Previewing the Top 10 Teams for the 2022 NCAA Women’s Soccer Season
The 2022 NCAA Women’s Soccer season is right around the corner, with teams kicking things off mid-August. Now, the Top 25 preseason polls are still a ways away from being released, but we at GSN thought it’d be a good idea to get started early. These are our top ten teams to watch this upcoming season. This fall, you can keep tabs on all of NCAA women’s soccer with the Forza Football app, including match info, lineups, live scores, video highlights, and more!
1. Florida State
Mark Krikorian made a shocking decision to leave the defending champs after 17 years with the school, including three national championships. While he is the biggest reason the school has had its success, some of the talented players he leaves behind are still there.
Former Maryland and Tennessee head coach Brian Pensky enters and has an incredible core of stars to work it. Jaelin Howell might be in the NWSL now, but as long as Yujie Zhao, Clara Robbins, and Emily Madril are a part of the team, they have to be considered favorites next year. There’s too much returning talent for them not to be a top-five team this season with a chance for them to repeat and win another championship.
2. North Carolina
If Brian Pensky cannot replicate what Mark Krikorian did with Florida State, then Anson Dorrance and North Carolina will be patiently waiting to take their spot at the top.
It has been a decade since the Tar Heels captured a national title. Add the fact they lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last year, and this team will be hungrier than ever. There were only two seniors on last year’s team, and they’re essentially bringing back everyone, with Emily Murphy leading the way up top.
This might be the year Anson Dorrance and North Carolina bring their 22nd national title back to Chapel Hill.
3. Arkansas
Arkansas has been the best team out of the SEC for the last couple of years, and they will likely be near the top of the conference this year too.
Losing their best player in Kayla McKeon to the NWSL will hurt, but they still have another amazing player in Anna Podojil, who was an All-American last year. Expectations will be high with 16 goals and six assists in 2021, and if Podojil can hit the 20-goal plateau, this Razorbacks team is as dangerous as ever.
They’re not the perennial powerhouse like a North Carolina or Florida State but a landmark year would help the program take another step toward becoming one.
4. TCU
TCU was the winner of the Big 12 Conference title and followed that up with a Sweet 16 appearance in the NCAA Tournament. When looking at the roster, the Horned Frogs are bringing back most of their key contributors.
Everything starts with Messiah Bright up front as their leading goal-scorer, with Camryn Lancaster and Gracie Brian coming off double-digit assists last season. TCU is a program building toward a record-setting year, and they have a great chance to go even further than they did last year.
5. West Virginia
The Mountaineers came into last season with high expectations but underperformed in conference play. However, this season they bring back stars like Jordan Brewster, AJ Rodriguez, and Julianne Vallerand to build on what head coach Nikki Izzo-Brown has been creating in Morgantown.
They’ve had an intense rivalry with TCU over the last couple of seasons, and it figures to be those two teams along with Texas, Baylor, Oklahoma State, and Texas Tech not too far behind. If the star players contribute at a high level and AJ Rodriguez takes a step up, this team will be one of the best in the country.
6. USC
Keidane McAlpine made a huge move and decided to leave sunny Los Angeles, CA, for Athens, GA, to coach the Georgia Bulldogs. The Trojans went to their rival and hired UCLA assistant Jane Alukonis to take over at the helm. Alukonis has an impressive resume and takes over a supremely talented team that loses one big name in Savannah DeMelo.
The rest are all returning, including two of the best in the nation in Croix Bethune and Penelope Hocking. With Simone Jackson in support up front, this offense will be very tough to stop. With this much firepower, one would have to think it’s national title or bust for the USC Trojans this year.
7. Tennessee
Longtime Tennessee assistant Joe Kirt takes over for Brian Pensky and considering he’s been with the school since 2007, he knows his way around Knoxville. He also inherits an incredibly deep team with barely any seniors. Their top five players are returning, and Taylor Huff really burst onto the scene as a Freshman to support Jaida Thomas in the attack.
Considering they finished 11th in the polls last year and bring back everyone, it’s hard to see how the Lady Volunteers won’t be a top ten team competing for the national title this season. Arkansas and Tennessee duking it out this year will be a ton of fun.
8. Washington State
This could finally be the year Washington State makes its breakthrough as one of the best–if not the best team in the PAC-12. Amanda Cromwell and Keidane McAlpine are gone from UCLA and USC, respectively, opening the door for a program like Washington State to fill the void, at least for this year.
Elyse Bennett is doing big things for the Kansas City Current right now, but the rest of the core remains. Grayson Lynch and Alyssa Gray will lead the way, along with a key transfer in Enzi Broussard from West Virginia.
The Cougars will likely set the bar high for themselves, as they should. They’ve got a chance to do something special this year with USC and UCLA, having undergone coaching changes.
9. Pepperdine
The Waves put together one of the best seasons in school history last year and finished 13th in the United Soccer Coaches poll. Joelle Anderson and Tori Waldeck are one of the best one-two punches scoring-wise in the country. Take into account they play in a slightly-less competitive WCC conference, and they should be able to dominate and rack up wins.
Santa Clara will be their biggest competition, but with the chemistry this Pepperdine team has, expect them to hover around the top ten in the polls for most of the season.
10. Notre Dame
Notre Dame added some outstanding players through the transfer portal to bolster an already strong roster. With the trio of Oliva Wingate, Maddie Mercado, and Korbin Albert, they’re already a top 15 team. Then you add Anna Rico from Pittsburgh, and Kristina Lynch from defending champs Florida State and this team has a little bit of everything.
With four graduate students, this team will be one of the nation’s most deep and experienced teams. The ACC is always tough, but this conference usually has at least three to four teams in the top 10 all year, and Notre Dame figures to be one of them, with Virginia and Duke not too far behind.
Featured image via Getty Images
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