Preseason Favorites
STANFORD, Calif. — Stanford women's soccer is predicted to finish first in the Pac-12 Conference in a vote among the league's coaches, the conference announced on Wednesday.
The Cardinal garnered five first-place votes and totaled 115 points in the poll, narrowly edging UCLA's 110 points. USC (108), Washington State (86) and California (76) rounded out the top five.
Stanford has won the last five Pac-12 titles, the longest stretch of consecutive championships by any program in league history. The Cardinal won its third national title in 2019 and enters the and returns All-Americans Naomi Girma, Madison Haley and Kiki Pickett. Haley and Pickett were selected in the first round of last month's NWSL Draft but will remain at Stanford for the spring season thanks to an NCAA waiver.
The Knowles Family Director of Women's Soccer Paul Ratcliffe enters his 18th season on The Farm and is Stanford's all-time winningest coach with a record of 320-52-29.
Stanford will open its season on Feb. 14, hosting Santa Clara. Pac-12 play will open on the road at Oregon, Feb. 26. The spring season is scheduled to be a 12-match slate, with 11 matches counting towards the conference standings.
For news and other potential schedule updates, please be sure to follow Stanford women's soccer on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Pac-12 Women's Soccer Preseason Coaches Poll (first-place votes)
- Stanford (5)- 115 points
- UCLA (4)- 110 points
- USC (3)- 108 points
- Washington State- 86 points
- California- 76 points
- Arizona- 67 points
- Washington- 57 points
- Colorado- 48 points
- Oregon State- 45 points
- Utah- 38 points
- Oregon- 22 points
- Arizona State- 20 points