SLU plays Friday, and St. Joseph’s, are bad. St. Joe’s hasn’t won a game all season. (St. Joe’s is 200th out of 204 in RPI. Xavier is 186.) Dayton is 81 and Temple is 104. So they’re all winnable, and the Dayton game looms large. It’s the toughest opponent left on the schedule and a team SLU is battling with for second. A win at Dayton would be a big step for SLU.

Still, SLU would have to win the conference tournament, where it’s best hope is to not have to play Charlotte. The 49ers have an RPI of 12, are ranked ninth, and have an NCAA spot sewn up.

SLU will have its work cut out for it to get into the NCAAs this season after having gone the past three seasons.

By the way, here are the RPIs of the teams SLU has lost to this season:

New Mexico 28

Portland 37

Akron  3

Tulsa  18

Charlotte 12

So the teams they’ve lost to are all fairly good. The problem is the best team they’ve beaten this season is Washington at No. 57. And then after that it’s Fordham at 80. And that’s going to crank up the pressure on Dan Donigan.