The road to Cary, North Carolina starts now. Each season, 64 women's soccer teams compete in the NCAA tournament for a chance to make it to the College Cup — where the last four teams battle for the national championship. Reigning champion Florida State has made 14 total appearances at the College Cup since it began in 1982, while North Carolina holds the record for most appearances with 31. There are many top teams, however, that have yet to reach the coveted semifinal round. Each season presents an opportunity for new contenders to join the ranks.
Here are four teams that could make first-time appearances at the 2024 College Cup. Rankings are from the preseason United Soccer Coaches Poll:
No. 14 Georgia | 13-4-6 (2023 record)
If momentum could propel a team through a season, then the Bulldogs have a serious shot at making the 2024 College Cup. Georgia is coming off a historic 2023 season after winning the program’s first SEC tournament championship and making a deep run into the NCAA tournament. Their Round of 16 battle with Clemson, which went to penalties after a 1-1 draw, demonstrated their relentless backline and ability to cause problems in the attacking third. Despite the loss of midfielder Croix Bethune to the NWSL, many of last year’s squad will be back, including all three leading goal scorers, 2023 Freshman All-American Kiera Staude and a slew of SEC transfers to bolster the veteran roster. These veterans know what it takes to not only perform in high pressure games but to rally back from moments of chaos.
No. 7 Pitt | 17-6-1
Pitt is another team that reached historic landmarks in the 2023 season, as the Panthers reached the NCAA tournament quarterfinals for the first time and set program records for most overall wins (17), total goals (64) and first-time victories over then-No. 3 North Carolina and No. 22 Duke. Their 3-0 loss to eventual champ Florida State in the NCAA quarterfinals came after an impressive run that saw wins over No. 2 seed Arkansas and No. 6 seed Memphis in what was only the program’s second appearance in the NCAA tournament. Could there be a lucky third appearance? We’ll have a good idea of the team’s ability in the season opener at Georgia on Thursday, Aug. 15. Then, later in the season, the Panthers get a rematch with the Seminoles on Oct. 20.
➡️ 👀 STATS: Current leaders in goal, assists, minutes played and more
No. 6 Nebraska | 17-4-3
The 2023 Big Ten regular season champions fell just short of a ticket to last year’s College Cup after losing 2-1 in overtime to the eventual national runner up Stanford. If you watch the footage back, the Huskers gave the Cardinal a serious battle, and without the unfortunate own goal to give Stanford the initial lead, last year’s College Cup may have included a different shade of red. This season, Nebraska will look to fill the hole left by the nation’s leading goal scorer Eleanor Dale (28 goals) with senior Sara Weber, who tied for fifth in the nation with 16 goals scored. Another key returner for Nebraska will be Florence Belzile, who totaled 17 assists last season — second most in the country — and will look to feed an offense of mostly upperclassmen. The Huskers’ comeback season will be tested early as they face top 25 opponent Duke on Aug. 22.
No. 12 Saint Louis | 19-3-2
Speaking of 16 goals in a season, returning for Saint Louis is Emily Gaebe, who fell within last year’s top five leading goal scorers and was named a MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist. Gaebe proved to be a weapon in the Billikens’ third-round run in the 2023 NCAA tournament, as she scored an equalizer in Saint Louis’s 4-3 OT defeat to Penn State. Despite the loss, the team showed diligence in its ability to fire three consecutive goals after going down two in the program’s first Round of 16 appearance. The reigning Atlantic 10 champions will get a chance to reignite that fire as they go head-to-head with College Cup-caliber BYU on Aug. 22 and get a rematch with Penn State on Sunday, Sep. 1.
