Classes don’t resume for roughly another two weeks, but Division 1 women’s soccer programs are hard at work throughout New England. In fact, the 2018 season gets underway on Thursday, with most local teams beginning their non-conference slates. The only true outliers are the Ivies, which first play on Aug. 24.
To prepare the next three-plus months, New England Soccer Journal presents its preseason poll. Rankings are bound to change as the season gets underway, but past performances provide a framework for how 2018 could go.
For the time being, 2017’s ups and downs loom large, especially with no local teams making the NCAA Tournament. The normal postseason runs from UConn, Boston College, Northeastern and others simply didn’t materialize. New stars must emerge, too, with Northeastern midfielder Hannah Lopiccolo, BC midfielder Lauren Berman and New Hampshire striker Brooke Murphy all having graduated.
But that all lends hope to what could come throughout New England’s D1 women’s soccer landscape. It’s a brand new slate.
