Virginia Holds No. 1 Spot as Notre Dame Surges in Women’s Top-25

Jonathan Turner
Sep 23
2 min read

NATIONAL SOCCER NEWS: www.nationalsoccernetwork.com

Virginia Holds No. 1 Spot as Notre Dame Surges in Women’s Top-25

(Rochester Hills, MI) – The University of Virginia continues to lead the United Soccer Coaches women’s Top-25 poll, holding the No. 1 ranking for a second straight week after extending its unbeaten start to 8-0-1. The Cavaliers collected all eight first-place votes and 200 points to remain atop the national standings.

Fighting Irish on the Rise

Notre Dame (7-0-1) made the biggest jump inside the top five, climbing from No. 6 to No. 2. The Irish trail only Virginia in total points (190) after a strong September that included key conference wins. Stanford (7-1-1) slipped one spot to No. 3, while UCLA (6-2-1) held steady at No. 4. Tennessee rounds out the top five at 8-1-1.

Florida State Charging

Florida State (7-0-2) also continues to rise, moving to No. 6 after another unbeaten week. Arkansas (No. 7) and Iowa (No. 8) each jumped several places, with the Razorbacks climbing from No. 10 and the Hawkeyes moving up from No. 12.

Duke, which started the year as high as No. 2, slipped to No. 9, while TCU (7-1-0) rounds out the top 10 after climbing from No. 14.

Big Movers

South Carolina moved from No. 15 to No. 12 (8-1-2 record).
Vanderbilt rose four places to No. 13.
Kansas continues its unbeaten run (7-0-2), climbing to No. 14.
Georgia cracked the top 20 at No. 17.

On the other side, Penn State (5-3-2) dropped 10 places to No. 18, while BYU slid to No. 16 after a pair of setbacks.

New Faces in the Rankings

Two teams enter the Top-25 this week:

Wisconsin at No. 20 (7-2-1)
Alabama tied at No. 25 (8-2-1)

They join Rice, which shares the final position at No. 25 after holding steady from last week.

Looking Ahead

The women’s national picture remains crowded at the top with four powerhouses—Virginia, Notre Dame, Stanford, and UCLA—each capable of making a run for the No. 1 ranking. Upcoming conference clashes, including Virginia’s ACC tests and Notre Dame’s road swing, promise to further shake the standings as October begins.