Every single year, there are teams in college soccer that fly under the radar and end up being a surprise by the end of the year. The teams we’re going to talk about are the teams that have been disrespected by coaches and media alike. These are the teams who received minimal recognition before the season and are proving everyone wrong with their play on the pitch. These four elite teams are the biggest and best surprises from the NCAA Regular Season.
#2 Mississippi State (16-1-0)
Mississippi State has been building something special under James Armstrong. The Bulldogs had just seven winning seasons as a program up until 2018. Under Armstrong, the Starkville squad will have their third straight winning season, the best streak in the program’s history. They aren’t a familiar name when it comes to women’s college soccer, but this year, they’ve made it clear that they need to be respected with back-to-back NCAA Tournament Appearances and a potential No. 1 seed.
Ally Perry leads the team with nine goals. But overall, the team is balanced, with numerous players posing a threat to score. This team’s calling card has been defense, with shutouts in 14 of their 16 wins this season. Maddy Anderson has also become one of the premier goalies in the nation to watch. If this team wins the SEC Tournament, they have to be the No.1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, something no one would have predicted coming into this year; MSU has put together an incredible season.
#3 Wake Forest (12-3-2)
Wake Forest has been a pleasant surprise this season under Tony da Luz. Playing in the loaded ACC conference is never easy, but they’ve earned their spot against the nation’s elite teams. The Demon Deacons are the only team to have beaten Mississippi State this year, and they have also taken out Virginia, Stanford, and Florida State. Those four wins are all over teams placed in the national championship discussion this season.
What’s great to see is the balance they have across the board. Caiya Hanks and Emily Colton lead this team in goals and assists, but they have five other players with at least three goals each. Having such a scoring distribution makes it challenging to game plan against when the whole team is showing they can finish. Mississippi State might be ranked ahead of them for now, but if this team beats Florida State and the rest of the ACC in the conference tournament, they’ll be a bonafide No. 1 seed going into the dance.
#17 Iowa (13-2-4)
Iowa is a team that has been ranked in the Top 25 before and has been able to win in the NCAA Tournament, but this is the best regular season they’ve had in a few years. With wins over Wake Forest, Penn State, and Rutgers, they’ve proven to be the elite of the elite in the Big 10. Unfortunately, this team lost in the first round of the Big 10 Tournament to Washington, a team they’d already beaten this season. While a Big 10 Tournament title might not be on the cards, this team has what it takes to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.
Berit Parten leads the team with seven goals, with three of their other stars having five goals each. Sticking with the theme of balanced scoring, Iowa has multiple ways to win games while playing strong defense; they’ve allowed just ten goals this season. This Hawkeyes team is looking to build on their success in recent years, and this regular season has been amazing for Iowa.
#25 Utah State (16-1-4)
The Utah State Aggies were the Mountain West Tournament darlings in 2023. The side from Logan, Utah, managed to steal a NCAA Tournament bid by winning the conference tournament. This year, they’ve earned their spot by becoming ranked for the first time in school history and beating some great teams along the way. The Aggies have defeated Texas Tech, BYU, and Pepperdine. The three teams are either currently ranked or in the rankings at one point during the regular season.
Head Coach Manny Martins has had some solid teams over the last three years, but he’s been able to bottle some magic with this current squad. Tess Werts is the team’s leading goal scorer with eight, but this team has nine other players who have scored at least three goals this season. Utah State had one slip-up to Wyoming; otherwise, they’d be undefeated. As clear favorites to win the Mountain West Tournament, they should coast into the NCAA Tournament as a team to be feared.
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