Pac-12 Women’s Soccer 2021 Preseason Coaches Poll revealed

SAN FRANCISCO – In a voting of the Conference’s coaches, defending Pac-12 champion UCLA has been selected as the preseason favorite to win the 2021 Pac-12 women’s soccer title.

The Bruins, which won their first Pac-12 title since 2014 last season, collected seven first-place votes and totaled 116 points to top the preseason coaches poll. USC picked up three first-place votes and was second with 110 points, STANFORD came in third with 106 points and the two remaining first-place votes, and WASHINGTON was fourth with 85 points.

WASHINGTON STATE was fifth (71 points) and CALIFORNIA sixth (68 points) to round out the top half of the Conference rankings. ARIZONA STATE was seventh (63 points), COLORADO eighth (56 points), OREGON ninth (40 points), ARIZONA 10th (31 points), UTAH 11th (30 points) and OREGON STATE 12th (16 points).

The league’s top four are the Pac-12 programs to appear in the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Top 25 released one week ago. UCLA checks in at No. 5 nationally, USC at No. 14, Washington at No. 19 and Stanford at No. 24. The Sun Devils, Cougars and Buffaloes are also among those receiving votes in the national preseason rankings.

The Pac-12 is coming off a season in which it sent five teams to the NCAA Tournament (Arizona State, Colorado, UCLA, USC, Washington) for the 21st consecutive campaign and had four ranked in the final United Soccer Coaches Top 25 (No. 9 UCLA; No. 15 Washington; No. 18 USC; No. 25 Arizona State). A Pac-12 team has won three of the last five NCAA titles and five of the last 10 (Stanford – 2019, 2017, 2011; USC – 2016; UCLA – 2013).

The regular season begins on Thursday, Aug. 19, with 11 Conference teams in action. Arizona kicks off its season on Friday, Aug. 20. The league’s teams will be featured 88 times this season across Pac-12 Networks and the new, free streaming channel, Pac-12 Insider.

On opening night, Colorado State at Colorado will be carried on Pac-12 Network and Pac-12 Mountain, and UC Irvine at UCLA will be broadcast on Pac-12 Los Angeles. The Aug. 19 Pepperdine at USC and Fresno State at Oregon matches can be seen on Pac-12 Insider.

See below for the full results of the Pac-12 Preseason Coaches Poll: