 |
|
Unquestionably – the ACC. I am talking about the kind of soccer the Southeastern Conference (SEC) plays – namely Women’s Soccer. The SEC does not compete in Men’s Soccer. This is not unusual. 301 colleges participate in NCAA Division I Women’s Soccer; only 199 have Men’s teams. [Note: The following statistics have not been updated to reflect 2007 stats. However, conference standings will not likely change.]
1. ACC The University of North Carolina Lady Tarheels dominate women’s soccer. They are currently ranked #1 nationally. In the 25 years that the NCAA has conducted a Women’s Soccer National Championship, UNC has won it 18 times—including the latest 2006 installment!! That pretty much says it all.
But, I have to fill up a whole page, so here’s more. Another ACC team (Florida State) was in the final four of the 2006 NCAA Soccer tournament. Also, the ACC led the nation with 7 teams selected for the NCAA tournament. Finally, in the final National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) 2006 poll, the ACC led the nation with 5 teams in the top 25. Pretty much domination of the sport.
There is a HUGE drop off after the ACC as the other 5 conferences I rank below are all pretty close. But, here’s how I rank them:
Love SEC soccer? Then check out Best All-Time SEC Soccer Player
2. Big 12 The Big 12 had 4 teams in the 2006 final top 25 poll. They and 4 teams selected for the NCAA tournament. They tied with the Pac-10 for second (ACC being first of course) with 8 wins in the tournament. The difference between the Big 12 and the Pac-10 is depth of strength at the top. The Pac-10 really only has UCLA at the top. The Big 12 had Texas as a #1 seed; Texas A&M as a #2 seed (made it to the great 8); and Oklahoma State as a #4 seed.
3. Pac-10 The Pac-10 had 3 teams in the 2006 NSCAA final top 25. It had 4 teams selected for the 2006 NCAA tournament. I picked the Pac-10 as #2 because, like the Big 12, they had 8 wins in the 2006 NCAA tournament. But, 4 of those wins were due to UCLA which make it to the Final 4. So, the Pac-10 is not quite as deep as the Big 12.
4. SEC Only 1 SEC Soccer team (Florida) was in the final 2006 top-25 poll. But, 5 teams were picked for the NCAA tournament. The reason I pick the SEC 4th (over the final 2 conferences) is because Florida won the NCAA tournament in 1998. In fact, the Lady Gators are the only Women’s soccer team to ever win the NCAA championship from any of the major conferences – other than North Carolina. Finally, the SEC consistently has 3 or 4 teams in the top 20 for fan attendance at soccer games.
5. Big East 2 teams in the top 25. 5 teams picked for the NCAA tournament.
6. Big Ten 2 teams in the top 25. 4 teams picked for the NCAA tournament.
Blink
Del.icio.us
Digg
Furl
Google
Simpy
Spurl
Technorati
Y! MyWebGet your Fan Merchandise, Tickets, Trips and Rebate.
Click here to Vote For Your Favorite SEC Soccer Team!
Click here to Submit Information, Pictures or Video about SEC Soccer
Congrats to the Florida Gators for winning the 2007 SEC Soccer Championship. LSU was Champion of the SEC West. Tennessee and Florida both ended the 2007 ranked in the top 25 nationally.
Here was what we said before the season started (we were a bit off on LSU :)
Our ranking of SEC soccer teams follows (click on team name to go to its page):
1. Florida Gators -- Easy choice. The Lady Gators won the NCAA Soccer Tournament Championship in 1998. They had the best regular season record in the SEC and came in 2d to Kentucky in the 2006 SEC Soccer tournament. They were the only SEC soccer team ranked in the top 25 nationally at the end of the year. Florida was the top SEC seed (a #3 seed) in the NCAA tournament and won 2 games. The Soccer Gators have been in the SEC Championship game 10 of the 12 years it has been played and they won 7 SEC Soccer Tournament Championships. Florida forward Stacy Bishop was picked to the Third-Team All-America Team--as was Ameera Abdullah. The Gators had the most First Team All-SEC players (3) and Lauren Hyde picked for the SEC Soccer All-Freshman Team. Florida finished #8 in the country in attendance in 2005 (last year statistics available) with an average of 1451 fans in attendance per game. We've got the Gators winning the SEC again and at least a couple games in the NCAA Soccer Tournament.
2. Tennessee Volunteers The Lady Vols tied for second in the SEC in the regular season. They were a #4 seed in the NCAA tournament and won 2 games in the tournament, losing to eventual champion -- UNC. Tennessee had two First-Team All-SEC players and Ali Christoph was picked for 2d Team All-America honors. Kylee Rossi was the Offensive Player of the Year in the SEC. Fan support at UT soccer games is traditionally in the top-20 nationally. We predict UT will battle UF for the top spot in the SEC, but finish second.
3. Auburn Tigers Won the SEC West regular season crown which it has won for 5 of the past 6 years. Selected for the NCAA tournament and lost in the first round. Ronda Brooks was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Year. Gabi Rivera was picked for the SEC Soccer All-Freshman team. We predict Auburn takes the SEC West crown again this year (2007).
4. Ole Miss Rebels Finished second in the SEC West, but only an 8-7-5 record overall. Danielle Johnson was named to the SEC Soccer All-Freshman team. Ole Miss made the NCAA tournament 3 of the past 5 years, but not in 2006. In 2007, the Rebs will likely come in second in the SEC West, behind Auburn.
5. Georgia Bulldogs Finished last in the SEC East, but still posted an overall 10-9-0 winning record. Carrie Patterson was named SEC Freshman of the Year. In 2005, Georgia finished with an average fan attendance for their home games of 1628. That was tops in the SEC and #6 in the nation. We are predicting a major move up by Georgia Soccer in 2007. We think they will end up 3rd in the SEC East; make it to the SEC Tournament and maybe even the NCAA Championship tournament.
6. Kentucky Wildcats Beat Florida to win the SEC Soccer Tournament Championship and finished with the second best record in the regular season. But, lost 2-0 to Denver in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Anne Ogundele was picked 3rd Team All-American. Warren Lipka was named SEC Soccer Coach of the Year.
7. South Carolina Gamecocks Finished the year with the 6th best record in the SEC. Their 5 conference wins was the second best in USC’s history. The Gamecocks went undefeated at home. Blakely Mattern was named to the All-SEC Freshman team. UPDATE WOW, USC beat defending National Champ, UNC at UNC! CONGRATS! We probably need to move the Gamecocks up in the rankings.
8. Vanderbilt Commodores Selected for NCAA tournament (lost in the first round).
9. LSU Tigers Finished 3rd in the SEC West with an overall 9-8-3 winning record. Had 2 players (Chelsea Potts and Michelle Makasini) named to the SEC Soccer All-Freshman Team. 2006 was the Tigers’ first winning season since 2003.
10. Arkansas Razorbacks 10-7-2 overall, but only 3-6-2 in the SEC. Kim Schleif was named to the SEC Soccer All-Freshman Team.
11. Alabama Crimson Tide 5-14 overall and a woeful 1-10 in the SEC. Not much else to say.
12. Mississippi State Bulldogs Also a woeful 1-10 SEC record. But the Lady Bulldogs 2-16 overall record was the worst in the conference.
What do you think?
We'd love to hear your comments and/or opinions. If you submit them here, other visitors can read them, rate them and comment on them. An e-mail address is not required.
From SEC Soccer to SEC Sports |Official Southeastern Conference Soccer Site SEC Sports Blog | SEC Football | SEC Basketball | SEC Women's Basketball | SEC Baseball | SEC Track and Field | SEC Swimming and Diving | SEC Tennis | SEC Golf | SEC Gymnastics |SEC Softball | SEC Volleyball | Best College Sports Conference | SEC vs Big Ten Debate | SEC Sports News | Current SEC Sports News | SEC Sports Pictures and Videos | SEC Sports Fan Forum | College Football Association | SEC Sports Fan Trips | College Sports Tickets | Fathead | College Sports Tailgate Party Shop | College Sports Merchandise | College Sports Apparel | SEC Sports Fan Store |
