2019 Women's D1 Soccer Talk!!!!

I’m a big fan of private schools, except the cost. Coaches from what I hear don’t discourage kids from choosing majors in STEM while playing soccer.
 
That is true. Grand Canyon has a nice setup.

Northern Arizona has a nicer setup vs ASU or U of A as well.

That said...thoughts on ASU and U of A this yr?

In my opinion Arizona will take a step backwards after making the tournament last year. It is going to be a struggle for them to make it to the tournament but it is possible. My prediction for them is 6th to 9th place. On the flip side I think that Arizona State will take a step forward. They were one of the last teams out of the tournament and I think that this year they get in. Their coach has brought in a lot of international talent and they were much improved last season when they relied upon a lot of freshman. They lose two important seniors, but I think that they are going to be better this year and will finish somewhere between 4th and 6th in the conference.

Here is how I think that it is going to shake out:

UCLA
Stanford
$C
Colorado
Arizona State
Wazzu
Utah
Cal
Arizona
UDub
Oregon
Oregon State

I think that the conference gets 7 or 8 into the dance with 3 having serious aspirations to be playing in San Jose in early December. 4 other teams have legitimate Sweet 16 potential with a good draw. 17 days until Stanford kicks off the exhibitions season! Good luck this season to any and all who have a player in college at any level. It is going to be a good one.
 
UCSD a contender? Will take a a few years. It’s not like they have been demolishing the likes of Chico state, Sonoma state, etc.... those are some competitive games. I believe UC Irvine and UCSB recruiting will be affected by their D1 status. All pretty close academically.
UCSD lost to Chico State and San Marcos last season
 
UCSD looking like the only source of light in San Diego. I think they will be a contender once they fully achieve D1 status. Does anyone have any info on them?

I work not far from the campus and it is AMAZING!! Eventually they are going to be an up and comer.
 
In my opinion Arizona will take a step backwards after making the tournament last year. It is going to be a struggle for them to make it to the tournament but it is possible. My prediction for them is 6th to 9th place. On the flip side I think that Arizona State will take a step forward. They were one of the last teams out of the tournament and I think that this year they get in. Their coach has brought in a lot of international talent and they were much improved last season when they relied upon a lot of freshman. They lose two important seniors, but I think that they are going to be better this year and will finish somewhere between 4th and 6th in the conference.

Here is how I think that it is going to shake out:

UCLA
Stanford
$C
Colorado
Arizona State
Wazzu
Utah
Cal
Arizona
UDub
Oregon
Oregon State

I think that the conference gets 7 or 8 into the dance with 3 having serious aspirations to be playing in San Jose in early December. 4 other teams have legitimate Sweet 16 potential with a good draw. 17 days until Stanford kicks off the exhibitions season! Good luck this season to any and all who have a player in college at any level. It is going to be a good one.
Is Oregon that far behind? What’s the situation there?
 
I’m a big fan of private schools, except the cost. Coaches from what I hear don’t discourage kids from choosing majors in STEM while playing soccer.

At any school it is a matter of time management and trade-offs. Based on my kids experiences, athletes with a STEM major will likely need to take a pretty tough schedule during your non-season semesters. You might find yourself taking a summer class to get some pre-requisites or core major classes completed. Likely you will not have time to be an active participant in greek life. And travel/semesters abroad are already problematic for athletes, the STEM requirements make it even more so. One coach at a top-ranked private university said it best when it comes to priorities for a D1 (non-Ivy) athletes -- sometimes soccer needs to come first, sometimes academics must come first, and successful student athletes can manage that without either suffering. MAP's daughter seems to have pulled it off well.
 
Is Oregon that far behind? What’s the situation there?

Last year to me seemed like their best shot. They had some decent talent (they have 2 pro players from team). They lost 6 starters though and they didn't have a stellar recruiting class. That typically equals a bad season and they were exactly a .500 team 9-9-1 and 3-8 in conference. They didn't have much room to maneuver and unfortunately it is going to mean a big step backwards, in my opinion.
 
I think Cal and ASU will be most improved in the Pac-12 wins wise. Neil scheduled a modest non conference schedule this year.

UCLA/ Stanford at the top. Pickem

Oregon/Oregon state and Arizona at the bottom with everyone else in between.

My sleeper is ASU.
 
Why is everyone picking Arizona to drop? Did they lose key players?

Compare their roster from last year, how they performed, the fact that they lose 6 starters and their low rated recruiting class. It's unfortunately the price of playing in a good conference. My kid's team had their worst season in history the year before her recruiting class arrived on campus because their 2011 recruiting class had graduated and took 8 starters with them! It happens in tough conferences to everyone except North Carolina apparently.
 
They essentially got kicked out of D3 for being too big years ago, and have had passably-good teams at the D2 level for a while. It took a couple of tries for the students to vote to approve a fee increase to support a D1 program. They have a great location to use as a recruiting tool (nicest beach in the UC system, for example), but the hard part for athletic success there might be that the typical UCSD student doesn't care much about athletics.

Not true. UCSB is actually on the beach instead of close to the beach like UCSD. Surf is better too. I also think the UCSD campus is cool but it is way spreadout with no real college town feel.
 
Compare their roster from last year, how they performed, the fact that they lose 6 starters and their low rated recruiting class. It's unfortunately the price of playing in a good conference. My kid's team had their worst season in history the year before her recruiting class arrived on campus because their 2011 recruiting class had graduated and took 8 starters with them! It happens in tough conferences to everyone except North Carolina apparently.
Thank you for the insight. I agree, very tough conference to compete in. Good luck to your daughter in her final year.
 
They went to the NCAA D2 tournament last year and either win or got close. One of my players HS teammates is on the team. They will be decent but not a contender, especially if they land in the Big West.

Agree they won’t contend in the Big West right away, but I believe they will be the best team in San Diego.
 
Back
Top