Western Carolina predicted to win 2025 women’s soccer championship

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Defending Southern Conference regular-season champion Western Carolina is the preseason favorite to win the 2025 Southern Conference women's soccer title in voting of the league's 10 head coaches.

The coaches also selected an 11-member preseason all-conference team. Western Carolina picked up a league-best six selections. Mercer placed two on the team, while UNCG, Samford, and Chattanooga had one apiece.

Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own teams or players in the balloting.

Western Carolina, which garnered nine first-place votes, finished with 81 points. Samford, the defending SoCon Tournament champion, was second with 72 points and the final first-place vote. Furman was picked third with 58 points, while Mercer was fourth with 51 points. Chattanooga was selected fifth with 48 points, and UNCG was behind them with 45 points. ETSU had 43 points and Wofford finished with 25 points, placing seventh and eighth, respectively. The Citadel had 16 points to finish ninth, and VMI rounded out the poll with 11 points.

Western Carolina was 15-3-3 overall last season and went 8-0-1 in conference play en route to its second straight regular-season crown. Four of the Catamounts' six preseason all-conference selections were first-team All-SoCon performers in 2024. Those players are forwards Isabella DeMarco and Milla Syska, midfielder Ava Robitaille, who was the SoCon Defensive Player of the Year last season, and goalkeeper Leanne Trudel. The other two preseason picks for Western Carolina are defenders Mary Mueth and Abbie Wise, two members of last year's SoCon All-Tournament Team.

Syska (26) and DeMarco (25) were ranked second and third, respectively, in points last season. Both played in all 21 games with 20 starts during 2024. Robitaille, Trudel, Mueth, and Wise all saw action in every contest last season, helping anchor a Catamount defense that surrendered just 10 goals during the entire season.

Samford completed the 2024 season with a 12-7-3 overall record and a 6-1-2 mark in conference games. The Bulldogs fell to Florida State in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament following their conference tournament title. Midfielder Fleming Dean represents the Bulldogs on the preseason all-conference team.

Mercer put forward Jada Moorman and defender Lena Dykes on the preseason all-conference team. UNCG midfielder Rachel Poplin and Chattanooga's Brenna Swiger round out the preseason squad. Moorman, Dykes, Poplin, and Swiger were all second-team all-conference selections a season ago.

All 10 squads open the 2025 regular season on Thursday, Aug. 14.

The SoCon Women's Soccer Championship will feature all 10 schools. The first round will feature two matchups, No. 7 vs. No. 10 and No. 8 vs. No. 9, and will take place at the higher seeds on Oct. 28. The quarterfinals and semifinals, hosted by the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds, will take place on Oct. 31 or Nov. 2, respectively. The highest remaining seed will host The SoCon Championship on Nov. 8 or Nov. 9.

2025 Women’s Soccer Preseason Coaches Poll

1. Western Carolina (9) 81

2. Samford (1)               72

3. Furman                     58

4. Mercer                      51

5. Chattanooga             48

6. UNCG                       45

7. ETSU                       43

8. Wofford                    25

9. The Citadel               16

10. VMI                        11

() denotes first-place votes

2025 Women’s Soccer Preseason All-Conference Team

F          Jada Moorman, Mercer

F          Isabella DeMarco, Western Carolina

F          Milla Syska, Western Carolina

MF       Rachel Poplin, UNCG

MF       Fleming Dean, Samford

MF       Ava Robitaille, Western Carolina

D          Lena Dykes, Mercer

D          Brenna Swiger, Chattanooga

D          Mary Mueth, Western Carolina

D          Abbie Wise, Western Carolina       

GK       Leanne Trudel, Western Carolina