2026 Women’s Soccer Top 25

[CentPA]

Here is the United Soccer Coaches pre-season poll - August's 4, 2026: https://unitedsoccercoaches.org/rankings/college-rankings/ncaa-diii-women/

Obviously, this just shows where the teams finished in the standings at the end of the 2025 season and there will be a lot of shuffling over the first few weeks, but I can't help but feel like a kid about a week before Christmas!

Just a little over a week until the 2026 season begins!

[Ron Boerger]

Here's the SimpleCoach pre-season Top 25:

Rank   School
1   WashU
2   Emory
3   Chicago
4   Tufts
5   Messiah
6   Case Western
7   Williams
8   Wesleyan CT
9   MIT
10   Pomona-Pitzer
11   Colby
12   Johns Hopkins
13   Carnegie Mellon
14   WI La Crosse
15   Middlebury
16   Cal Lutheran
17   Calvin
18   Misericordia
19   Amherst
20   Swarthmore
21   Christopher Newport
22   NYU
23   Washington & Lee
24   Rochester NY
25   Rowan

You can see his explanation of the rankings on his YT channel:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orbZH-09kFk

[CentPA]

Preseason thoughts on 1-5:  Wash U

Wash U should definitely be #1 preseason, and I would agree with Simple Coach that until proven otherwise, the national championship is theirs to lose.  Having won in '24 and '25 they are going for the very rare 3-pete.  The only team to have ever done that in d3 soccer was UC San Diego who won three in row from 1995 through1997 (1997 would be UC San Diego's 5th and final D3 national championship because in 2000 they would switch to division 2).

For Wash U to repeat, they are going to have to fill the holes left by 2-time All American Grace Ehlert and All American Ella Koleno.  Ehlert was second in goals scored on the team (with 14) behind Olivia Clemons, the National Player Of The Year for 2025 (17 goals scored).  Meanwhile, Koleno led the team in assists last year with 11 while also scoring 9 goals (good enough for a tie for 3rd on the team).  Interestingly, Clemons won the NPOTY while mostly coming off the bench (she did start in 3 games).  I'm not sure there has ever been a NPOTY that wasn't a starter in a majority of games (baring any injury issues).

I would expect nothing else then Coach Conlon will have players ready to step into those roles and so Wash U is the team to beat in D3 Women's Soccer.

[CentPA]

Preseason thoughts on 1-5:  Emory/University of Chicago

Here (fwiw) I would put Chicago as the #2 and then Emory as the #3.

Who can forget the incredible final four game last year between Wash U and U of Chicago!  In my opinion, that game was the best game in all D3 for 2025.  It was finally decided in the 14th round of penalty kicks and Wash U came out on top after Chicago had three chances to end the game if they were able to convert their penalty kick!
 
Chicago definitely played Wash U tougher than Emory, tying them at that end of the regular season (albeit Wash U had already locked up the UAA championship) and then pushed them to the absolute brink in Salem VA.  That is really my only rationale for putting them ahead of Emory preseason.

Chicago lost 6 players to graduation and Emory lost 7, but Emory did retain all their top scorers from last season.  However, they (Emory) lost their All American center back and All American goalkeeper.  For Chicago they have to replace their All American midfielder Kerrigan who was second on the team in goals scored with 8 and their senior goalkeeper Sasaki.

[CentPA]

Preseason thought on 1-5:  Tufts/Messiah

Here (again fwiw) I would put Messiah at #4 and Tufts at #5

The only reason I move Tufts below Messiah is because Tufts have such huge cleats to fill with Elsi Aires graduating!  She is a 3-time All American and led the Tufts in goals scored for the past three years (she was tied for 1st in goals last year with Reese Birch who is returning as a senior).

BUT, the exciting news here is that we will find out who should be ahead of who in the rankings in just 2 weeks!  On September 5th, Messiah will play Tufts at a neutral site (Purchase College in Purchase, NY).  It will be Messiah's second game of the season and Tufts first game of the season.  This is by far the must see game of week 1 in division 3 women's soccer!

Messiah is going to start their season with an away game against Penn State – Harrisburg (too many interesting story lines to this game to list here) who made it to the sweet 16 last year, then they face Tufts at a neutral site, and then go to Shoemaker field for their home opener against Johns Hopkins.  Talk about having to come out the gate fast!