MILWAUKEE, Wis. (naccsports.org) --- Illinois Institute of Technology has been selected as the favorite to capture the 2024 Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) women's soccer title.
The Scarlet Hawks received 379 points and 21 of a possible 28 first-place votes in the poll, which consists of rankings by each of the league's head coaches and head athletics communications professionals. Milwaukee School of Engineering, which did not receive a ranking lower than third on any ballot, finished second with 369 points and six first-place votes, while Dominican University was third with 337 points and the final first-place vote.
Marian University sits fourth with 299 points, followed by St. Norbert College in fifth with 272 points and Aurora University in sixth with 239 points. Concordia University Wisconsin (226) placed seventh followed by Edgewood College (218). Benedictine University (155), Concordia University Chicago (140), Wisconsin Lutheran College (128), Lakeland University (86), Rockford University (64), and Alverno College (28) round out this year's poll.
2023 Recap: Illinois Tech (19-3-1 overall) went a perfect 13-0-0 in NACC play last fall, outscoring league opponents 61-3 to capture the program's first NACC title. The Scarlet Hawks were unable to claim a maiden NACC Tournament title, however, falling to MSOE, 1-0, in the final.
Maggie Thillman scored the game's lone goal in the 104th minute and the Raiders were able to make the extra-time tally stand. MSOE advanced to the 2023 NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Championship, posting a 2-1 first-round victory over Denison (Ohio) before falling to regional host Calvin by a 1-0 score in the second round to finish the season at 20-2-3.
2024 Schedule: The 2024 NACC schedule gets underway Friday, Aug. 30 with 10 nonconference games as all but Alverno, Lakeland, Rockford, and St. Norbert take to the pitch. The Inferno, Regents, and Green Knights follow on Saturday, Aug. 31, while Lakeland will be the final NACC program to get underway as the Muskies tackle Lawrence in a road fixture on Sunday, Sept. 1.
The league slate begins with seven matches on Wednesday, Sept. 18 as Benedictine travels to Concordia Wisconsin, Edgewood hosts Illinois Tech, Lakeland makes the short trip to St. Norbert, Alverno entertains MSOE, Aurora visits Dominican, and Concordia Chicago faces Rockford. The regular season concludes Wednesday, Oct. 30.
NACC Tournament: The top eight teams in the final regular-season standings qualify for the league's postseason tournament. First-round games are slated for Saturday, Nov. 2, followed by semifinals on Tuesday, Nov. 5, and the tournament final on Saturday, Nov. 9. The tournament champion receives the NACC's automatic berth into the 2024 NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Championship.
2024 NACC Women's Soccer Preseason Poll
| Institution |
Points |
| Illinois Tech (21) |
379 |
| MSOE (6) |
369 |
| Dominican (1) |
337 |
| Marian |
299 |
| St. Norbert |
272 |
| Aurora |
239 |
| Concordia Wisconsin |
226 |
| Edgewood |
218 |
| Benedictine |
155 |
| Concordia Chicago |
140 |
| Wisconsin Lutheran |
128 |
| Lakeland |
86 |
| Rockford |
64 |
| Alverno |
28 |
Note: First-place votes in parentheses.