Stanford stays No. 1; West Virginia remains No. 7; other teams move in week three college soccer coaches poll
West Virginia women’s soccer had a great start to the 2026 season. Photo: West Virginia Athletics
After West Virginia made a huge jump in the week two United Soccer Coaches poll, climbing 15 spots to No. 7, the Mountaineers remain unbeaten and still in the No. 7 spot in week three.
The poll is voted on by coaches and reflects the week-to-week standing of Division I programs. The rankings are not used to determine NCAA tournament eligibility or selection.
Stanford held onto the No. 1 spot after opening the season 5-0, while Duke remained at No. 2. Vanderbilt and Michigan State rounded out the top four.
Michigan State moved up one spot to No. 4 after defeating then-No. 12 Colorado 3-2 on Sunday. The Spartans improved to 4-0-1, while Colorado dropped 12 spots to No. 24 following its first loss of the season.
The matchup was a rematch of last season’s NCAA Sweet 16 meeting, which Michigan State also won. The Spartans built a 3-0 lead in the first half before Colorado scored twice after halftime.
Stanford continued to strengthen its hold on the top spot with a dominant week. The Cardinal defeated then-No. 17 UCLA 3-0 before shutting out Cal State Fullerton 7-0 to improve to 5-0.
Seven different Stanford players scored against Cal State Fullerton, while the Cardinal added five goals in the second half. Sadie Leal-Schuman and Sammy Smith were also recognized with ACC weekly honors following Stanford’s two victories.
Duke remained at No. 2 despite carrying a 5-0-1 record. The Blue Devils’ lone non-win came in a 1-1 draw against then-No. 9 UCLA, but Duke has since won four straight matches, including a 6-0 shutout of VCU.
Vanderbilt held steady at No. 3 after improving to 5-0, while Wake Forest made a six-spot jump from No. 11 to No. 5. The Demon Deacons are also 5-0 and have yet to allow a goal this season, recording five consecutive shutouts.
Alabama made another major move, climbing 12 spots from No. 18 to No. 6. The Crimson Tide are 6-0-0, giving them the best record among teams in the top 10.
West Virginia’s jump was even larger. The Mountaineers moved from No. 22 to No. 7 after opening the season 4-0. Sophia Nickel has helped lead the way, scoring three goals this season, with all three serving as game-winning goals.
Ohio State remained at No. 8, followed by North Carolina at No. 9 and Tennessee at No. 10.
Washington remained at No. 11, while Virginia and UCF each moved up one spot to No. 12 and No. 13, respectively. BYU climbed one spot to No. 14, while Florida State moved from No. 16 to No. 15.
Wisconsin made one of the other notable jumps, moving six spots from No. 22 to No. 16. Texas State also continued its rise, moving from No. 21 to No. 17 after starting the season 5-0-1.
UCLA fell one spot to No. 18 after its loss to Stanford, while TCU made its debut in the Top 25 at No. 19 after receiving votes in the previous poll.
South Carolina also entered the rankings at No. 20, followed by Florida at No. 21. Baylor moved from receiving votes to No. 22, while Memphis climbed one spot to No. 23.
Colorado recorded the largest drop among teams that remained ranked, falling from No. 12 to No. 24 after its loss to Michigan State. Georgia also fell eight spots, moving from No. 17 to No. 25.
Stanford, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest, Alabama, West Virginia and Texas State are among the teams still unbeaten in the Top 25.
The United Soccer coaches ranking for week three:
25. Georgia, 3-1-2 (17)
24. Colorado, 3-1-1 (12)
23. Memphis, 2-2-0 (24)
22. Baylor, 4-1-0 (unranked)
21. Florida, 3-1-1 (20)
20. South Carolina, 5-1-0 (unranked)
19. TCU, 2-1-1 (unranked)
18. UCLA, 2-2-1 (17)
17. Texas State, 5-0-1 (21)
16. Wisconsin, 2-1-1 (22)
15. Florida State, 3-1-0 (16)
14. Brigham Young, 3-1-0 (15)
13. Central Florida, 4-0-0 (14)
12. Virginia, 4-0-0 (13)
11. Washington, 4-0-1 (11)
10. Tennessee, 4-0-0 (10)
9. North Carolina, 3-1-0 (9)
8. Ohio State, 2-0-1 (8)
7. West Virginia, 4-0-0 (7)
6. Alabama, 6-0-0 (6)
5. Wake Forest, 5-0-0 (5)
4. Michigan State, 4-0-1 (3)
3. Vanderbilt, 5-0-0 (3)
2. Duke, 5-0-1 (2)
1. Stanford, 5-0-0 (1)
*Luci Palacios is a student-intern at Penn State University.
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