STANFORD, Calif. – Stanford was selected to finish first in the Pac-12 following a poll of the Conference's head coaches.
The 2022 season marks the 14th time in 25 years that the Cardinal has been picked to win the conference title, including the seventh in the last eight years.
Stanford, which has not received fewer than 100 points since 2010, garnered 116 points and six first-place votes, followed closely by UCLA (112 points, four first-place votes) and Washington State (100 points, two first-place votes) in second and third, respectively.
USC was slated to finish fourth after earning 88 points, followed by Colorado (79 points), California (70 points), Washington (52 points), Oregon (51 points), Utah (46 points) and Arizona State (41 points) to complete the top 10. Oregon State (22 points) and Arizona (15 points) rounded out the poll.
The league's top four also landed in the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Top 25 released last week. UCLA enters the season at No. 13 nationally, USC at No. 15, Washington State at No. 20 and Stanford at No. 21.
The Cardinal went 13-6-1 overall in 2021, including 7-3-1 in the Pac-12 to place fourth. Stanford made its 30th NCAA Tournament appearance overall, including its 23rd in the last 24 seasons, and has reached the postseason in all but one campaign under Knowles Family Director of Women's Soccer Paul Ratcliffe.
Stanford, which has won two of the last five College Cups, will open the 2022 season on Thursday, August 18 when it hosts Sacramento State for a 7 p.m. kickoff.
