2016 NCAA Division I women's soccer season explained

Competition:NCAA Division I women's soccer
Season:2016
Winners:USC (2nd title)
Prevseason:2015
Nextseason:2017

The 2016 NCAA Division I women's soccer season was the 35th season of NCAA championship women's college soccer. The Penn State Nittany Lions were the defending national champions.

Changes from 2015

Conference realignment

SchoolPrevious conferenceNew conference
Coastal CarolinaBig South ConferenceSun Belt Conference[1]
Kansas StateNo teamIndependent[2]

Season overview

Polls

See also: 2016 NCAA Division I women's soccer rankings.

Pre-season polls

NSCAA[3]
RankTeam
1Florida State
2Penn State
3Duke
4Virginia
5Stanford
6West Virginia
7Florida
8Texas A&M
9North Carolina
10Rutgers
11USC
12Auburn
13Notre Dame
14Clemson
15Connecticut
16BYU
17Virginia Tech
18California
19Texas Tech
20Arizona
21Santa Clara
22Ole Miss
23Ohio State
24South Carolina
25Loyola Marymount
Soccer America[4]
RankTeam
1Stanford
2Duke
3Florida State
4West Virginia
5Penn State
6Florida
7Virginia
8USC
9Texas A&M
10Clemson
11Connecticut
12North Carolina
13Rutgers
14Auburn
15California
16BYU
17UCLA
18Wisconsin
19Notre Dame
20Virginia Tech
21Texas Tech
22Ohio State
23South Carolina
24Arizona
25Boston College
Top Drawer Soccer
RankTeam
1Stanford
2Florida State
3Duke
4Penn State
5West Virginia
6Virginia
7Florida
8USC
9Connecticut
10Clemson
11Rutgers
12North Carolina
13Texas A&M
14Auburn
15California
16Wisconsin
17BYU
18Arizona
19Minnesota
20Virginia Tech
21Ohio State
22Santa Clara
23Ole Miss
24FGCU
25Boston College
Hero Sports
RankTeam
1Penn State
2Stanford
3Florida State
4Duke
5West Virginia
6USC
7Virginia
8Florida
9Clemson
10Virginia Tech
11Texas A&M
12North Carolina
13BYU
14California
15South Carolina
16Texas Tech
17Santa Clara
18Minnesota
19Connecticut
20Notre Dame
21Arizona
22Auburn
23Washington State
24Ohio State
25Rutgers

Final polls

NSCAA[5]
RankTeam
1USC
2West Virginia
3Georgetown
4North Carolina
5South Carolina
6Stanford
7Duke
8Auburn
9BYU
10Florida
11Virginia
12Clemson
13UCLA
14Florida State
15Minnesota
16Utah
17Santa Clara
18Northwestern
19Arkansas
20Connecticut
21Notre Dame
22Pepperdine
23Colorado
24NC State
25Rutgers
Soccer America[6]
RankTeam
1West Virginia
2Stanford
3Florida
4South Carolina
5Georgetown
6BYU
7Florida State
8North Carolina
9USC
10Notre Dame
11Clemson
12Connecticut
13Minnesota
14Duke
15Virginia
16Colorado
17Arkansas
18Auburn
19Utah
20UCLA
21Rutgers
22Northwestern
23Cal
24Penn State
25Pepperdine
Top Drawer Soccer
RankTeam
1USC
2West Virginia
3Georgetown
4North Carolina
5South Carolina
6Duke
7Auburn
8Santa Clara
9Stanford
10BYU
11Florida
12Connecticut
13Clemson
14UCLA
15Virginia
16Arkansas
17Pepperdine
18Rutgers
19Florida State
20Kansas
21Minnesota
22Notre Dame
23NC State
24Northwestern
25Colorado
Hero Sports
RankTeam
1USC
2West Virginia
3Stanford
4BYU
5Georgetown
6North Carolina
7South Carolina
8Virginia
9UCLA
10Florida
11Auburn
12Santa Clara
13Minnesota
14Duke
15Clemson
16Utah
17Cal
18Florida State
19Notre Dame
20Colorado
21Arkansas
22Penn State
23Oklahoma
24Pepperdine
25Long Beach State

Major upsets

DateWinnerScoreLoser
August 19, 2016
  1. 21 Santa Clara
  1. 11 USC
August 19, 2016Pepperdine
  1. 20 Arizona
August 21, 2016Oklahoma
  1. 25 Loyola Marymount
August 22, 2016Nebraska
  1. 14 BYU
August 25, 2016Michigan
  1. 12 Notre Dame
August 25, 2016Washington State
  1. 13 Santa Clara
August 26, 2016Arkansas
  1. 2 Duke
September 5, 2016South Alabama
  1. 1 Florida State
September 22, 2016Vanderbilt
  1. 14 Texas A&M
September 25, 2016Alabama
  1. 14 Texas A&M

Conference winners and tournaments

ConferenceRegular
Season
Champion(s)
Conference
Player(s) of the Year
Conference
Coach(es) of the Year
Conference
Tournament
Tournament
Venue (City)
Tournament
Winner
Albany
Hartford
B. Murphy, UNH (Off)
C. Smallfield, Hartford (Def) [7]
Brendan Faherty, SB 2016 TournamentCampus Sites (Higher Seed)Albany
UConnS. Ribeiro, UConn (Off)
S. Fredriksson, UCF (Co-Def)
T. Patterson, UConn (Co-Def) [8]
Len Tsantiris, UConn
Chris Petrucelli, SMU
2016 TournamentMorrone Stadium (Storrs, CT)UConn
St. Joseph'sD. Mills, Saint Joseph’s (Off)
K. Bright, St. Louis (Def) [9]
Jess Manella, Saint Joe’s 2016 TournamentURI Complex (Kingston, RI)Dayton
Clemson
Notre Dame
A. Shaffer, Virginia (Off)
C. Gibbons, Duke (Def) [10]
Eddie Radwanski, Clem.2016 TournamentQuarterfinals: Campus Sites
Semifinals & Final:
MUSC Health Stadium (Charleston)
Florida State
FGCUT. Tindell, FGCU (Off)
N. Rawlins, Lipscomb (Def) [11]
Kevin O'Brien, Lipscomb 2016 TournamentFirst Round: Campus Sites
Semifinals & Final:
FGCU Complex (Fort Myers, FL)
FGCU
West VirginiaM. Abam, WVU (Co-Off)
C. Dike, OK State (Co-Off)
K. Buchanan, WVU (Def) [12]
Nikki Izzo-Brown, WVU 2016 TournamentSwope Soccer Village (Kansas City)West Virginia
DePaul
Marquette
A. Reed, DePaul (Off)
M. Proffitt, Marquette (Def) [13]
Markus Roeders, Marq.2016 TournamentFirst Round: Campus Sites
Semifinals & Final:
Shaw Field (Washington, D.C.)
Georgetown
IdahoC. Williams, EWU (Off)
R. Leonard, Sac. St. (Def) [14]
Randy Dedinim, Sac. St.[15] 2016 TournamentEWU Complex (Cheney, WA)Eastern Washington
Big SouthHigh PointK. Perrell, High Point (Off)
H. Van Noord, Liberty (Def) [16]
Marty Beall, High Point 2016 TournamentQuarterfinals: Campus Sites
Semifinals & Final:
Bryan Park (Greensboro, NC)
Liberty
Minnesota
Northwestern
Penn State
S. Kolander, Minnesota (Off)
R. Beal, Minnesota (Def) [17]
Stefanie Golan, Minn.2016 TournamentQuarterfinals: Campus Sites
Semifinals & Final:
Robbie Stadium (St. Paul, MN)
Minnesota
Cal St NorthridgeA. Gonzales, LBSU (Off)
N. Thompson, CSUN (Def) [18]
Keith West, CSUN 2016 TournamentGeorge Allen Field (Long Beach, CA)Long Beach St.
NortheasternA. Herndon, JMU (Off)
C. Ogunsami, Drexel (Co-Def)
C. Logsdon, W&M (Co-Def) [19]
Ray Goon, Drexel 2016 TournamentQuarterfinals: Campus Sites
Semifinals & Final:
Parsons Field (Brookline, MA)
Northeastern
North TexasM. Thomas, Charlotte (Off)
J. Fichera, Rice (Def) [20]
Jason Neidell, WKU 2016 TournamentTransamerica Field (Charlotte, NC)Charlotte
MilwaukeeM. Hamblin, NKU (Off)
R. DeLuca, Det. Mercy (Def) [21]
Troy Fabiano, Milw.2016 TournamentQuarterfinals: Campus Sites
Semifinals & Final:
Engelmann Stadium (Milwaukee, WI)
Northern Kentucky
HarvardM. Purce, Harvard (Off)
C. Etzel, Brown (Def) [22]
Chris Hamblin, Harvard No Tournament
MAACMonmouthA. McTamney, Monmouth (Off)
T. Sobierjaski, Siena (Def) [23]
Krissy Turner, Mon.2016 TournamentFirst Round: Campus Sites
Semifinals & Final:
Hesse Field (West Long Branch, NJ)
Monmouth
Ball StateJ. Hellstrom, Kent St. (Off)
L. White, Ball St. (Def) [24]
Rob Marinaro, Kent St.2016 TournamentQuarterfinals: Campus Sites
Semifinals & Final:
Dix Stadium (Kent, OH)
Kent State
Illinois StateL. Koehl, Illinois St. (Off)
P. Jarsombeck, Ill. St. (Def) [25]
Eric Golz, Illinois St.2016 TournamentFirst Round: Campus Sites
Semifinals & Final:
Adelaide Street Field (Normal, IL)
Illinois State
UNLVL. Sender, UNLV (Off)
C. Akubuilo, UNLV (Def) [26]
Chris Shaw, UNLV 2016 TournamentSDSU Sports Deck (San Diego)UNLV
Central Connecticut
Saint Francis (PA)
G. Morales, SFPA (Off)
J. Cafferky, CCSU (Def) [27]
Brenda van Stralen, SFU 2016 TournamentStokes Soccerplex (Loretto, PA)Saint Francis (PA)
Murray StateH. Withers, Murray St. (Off)
K. Naerdemann, TN Tech (Def) [28]
Nick Flohre, EKU 2016 TournamentFirst Round: Campus Sites
Semifinals & Final:
Cutchin Field (Murray, KY)
SIU Edwardsville
StanfordA. Sullivan, Stanford (Off)
M. Freeman, USC (Def) [29]
Paul Ratcliffe, Stanford No Tournament
Boston U
Bucknell
K. Ham, Bucknell (Off)
R. Bloznalis, Boston U (Def) [30]
Kelly Cook, Bucknell 2016 TournamentQuarterfinals: Campus Sites
Semifinals & Final:
Emmitt Field (Lewisburg, PA)
Bucknell
South CarolinaS. McCaskill, S. Carolina (Off)
K. Kurtz, S. Carolina (Def) [31]
Shelley Smith, SC 2016 TournamentOrange Beach Sportsplex
(Orange Beach, AL)
Florida
Samford
O. Cole, Samford (Def) [32]
Todd Yelton, Samford 2016 TournamentFirst Rd. & Quarters: Campus Sites
Semifinals & Final:
Taylor Stadium (Johnson City, TN)
Samford
Cent. ArkansasC. Bassett, Cent. Arkansas (Off)
K. Roberts, Abilene Chr. (Def) [33]
Jeremy Bishop, C. Ark.2016 TournamentDugan Stadium (Corpus Christi, TX)Houston Baptist
Denver
North Dakota St.
L. Jones, Oral Roberts (Off)
M. Bothner, Denver (Def) [34]
Roger Bush, ORU 2016 TournamentDacotah Field (Fargo, ND)South Dakota St.
South AlabamaJ. Cline, App. State (Off)
J. Purfield, S. Alabama (Def) [35]
Keyton Wheelock, ULM 2016 TournamentFoley Sports Complex (Foley, AL)South Alabama
HowardA. Lewis, Alabama St. (Co-Off)
L. Issaka, Miss. Vall. St. (Co-Off)
K. Hamilton, Howard (Def) [36]
Brent Leiba, Howard 2016 TournamentAlabama State
BYU
Pepperdine
M. Vasconcelos, BYU (Off)
T. Isom, BYU (Def)[37]
Tim Ward, Pepperdine No Tournament
SeattleB. Hooks, Seattle (Off)
S. Spiekerman, Seattle (Def) [38]
Gary Curneen, CSUB 2016 TournamentDurwood Soccer Stadium (Kansas City)Seattle

See also

Notes and References

  1. Coastal Carolina to Join Sun Belt Conference . Sun Belt Conference . September 1, 2015 . September 8, 2015.
  2. K-State Soccer Announces 2017 Schedule . Kansas State Wildcats . April 10, 2017 . June 27, 2017 . Notes about 2017 K-State Soccer Schedule: First season as a member of the Big 12 Conference... . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20170513151012/http://www.kstatesports.com/news/k-state-soccer-announces-2017-schedule-04-10-2017 . May 13, 2017 .
  3. Web site: NSCAA NCAA Division I Women National Preseason Ranking. National Soccer Coaches Association of America. NSCAA.com. August 3, 2016. August 2, 2016. August 6, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160806071136/http://www.nscaa.com/web/Rankings/web/rankings/2016/Preseason/NCAA_DI_WOMEN.aspx. dead.
  4. Web site: Soccer America Women's Top 25. Soccer America. August 22, 2016.
  5. Web site: National - Final Ranking - December 7, 2016. NSCAA. 2016-12-06. 2016-12-20. https://web.archive.org/web/20161220075353/http://www.nscaa.com/web/Rankings/College_Rankings/NCAA_DI_WOMEN/web/rankings/ncaa/6081. dead.
  6. Web site: Soccer America Women's Top 25. Soccer America. 2016-11-07.
  7. Web site:
    1. AEWSOC Award Winners
    . 2016-10-26. America East Conference.
  8. Web site: American Conference WSOC Awards. 2016-11-01. American Athletic Conference.
  9. Web site: A-10 WSOC Awards. 2016-11-02. Atlantic 10 Conference.
  10. Web site: ACC WSOC Awards. 2016-11-03. ACC. https://web.archive.org/web/20170712054251/http://www.theacc.com/news/acc-announces-2016-women-s-soccer-awards-11-03-2016. 2017-07-12. dead.
  11. Web site:
    1. ASUNWSOC Postseason Awards
    . 2016-10-26. Atlantic Sun Conference.
  12. Web site: All-Big 12 Soccer Awards. 2016-10-31. Big 12 Conference.
  13. Web site: Big East WSOC Awards. 2016-11-01. Big East Conference.
  14. Web site: Big Sky WSOC All-Conference. 2016-11-01. Big Sky Conference.
  15. Web site: Big Sky WSOC Coach of the Year. 2016-11-07. Big Sky Conference.
  16. Web site: Big South WSOC Annual Awards. 2016-10-28. Big South Conference.
  17. Web site: Big Ten WSOC Postseason Honors. https://web.archive.org/web/20161031034732/http://www.bigten.org/sports/w-soccer/spec-rel/102816aaa.html. dead. 2016-10-31. 2016-10-28. Big Ten Conference.
  18. Web site: Big West WSOC All-Conference. 2016-11-02. Big West Conference.
  19. Web site: CAA WSOC Awards. 2016-11-03. Colonial Athletic Association.
  20. Web site: All-Conference USA Awards. 2016-11-01. Conference USA.
  21. Web site: Horizon League WSOC Awards. 2016-10-31. Horizon League. https://web.archive.org/web/20170328052121/http://www.horizonleague.org/blog/horizon-league-announces-womens-soccer-awards. 2017-03-28. dead.
  22. Web site: Ivy League WSOC Awards. 2016-11-10. Ivy League. https://web.archive.org/web/20161119060255/http://www.ivyleaguesports.com/sports/wsoc/2016-17/releases/Womens_Soccer_All-Ivy-_Postseason_Awards_Announced. 2016-11-19. dead.
  23. Web site: MAAC WSOC Major Awards. 2016-11-03. Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.
  24. Web site: MAC Postseason Awards. 2016-11-03. Mid-American Conference.
  25. Web site: MVC WSOC All-Conference. 2016-11-03. Missouri Valley Conference. https://web.archive.org/web/20161105094646/http://www.mvc-sports.com/wsoccer/news/2016-17/9111/2016-mvc-womens-soccer-all-conference/. 2016-11-05. dead.
  26. Web site: Mountain West All-Conference Teams. 2016-10-31. Mountain West Conference. https://web.archive.org/web/20161105033003/http://www.themw.com/news/mountain-west-announces-2016-women-s-soccer-all-conference-teams-10-31-2016. 2016-11-05. dead.
  27. Web site: WSOC All-NEC Awards. 2016-11-03. Northeast Conference.
  28. Web site: OVC Soccer Postseason Awards. 2016-11-03. Ohio Valley Conference.
  29. Web site: Pac-12 WSOC Honor. https://web.archive.org/web/20161110110046/http://pac-12.com/article/2016/11/08/pac-12-announces-women%E2%80%99s-soccer-all-conference-honors. dead. November 10, 2016. 2016-11-08. Pac-12 Conference.
  30. Web site: All-Patriot League Awards. 2016-10-31. Patriot League.
  31. Web site: SEC Soccer Awards. 2016-10-30. SEC.
  32. Web site: SoCon All-Conference Teams. 2016-10-30. SoCon.
  33. Web site: All-Southland Conference Teams. 2016-11-01. Southland Conference.
  34. Web site:
    1. SummitWSOC Awards
    . 2016-11-02. Summit League.
  35. Web site: 2016 All-Sun Belt Conference Awards. 2016-11-01. Sun Belt Conference.
  36. Web site: 2016 SWAC Soccer Awards. 2016-11-02. SWAC.
  37. Web site: WCC All-Conference Teams. 2016-11-08. West Coast Conference. https://web.archive.org/web/20170810072243/http://www.wccsports.com/news/wcc-announces-2016-women-s-soccer-all-conference-team-11-08-2016. 2017-08-10. dead.
  38. Web site: 2016 WAC Women's Soccer Awards. 2016-11-02. WAC. https://web.archive.org/web/20161107014709/http://wacsports.com/news/2016/11/1/WSOC_1101164814.aspx. 2016-11-07. dead.