MILWAUKEE, Wis. (naccsports.org) --- Illinois Institute of Technology has been selected as the favorite to capture the 2025 Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) women's soccer title.
The Scarlet Hawks received 331 points and 22 of a possible 26 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 302 points and two first-place votes, while Dominican University was third with 295 points and the final two first-place votes.
Concordia University Wisconsin sits fourth with 256 points, followed by St. Norbert College in fifth with 221 points and Marian University in sixth with 203 points. Concordia University Chicago (162) edged Wisconsin Lutheran College (159) and Edgewood University (158) for seventh place, while Aurora University (114), Lakeland University (71), Benedictine University (65), and Rockford University (29) round out this year's poll.
2024 Recap: Illinois Tech (19-3-3 overall) went 11-0-1 in NACC play last fall, with the only blemish being a 1-1 draw at Concordia Wisconsin. The Scarlet Hawks outscored league opponents 57-4 to capture the program's second consecutive NACC title. Illinois Tech did not let up offensively in the NACC Tournament, outscoring opponents 23-1 over three games to capture the tournament crown for the first time in program history.
In the NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Championship, the Scarlet Hawks topped North Central (Ill.), 3-1, in the opening round, then outlasted regional host Carnegie Mellon, 7-6, in a shootout after playing to a 2-2 draw. Illinois Tech's run ended with a 3-0 loss to Amherst in a sectional semifinal game at Dubuque, Iowa.
New Coaches: There are two new head coaches in the NACC this season. Abbey Golden has been appointed to lead the program at Rockford. Golden joins the Regents after one season as head coach at NCAA Division II Edward Waters University. She also has extensive experience at the prep level and has spent time as an assistant at Oberlin College and as a recruiter at Edinboro University.
At St. Norbert, Katie Guns has been elevated to head coach after serving as an assistant with the program since 2017. One of the most decorated athletes in St. Norbert Athletics history, the former Katie Vanden Avond is the all-time NCAA Division III leader and is second across all NCAA divisions in career goals scored with 130. Her career point total of 281 is currently seventh in all divisions. Guns is one of two players in NCAA soccer history to have two seasons with at least 37 goals scored, including a school-record total of 39 in 2015. She is also the only female athlete in school history to have her jersey number retired.
2025 Schedule: The 2025 NACC schedule gets underway Friday, Aug. 29 with nine nonconference games as all but Aurora, Illinois Tech, Lakeland, and St. Norbert take to the pitch. The Spartans and Green Knights follow on Saturday, Aug. 30, while Lakeland and Illinois Tech will be the final NACC programs to get underway with home fixtures on Sunday, Aug. 31.
The league slate begins with six matches on Wednesday, Sept. 17 as Concordia Wisconsin travels to Benedictine, Edgewood hosts Lakeland, Marian makes the short trip to St. Norbert, Dominican entertains MSOE, Aurora visits Illinois Tech, and Rockford faces Concordia Chicago, while Wisconsin Lutheran is idle. The Warriors open NACC play on Saturday, Sept. 20, with a road fixture at Concordia Wisconsin. The regular season concludes Wednesday, Oct. 29.
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 Sunday, Nov. 2, followed by semifinals on Wednesday, Nov. 5, and the tournament final on Saturday, Nov. 8. The tournament champion receives the NACC's automatic berth into the 2025 NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Championship.
2025 NACC Women's Soccer Preseason Poll
| Institution |
Points |
| Illinois Tech (22) |
331 |
| MSOE (2) |
302 |
| Dominican (2) |
295 |
| Concordia Wisconsin |
256 |
| St. Norbert |
221 |
| Marian |
203 |
| Concordia Chicago |
162 |
| Wisconsin Lutheran |
159 |
| Edgewood |
158 |
| Aurora |
114 |
| Lakeland |
71 |
| Benedictine |
65 |
| Rockford |
29 |
Note: First-place votes in parentheses.