SUWANEE, GA -- In exclusive balloting by the league's head coaches, Texas Lutheran University has been tabbed the preseason favorite for the 2025 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) women's soccer crown.
Following its second SCAC Tournament final appearance in the last three years in 2024, the Bulldogs received nine out of a possible 11 first-place votes to earn 119 points in the preseason poll.
With Trinity University and Southwestern University – who combined earned the SCAC's automatic bid each of the last 15 seasons – having both departed for a new conference, this year will mark the first season since 2008 that a program other than the Tigers or the Pirates will earn the league's NCAA Tournament berth.
Texas Lutheran (13-6-1, 8-2-0) returns 10 all-SCAC honorees from a year ago, including four First and Second Team honorees. Finishing second in the preseason coaches' polling was Concordia University (Texas), who received the remining two first-place votes to finish with 112 points, followed closely by McMurry University with 96 points. The Tornados, who advanced to the SCAC Tournament Semifinals last season in their inaugural season in the conference, have secured nine or more wins in three of the last four years, while the War Hawks are looking to qualify for the SCAC postseason for the first time in program history as they prepare for their final season in the conference.
Austin College, which secured it's most wins in a single season (9) since winning 11 in 2014, collected 73 points to finish fourth in the preseason rankings. Hendrix College, which returns to the conference after exiting following the 2011 season, rounds out the women's soccer coaches preseason top five with 70 total points.
Continuing to work through the preseason rankings, University of St. Thomas was the coaches' sixth selection with 68 points, while Schreiner University followed in seventh with 52 points. Dallas was eighth with 46 points.
SCAC debutant, LeTourmeau University was selected ninth with 36 points and Centenary College (30) and University of the Ozarks (24) rounded out the coaches' selections in 10th and 11th, respectively.
Head coach
Charles Nobles on his team's place in the rankings, "Preseason rankings are just that preseason rankings. Every game in the SCAC is going to be difficult and with us only having 2 real home games we have our work cut out for us. I am honored other teams have thought so highly about us but now we have to get ready because when you are ranked high, then you are a team that people won't overlook."
The SCAC women's soccer season begins on Friday, August 29, with several teams competing in non-conference action over Labor Day weekend. The first conference matches of the season are scheduled for the last weekend in September.
Nobles on his outlook for the 2025 season, "I'm excited for this season. We have incredible returners and leaders. We have an excellent group of new players who are fitting in right away. We have one of the toughest non-conference schedules and that will prepare for a Conference where anyone can beat anyone on any given day."
The 2025 SCAC Women's Soccer Tournament, which returns to a six-team format for the first time since the 2020-21 Covid-19 shortened season, will be held in November at the Round Rock Multipurpose Complex. Quarterfinal matches will be contested on Thursday, November 6, the semifinal matches on Friday, November 7 and the championship match will be played Sunday, November 9.
2025 SCAC Women's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll
(first-place votes in parentheses, followed by total points) |
| 1. |
Texas Lutheran University (9) |
119 |
| 2. |
Concordia University (Texas) (2) |
112 |
| 3. |
McMurry University |
96 |
| 4. |
Austin College |
73 |
| 5. |
Hendrix College |
70 |
| 6. |
University of St. Thomas |
68 |
| 7. |
Schreiner University |
52 |
| 8. |
University of Dallas |
46 |
| 9. |
LeTourneau University |
36 |
| 10. |
Centenary College |
30 |
| 11. |
University of Ozarks |
24 |
