NCAA Division I college soccer kicks off on Thursday, with the 2023 champs FSU leading the preseason charge.
After this summer’s mass exodus from the Pac-12, three of the four remaining Power conferences — the ACC, Big Ten, and SEC — all added strong soccer programs to the mix. Each of those three conferences is now set to start the season with seven ranked teams, according to the United Soccer Coaches’ Top-25 preseason poll.
ACC, Big Ten dominate college soccer rankings
Highlighted by No. 1 FSU and No. 2 Stanford, the newly restructured ACC is shaping up to be the conference to beat. With the country’s top recruiting class plus 10 returning players, including sophomore striker Jordynn Dudley, FSU is back atop the preseason rankings for the fourth time in the last six seasons.
Led by No. 4 Penn State, the Big Ten also boasts top contenders — especially after adding UCLA (No. 11) and USC (No. 23) to the fold.
With the addition of Texas at No. 17, the SEC has a solid foundation. However, with no schools ranked higher than No. 14 Georgia, they’ll need some standout non-conference wins to move up the weekly poll.
While the Big 12 has just two squads on the list, both cracked the Top 10, with 2023 College Cup semifinalist BYU coming in at No. 3 and Texas Tech tied for No. 8.
Anson Dorrance departs UNC
NCAA soccer’s biggest roster shift comes via the UNC coaching staff, with head coach Anson Dorrance announcing his departure from the program just four days before the season’s start. After 45 seasons and 21 national titles — the most by a head coach in any DI sport — the Tar Heels manager passed the reins to associate head coach Damon Nahas, who will serve in an interim capacity as the school conducts a hiring search.
Dorrance is just the latest in a series of UNC turnovers, which saw nine 2023 players transfer and 11 turn pro — including top NWSL draft picks Ally Sentnor and Savy King.
How to watch college soccer this season
Four ranked matchups headline Thursday’s DI season opener, with No. 8 Texas Tech vs. No. 4 Penn State and No. 13 Michigan State vs. No. 15 Notre Dame leading the pack. Both games kick off at 7 PM ET with live coverage on BTN and ACCNX, respectively.
