The classrooms and halls of our local universities have yet to be filled with the hustle and bustle of young academics, but the buzz of the upcoming NCAA soccer season is here. At Cincinnati Soccer Talk we hope to bring you closer to the stories and action of our local soccer squads. Join us as we do a quick recap of the 2024 season and preview the upcoming 2025 season.
All rankings used are from the United Soccer Coaches poll on NCAA.com. Projections used in this article come from Chris Henderson of the WoSoIndependent.com which uses an analytical approach to projecting conference finishes. I highly recommend following Chris ahead of this season. Teams are in order of proximity to downtown Cincinnati. Apologies to the seven teams not listed within this preview that encompass our region; we will be covering all stories within college soccer this season in future Soccer in Our Area newsletters.
Xavier Musketeers
Big East – HC Dean Ward – Website | X
2024 Recap
The Musketeers had a great 2024 campaign finishing with a 15-4-1 (W-L-D) record. Xavier finished in second place in both the Big East regular season and in the conference tournament. Surprisingly, the NCAA selection committee left the Musketeers out of their 34 at-large bids. Midfielder Samantha White and defender Natalie Bain received second team all-American honors for their stellar performances during the season. During the spring season, Xavier was able to lift their 3rd Spring Cup in four seasons. The Musketeers won their three matches in the competition by a total of nine goals to zero conceded.
2025 Preview – Schedule
Xavier will be looking to build off their successes from a year ago with the return several key players. Natalie Bain has been picked to repeat as All-Big East defensive player of the year by the league coaches. Midfielder Regan Dancer and forward Samantha Erbach also have been picked for preseason All-Big East team selections. The marquee matchups on the schedule are an August 21st road trip to Charlottesville, VA to take on the 15th ranked Virginia Cavaliers. The Musketeers will also host 12th ranked Michigan State Spartans on Sunday August 31st. This is the return trip from a season ago when Xavier tied 5th ranked Sparty in a 2-2 thriller in East Lansing. I believe Xavier has the most talented squad in the Big East and thus will be crowned conference champions in 2025.
Cincinnati Bearcats
Big XII – HC Erica Demers – Website | X
2024 Recap
A promising non-conference record in 2024 gave the Bearcats optimism but Big XII play proved to be a tough hill to climb. Cincinnati finished the 2024 campaign with a 6-9-4 (W-L-D) record. The record alone does not tell the complete story as they stayed in all matches finishing the season with a goal differential of +3. A promising freshman stepped up in Rylee Felton with seven goals in fourteen appearances, including three game winners.
2025 Preview – Schedule
As the program heads into year three under Erica Demers they will be aiming to continue building towards a becoming a Big XII powerhouse. The transition to the Big XII has been difficult but the talent is starting accumulate. Cincinnati brought in a promising but inexperienced senior goalkeeper Camryn Miller from Virginia. The Bearcats have a total of 15 underclassmen that have a ton of promise and experience playing at high levels within North America. This paired with great senior captains of defender Maddie Swingle and forward/midfielder Ellie Flower, UC will be poised to compete within the Big XII. Cincinnati is projected to finish 12th in the league this season.
Northern Kentucky Norse
Horizon – HC Bob Sheehan – Website | X
2024 Recap
NKU’s 2024 season go off to a shaky start facing some serious competition in Louisville and Ohio. Their first four matches were a combined score of 2-12. But the Norse put their foot in the sand and turn the fortunes of their season with a big road win over Morehead State. From their they went 11-1-1 before losing in the conference championship game against Milwaukee. Defender Lydia Self was named Horizon League defensive player of the year for a second straight season. Defender Lily Yordy was selected as a first team all-league player. Midfielder Caitlin Evans also claimed a spot on the All-League freshman team.
2025 Preview – Schedule
The season NKU has a better looking schedule as the first four matches are very winnable. The tests start coming in the beginning of September with a three match road trip to Ohio, Cincinnati and EKU. In league play the Norse will want to circle that September 21st road matchup against IU Indy (formerly IUPUI). Lily Yordy is one of the most talented multi-purpose players in the Cincinnati region and is red hot coming off a USL-W run with Kings Hammer FC. Her leadership and play will be instrumental in ensuring the Norse have yet another great season in 2025.
Miami (OH) Redhawks
MAC – HC Courtney Sirmans – Website | X
2024 Recap
The Redhawks had a successful season in 2024 finishing with a 8-5-6 (W-L-D) record. All five of their loses came on the road leaving their home record undefeated. Miami made it to the MAC Quarterfinals before falling to Kent State in overtime. Taylor Hamlett led the Redhawks in goal contributions with 10 goals and 4 assists. Defender Jamie Hlebec earned All-MAC honors as a second-team player. Midfielder Maris Jennings’s five assists helped her get selected to the All-MAC freshman team.
2025 Preview – Schedule
Entering 2025, it will be notable to see how they move forward without Hamlett and Hlebec. Their contributions on and off the field leave a big hole to fill. It will be up to captains Shae Taylor, Juliann Kidd and Sophia Penegor to provide that stability in the spine of the Miami formation while the attack gets their footing. The schedule shapes up nicely for the Redhawks before making the road trip to 21st ranked South Carolina. The big matchup to keep an eye on is that early conference test against Western Michigan. If the Redhawks can have players step into those scoring roles I suspect they will finish higher than their projected 7th place preseason MAC poll finish.
Dayton Flyers
A10 – HC Eric Golz – Website | X
2024 Recap
In 2024 Dayton continued their strong run of the past three seasons with a record of 14-4-2 (W-L-D). Highlights of the season were a road victory over Louisville in September and a resilient road win over UMass in October. The Flyers outscored their opponents 45-19 and averaged 2.25 goals per match. Noel Blain and Laney Smith led the way in goals with nine apiece. Kyra Karfonta and Liv Grenda also lit up the scoring with a combined 12 goals and 7 assists. Goalkeeper Batoul Reda also bagged 57 saves on the season for a save percentage of .750 in every minute of the season. Dayton had four players on the All-A10 first team, two players on the second team, and three players on the All-Freshman team. The Flyers season was cut short after a stunner in the 89th minute of the A10 semifinals at the hands of UMass.
2025 Preview – Schedule
Without a doubt, this non-conference schedule is brutal with the Flyers off to East Lansing to play the 12th ranked Michigan State Spartans during the opening weekend of the season. Following that, four of the next five matches are against major 5 conference teams. If the Flyers can make it through that period with a .500 record or better they will be poised to be in the NCAA Tournament at-large picture. The A10 is looking to be a little easier in the 2025 campaign and Dayton has been picked to finish in second place. The firepower and experience that Dayton brings back makes me want to bump them up a spot crowning them A10 Champions in 2025.
Wright State Raiders
Horizon – HC Travis Sobers – Website | X
2024 Recap
The year 2024 will be one Wright State will be looking to put behind them. The Raiders’ 5-10-2 (W-L-D) record was truly disappointing, especially on the road where the were 2-8 on the season. Wright State did have some positives amidst the poor results. Midfield Elise Canter was named on the All-Horizon League second team, and forward Olivia Stroud received All-Freshman honors. With just 12.0 shots per match, the Raiders couldn’t produce offense that could’ve easily flipped their fortunes. As it stood, Wright State failed to qualify for the six-team Horizon League Tournament and had their season cut short in a 0-1 loss at NKU.
2025 Preview – Schedule
Wright State will have the opportunity to kick start their 2025 season with a road match at their rival Dayton. The nexus point for the Raiders will be the three matches to begin league play. Traveling to Purdue Fort Wayne and IU Indy with a home match against Detroit Mercy in between will determine how we look back on the 2025 season. They will need to see increased production from now sophomore Stroud and junior forward Ruby Dunlevy. The Raiders have been picked to finish 5th in the Horizon League.
Kentucky Wildcats
SEC – HC Troy Fabino – Website | X
2024 Recap
The Wildcats got of to a rocket start in 2024 winning their first eight matches, including a win over then #9 UCLA. Kentucky reached as high as 20th in the rankings before a series of disappointing results to close out September bounced them out of the rankings. To finish the regular season, UK went through the fires of the SEC. A 0-0 draw against #11 Auburn and a road 0-1 loss to #3 Mississippi State was followed by an electric 4-0 win over the Lady Vols on Senior Night. Tennessee would have their revenge a week later bouncing Kentucky out of the first round in the SEC Tournament. The Wildcats received a five seed in the NCAA Tournament and got an opening round win over West Virginia in a penalty kick shootout. But Notre Dame finished Kentucky’s tournament hopes with a 3-1 victory in Starkville, MS. Kentucky finished with a 11-5-5 (W-L-D) record and went undefeated at home, their best season record since 2014. Makayla Woods was awarded SEC Newcomer of the Year and made the All-SEC first team along with Grace Phillpotts.
2025 Preview – Schedule
Kentucky’s 2025 schedule is comparably easier than the one a year ago. The Wildcats are fortunate to have not drawn SEC favorites and 6th ranked Arkansas on the schedule. But a home match against 18th Ohio State will conclude their non-conference schedule. In league they have 17th ranked Vanderbilt and 21st ranked South Carolina, both of which are at home. The Wildcats made a splash signing with freshman goalkeeper Khadijah Cissé of the Canadian U17 squad who will start in net this season. But the question marks will be on how the Big Blue will replace Woods and Phillpotts. The pair were instrumental in the team’s successes and head coach Troy Fabino will have his hands full trying to come up with solutions. Forward Alexis Tylenda will be one of those players that can step to the plate. The sophomore started all matches last season and was named to the All-SEC Freshman team. The Cats are picked 10th in the SEC preseason coaches poll.
Louisville Cardinals
ACC – HC Karen Ferguson-Dayes – Website | X
2024 Recap
Louisville finished 2024 with a record of 7-6-5 (W-L-D) and if I stopped there you might shrug off their performance. But the reality is the ACC is the premier conference in women’s soccer. The Cardinals faced five teams in the top 25 during the season including four straight matches against top 15 opponents. Three of which made the NCAA Tournament’s semifinals. Absolutely brutal for any team to traverse. The real slip up for Louisville came in the final days of non-conference play. A home loss to Dayton was compounded with two additional road losses to Pittsburgh and Virginia Tech. From there it only got tougher until the Cardinals found their footing with a 2-1 win over 25th ranked Cal. A big part of that late season turn around was the play of goalkeeper Erynn Floyd who collected 6 shutouts and an eye watering 35 saves in 14 matches. On the attacking side Mackenzie Geigle netted 7 goals on the season. Defender Karsyn Cherry was able to getting in on the action offensively with 6 goals of her own.
2025 Preview – Schedule
Louisville did not receive a lighter schedule in 2025 despite not having power houses North Carolina and Stanford listed. Louisville has a grueling path yet again but that is nothing new to the Cardinals as they look to forge in the fires to create a special season. UofL has #2 Notre Dame, #3 Florida State, #10 Wake Forest, #14 Virginia Tech, #15 Virginia, and #17 Vanderbilt slated ahead. The Cards will need the production of their key pieces along with several new contributors to navigate the path ahead. But if they can take the next step this truly could be a magical season for Louisville.
Ohio State Buckeyes
Big Ten – HC Lori Walker-Hock – Website | X
2024 Recap
The Buckeyes had a very successful 2024 season but I’m certain they were eyeing more from the year. Despite playing twelve top 25 teams, Ohio State finished the year 14-6-3 (W-L-D). They fell to fourth ranked USC in the Big Ten Tournament and to third ranked Wake Forrest in the NCAA Round of 16. Both tournament loss came from a single goal scored. In the other matches, Ohio State was able to put up 45 goals on the season. Kailyn Dudukovich recorded 19 goals alone finishing second in the entire NCAA for goals scored only one behind UNC’s Kate Faasse that had four more matches played. Goalkeeper Molly Pritchard had an incredible 91 saves on the season with a .827 save percentage.
2025 Preview – Schedule
As the page flips to the 2025 season, Ohio State will need to find similar successes with yet another loaded schedule. They open up play with two magnolia state teams in Clemson and South Carolina who both are on the top 25 line. The real top matchups come in Big Ten play with a road match against 11th ranked Penn State and a home match against 12th ranked Michigan State. All-Big Ten First Team midfielder Amanda Schlueter will be a big returner for the Buckeyes. Her 10 goals and 12 assists from last season will hopefully forecast an All-American type season. With Pritchard back in goal, Mairann Gacioch and Ava Bramblett in defense, the Buckeyes defense will a force again in 2025. Ohio State are projected to finish 5th in a loaded Big Ten.
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