PRINCETON, N.J. — After a season that saw two Ivies record wins in the NCAA Tournament, the national spotlight is on Ivy League women's soccer heading into the 2023 campaign. Following a vote by members of the media, Brown has been picked to win its fourth-straight Ivy League title.
The Bears landed in the top spot having collected 123 votes, including 12 of the 16 first-place votes, from the projections. Brown, who is receiving votes in the national preseason poll, is coming off a 13-2-3 season that included an NCAA Tournament win over nationally-ranked Rutgers.
Harvard lands in the second position after 113 votes and three first-place votes. The Crimson also collected a win in last year's NCAA Tournament and currently ranked #23 in the national preseason poll. Yale (88 votes) was the only other Ivy to receive a first-place vote after a 7-5-3 season. Princeton and Columbia occupy the fourth and fifth spots, respectively, after both garnered over 70 votes. Cornell, Dartmouth, and Penn round out the bottom three slots.
This year, the Ivy League will hold its inaugural women’s soccer postseason tournament to determine the league's automatic qualifier to the NCAA Tournament. The four-team tournament will consist of the top four teams from the regular season and will be hosted by the No. 1 seed on Friday, November 3 and Sunday, November 5.
Last week, numerous student-athletes received national attention as six Ivies were named to TopDrawerSoccer's Top 100 players for the season. Brown's
Brittany Raphino earned the number five ranking in the country. Her teammate,
Ava Seelenfreund, was ranked inside the top 35 along with Harvard's
Hannah Bebar and
Jade Rose. Harvard's
Josefine Hasbo and Princeton's
Pietra Tordin also received Top 100 rankings.
Last season, six out of the eight league programs finished with .500 or better records.
Seven squads will be in action this Friday beginning with Brown and Columbia kicking off at 2 p.m. ET. Cornell begins their season on Sunday when the Big Red host Lehigh.
2023 Ivy League Women's Soccer Preseason Poll
Predicted Order of Finish
1. Brown - 123 (12)
2. Harvard - 113 (3)
3. Yale - 88 (1)
4. Princeton - 78
5. Columbia - 74
6. Cornell - 35
7. Dartmouth - 33
8. Penn - 32