Vanderbilt, North Carolina, and Ohio State were at the top of last week’s poll.
No tricks, just a title for Vanderbilt.
The No. 1 Commodores beat Texas 5-0 on Oct. 23 to clinch the SEC regular-season women’s soccer championship and improve to 15-0-1. Melania Fullerton, Lydia Ungashick, Mia Hebert, Margo Matula, and Sydney Watts scored, giving Vanderbilt a championship treat and a strong case to remain atop the upcoming coaches poll.
Elsewhere, the Top 25 offered plenty of suspense.
The No. 17 Notre Dame Leprechaun beat No. 15 Florida State 2-0 on Oct. 24, No. 23 Arkansas defeated Oklahoma 3-1, No. 3 Ohio State claimed the outright Big Ten title, and No. 9 Baylor swept its Arizona road trip.
The next poll is expected Tuesday, Oct. 27. The Oct. 20 United Soccer Coaches rankings remain the reference point, with Vanderbilt, North Carolina and Ohio State leading the way. New results do not change published rankings until the next poll arrives.
Vanderbilt reached No. 1 after beating then-No. 8 Alabama 2-1 on Oct. 18. Courtney Jones converted a penalty before halftime, and Megan Hinnenkamp delivered the winner in the 65th minute. The Texas victory then pushed the Commodores’ SEC record to 8-0-1.
North Carolina slipped to No. 2 after losing 3-1 at Wake Forest on Oct. 18. Bella Devey scored first, but Henley Tippins and Allie Flanagan answered 81 seconds apart. Kylie Maxwell added the third goal shortly after halftime, handing UNC its first ACC loss.
Florida State jumped nine spots to No. 15 after wins at Wake Forest and Pitt extended its unbeaten streak to seven. Notre Dame broke that spell with a goal in each half in Tallahassee. The Irish improved to 7-1-6; the Seminoles fell to 7-2-3 with their first ACC defeat.
Baylor climbed from No. 13 to No. 9 after Aryanna Jimison’s rebound finish secured a 1-0 win over TCU. The Bears then beat Arizona State 2-0 and Arizona 3-2. Lauren Omholt’s winner against the Wildcats lifted Baylor to 14-2-1 and a tie with Texas Tech atop the Big 12 at 22 points.
Arkansas reentered at No. 23 after beating Tennessee 1-0 and Florida 2-1. MacKenzie Gwin supplied the last-second thriller against Florida. Zoe Susi, Bella Field and Kyndal Ewertz then scored against Oklahoma, extending the Razorbacks’ unbeaten run to seven and improving their record to 7-4-4.
Ohio State stayed No. 3 after a 2-1 win at Purdue, where Lizzie Rozmajzl made seven saves, including a penalty stop, in her first career start. Sunday’s 3-0 victory over Illinois clinched the outright Big Ten championship. The Buckeyes improved to 14-1-1 overall and 10-1-0 in conference play.
Only coaches vote in the Intercollegiate Women’s Soccer Organization for Coaches poll, published with United Soccer Coaches. Rankings reflect weekly standing, not NCAA tournament selection. Tuesday’s ballot will determine which results deliver treats — and which leave teams haunted by missed opportunities.
Here is Poll 10 from last Tuesday.
25. Auburn, 8-2-5 (21)
24. Michigan, 7-4-3 (25)
23. Arkansas, 6-4-4 (Not Ranked)
22. Purdue, 12-2-2 (20)
21. Virginia, 8-3-2 (18)
20. Brigham Young, 9-3-2 (22)
19. Utah State, 11-2-3 (16)
18. Kansas, 11-3-1 (19)
17. Notre Dame, 6-1-6 (17)
16. West Virginia, 9-2-2 (12)
15. Florida State, 7-1-3 (24)
14. Texas Tech, 9-1-4 (T8)
13. Louisville, 9-1-3 (15)
12. Washington, 11-1-3 (14)
11. South Carolina, 11-1-3 (T6)
10. UCLA, 10-3-2 (11)
9. Baylor, 12-2-1 (13)
T7. Stanford, 9-2-2 (10)
T7. Alabama, 13-3-0 (T8)
6. Duke, 8-1-4 (T6)
5. Michigan State, 11-2-2 (5)
4. Wake Forest, 11-2-1 (4)
3. Ohio State, 12-1-1 (3)
2. North Carolina, 12-2-0 (1)
1. Vanderbilt, 14-0-1 (2)
*Luci Palacios is a student-intern at Penn State University.
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