NCAA D1 Women’s Pre-Season Team To Watch 2024 – Scout Report

As the NCAA calendar kicks off and Division 1 men and women are a few matches into their seasons, it’s time for our Total Football Analysis Women’s Pre-season Team to Watch.

For the first time, we’re excited to present a pre-season team to represent the NCAA D1 women’s game.

The process to identify our candidates followed the D1 men’s pre-season data analysis.

Taking data from Wyscout and aggregating through Power Query, we then segmented the players by positions and set a 600-minute cut-off for 2023 playing time.

Then, we used position-specific statistics to identify the players with the most comprehensive data profiles.

There are 333 D1 women’s teams, compared to 205 on the men’s side.

With that in mind, we took a more aggressive approach with the minutes minimum so that we were focusing on a more exclusive player pool.

With the growth of the NWSL, the newly formed USL Super League and players moving to Europe, including the WSL, this analysis uses statistics to identify top collegiate players who may have a professional pathway in their future.

They’re the ones to watch as the season progresses.

They are primed for big seasons and potentially professional careers beyond the 2024 NCAA schedule.

Once the percentile rankings were in place, we identified players who scored highest within position-specific metrics.

Our selected formation is a 4-3-3.

Let’s get to the players who earn our nominations as the Total Football Analysis NCAA D1 Women’s Pre-season Team to Watch.

NCAA Women’s Goalkeeper And Defenders To Watch In 2024/25

For those readers who are familiar with NCAA soccer, both on the men’s and women’s side, there’s a distinction we have in the United States to generalize the programs with top resources and those with less at their disposal.

The term for these are Power Four schools and Mid-Majors.

The Power Fours are typically very large universities with NCAA American football and basketball teams that are high-revenue programs.

The revenue from those other sports means the school will use the money to invest in world-class facilities.

As one coach at a Power Four school said to me a few years ago, “My office is nicer than Jurgen Klopp’s.”

While Liverpool will surely be among the standard bearers in the global game, the facilities at these top NCAA universities range from impressive to cutting-edge.

With mid-majors, there is a little more variability. Some have extraordinary wealth and the facilities to match.

Others play the role of David fighting Goliath.

Fortunately, running the data has helped us look beyond conference labels to identify top players from across the country.

That’s seen right away with our selection of goalkeepers and defenders.

While the Power Four schools are represented, so are the mid-majors.

That’s why we have used data in our scouting process.

We want to identify the top players in the nation without the bias of conference labels.

Let’s start with our first five players.

Goalkeeper – Alexis Wolgemuth, Junior, Marshall

Wolgemuth comes into the 2024 season with a timesharing goal in 2023.

To start the season, she has been the player in goal.

Her goalkeeping data is among the best in the nation across each of our top metrics except for exits p90.

She’s heavily involved in the build-out and is one of the more accurate passers in the collegiate game.

Her data profile would suggest that the greater the distance of the distributions, the more her percentile rank drops.

She is someone who will help Marshall keep the ball along the back and give them some degree of security as they build out.

Her feet are good, but her goalkeeper-specific actions are the standout qualities.

Now that she is seemingly locked into the starter role, there’s an opportunity for a big season.

Outside-Back – Juliana Ryan, Senior, UMass

Ryan’s profile is an impressive one.

The University of Massachusetts at Amherst senior is a top contributor across the board.

She’s a high-volume, high-efficiency crosser who does exceptionally well to get into the final third and the box.

She’s a player who can beat the opponent on the dribble and links up well with her teammates.

Looking at her passing and progression percentile ranks, she’s very heavily involved in UMass’s attack.

You could even call her a focal point from that right wing.

While her in-possession merits are nearly enough to earn our nod on their own, she’s also one of the better players in defensive duels, rates near the 90th percentile in possession-adjusted interceptions and still has the legs to get back and block shots.

Heading into her final season of NCAA soccer, she’ll look to be among UMass’s top performers once again.

Outside-Back – Ella Hatteberg, Junior, Arizona

Our second outside back is Hatteberg from Arizona.

The junior from Washington has a data profile that is very similar to that of Ryan.

She’s one of the best crossing outside backs in the nation, and she has a knack for the final ball.

Her key pass is p90 and passes to the penalty area p90 are among the best in the nation.

She’s also heavily involved in Arizona’s in-possession tactics.

She tends to play shorter passes than the other outside backs in the player pool, but she’s wildly efficient, even with heavy involvement.

While her aerial tool numbers are average and she rates poorly in possession-adjusted interceptions, she has the quality in defensive duels to rate among the top quartile in the nation when factoring in both the number of engagements and her success rate.

Whether she’s on the left or the right, look for Hatteberg to register significant minutes this season and be one of their top contributors.

Centre-Back – Cate Hardin, Junior, Georgia

Hardin’s season got off to a difficult start in a 4-3 loss to UNC Chapel Hill, but there’s no doubt that she and her Georgia teammates will rebound.

The centre-back is at the top or near it in virtually every passing metric.

She’s both a high-volume and high-efficiency passer.

She has the quality to be the focal point of Georgia’s build-out, which data in this analysis bears out.

Defensively, she’s very strong in duels and one of the better interceptors of the ball.

Harden will be a key piece to this Georgia backline.

Look for her to help on set pieces and with her aerial defending.

While she didn’t have any goals last season, she has the aerial ability to add to the team’s goal tally.

Centre-Back – Katie Stafford, Redshirt Senior, Akron

Stafford and Hardin have very similar statistical profiles.

The greatest difference between the two is Stafford’s shots p90 and non-penalty goals p90 output.

Those goals don’t come from her head, which is typical for centre-backs during set pieces.

Her passing is at or near the top of the game.

Stafford cleats a top per cent of passes and forward passes p90, which comes with one of the best accuracy ratings in the nation.

She doesn’t complete quite as many passes to the final third and box as other top centre-backs do, but she is so reliable in possession and a key player in that Akron backline.

Defensively, her aerial duel win rate, defensive duels p90 and winning percentage, and possession-adjusted interceptions are all in the top quartile.

NCAA Women’s Midfielders Scouting Report

Our NCAA D1 men’s team featured a traditional three-man midfield.

We had a defensive midfielder, a player with a box-to-box skill set and more of a classic attacking midfielder.

Our approach is a little bit different with this team selection.

The data gave us two defensive midfielders who were clear standouts.

Rather than the third spot going to the #8, this three-woman midfield features a double pivot.

Defensive Midfielder – Rachel Poplin, Redshirt Junior, UNC Greensboro

First up is Poplin from UNC Greensboro.

She’s a classic defensive midfielder.

Intercepting passes is her greatest strength, showing her tactical IQ and read of the game.

She’s a high-volume tackler with a high success rate, with both registering at the 80th percentile or higher.

Factor in that she’s also very good in the air, and you’ve got a top defensive midfielder.

Poplin’s also a fantastic player in the build-out and is one of the key players in UNC Greensboro’s attack at the centre of play for this side.

Given her position, she’s also exceptional at finding line-breaking passes and has an excellent xA p90.

Poplin will find her way into the box and registers an average xG p90 for deeper midfielders, but it hasn’t translated to non-penalty goals.

The goals are just the icing on the cake.

Poplin is one of the best defensive midfielders in the nation, with one of the most complete profiles.

Attacking Midfielder – Shae Harvey, Sophomore, Stanford

Harvey falls along those same lines.

The sophomore from Stanford had a fantastic freshman year.

Her first season with the Cardinal saw her establish herself as one of the most highly touted players in the nation.

She’s looking for a repeat campaign in 2024.

While she’s a very good defender, it’s her work in possession that really catches the eye.

She’s a focal point of the team.

Her quality was clear even during her first season at the collegiate level.

This press-resistant midfielder is equally adept at retaining the ball under heavy pressure and using her playmaking talents higher up the pitch.

She ranks in the top percentile amongst her midfield colleagues in xA p90, passes to the penalty area p90 and touches in the box.

She also generates a healthy xG and non-penalty goals rating, both on p90 scales.

She’s one of the standout players, not only relative to her position on this pre-season team to watch but in all of college soccer.

Attacking Midfielder – Evelyn Shores, Sophomore, UNC Chapel Hill

UNC Chapel Hill was loaded last season.

12 players from last year’s roster left the program and are now in the professional ranks.

All that talent on the pitch limited Shores to 604 minutes, but there are positions to fill this season.

Without so many roadblocks to minutes, this could be a breakout year for the USA youth international.

While she is yet to make her debut in 2024 due to injury, she is close to a return and primed to run the UNC midfield.

In her limited minutes, Shore’s produced a data profile with virtually no gaps.

Aside from the number of defensive duels she takes on per 90 minutes, nearly every category registers at the 80th percentile or better.

Her numbers in both the top and middle grouping are simply absurd.

There should be some regression as she earns more minutes, but the data would suggest that she has the potential to be the top passer and playmaker in NCAA D1 women’s soccer.

Even better, she’ll find her way into the box and register her fair share of goal contributions.

So long as Shore’s injury doesn’t lead to an extended absence and slow recovery to match fitness and form, she could be one of the top talents on display in 2024.

NCAA Women’s Forwards Scouting Report

As the women’s professional scene has grown both in the United States and in Europe, the top NCAA D1 women’s school scorers have seen an increase in their opportunities to progress to the professional ranks.

Ally Sentnor is a perfect example, leaving UNC after her redshirt sophomore year to become the top pick in the NWSL draft.

Given the turnover along the forward line, there’s certainly an opportunity for lesser-used or first-year players to claim their spot at the top of the goal-scoring charts.

But we’re going to stick with 2023’s data to identify players who should be among the top goal-scorers in the nation this year.

Center Forward – Jen Blitchok, Grad Student, Western Michigan

First stop is Blitchok.

The grad student at Western Michigan had a very good 2023, registering nine goals in 1323 minutes during her first season with Western Michigan.

Among centre forwards, she had one of the best non-penalty goals p90 and xG p90 performances in the nation.

Her goal conversion rate was excellent as well, registering a high number of shots in a variety of ways.

She’s excellent on the dribble and routinely finds her way into the opposition’s box.

Goals are her game, but she’s also one of the better passing strikers. Her xA p90 is fantastic, and she ranks close to the top quartile in the majority of passing metrics we looked at.

She also gives Western Michigan a strong aerial presence.

She has one of the highest aerial duels p90 marks and a duel success rate that rates in the 90th percentile.

One more year for the Western Michigan player.

With five goals in her first three games, she looks set for a memorable farewell season.

Wide Forward – Colby Barnett, Senior, Santa Clara

Nothing says dangerous like a high volume, high success rate dribbler.

That’s exactly what you get with Barnett.

The Santa Clara winger is a dynamic playmaker who loves to take on opponents.

Among left-wingers, she not only has one of the best dribbling success rates, but she’s also one of the national leaders in shots p90 and touches in the box p90.

Her goal conversion rate could use some improvement, but there’s no doubt that Barnett will create those opportunities to goal.

This is also where she will lean on her passing to create for teammates.

She’s one of the best wingers in the nation in xA p90, passes to the penalty area p90 and key passes p90.

While there’s not much help on the defensive side of the game, she takes the freedom there to save her energy for her explosive attacking production.

Barnett’s explosiveness in the wings will be key for the Broncos this season.

Wide Forward – Morgan Fagan, Senior, Boston

Fagan enters her senior as the wide playmaker in this Terriers attack.

A fantastic dribbler, Fagan is a ball progressor who helps Boston attack the box.

While she does find herself in goal-scoring situations and rates highly in xG p90, shots p90 and even non-penalty goals, goal conversation rate does need improvement in 2024.

While she doesn’t have a goal to her name yet, if she can add that piece to her game, Fagan can improve upon her 3rd team all-conference selection.

Among the top wing attackers, Fagan also has one of the better defensive profiles too.

She’s willing to put in the work in rates highly in possession-adjusted interceptions, defensive duel win percentage, and aerial duel win percentage.

While she doesn’t have the passing efficiency of some other wingers, it’s Fagan’s 1v1 ability that’s her strongest asset.

Get her isolated, and she’ll produce moments of magic.

Conclusion

As the NCAA Women’s season gets underway, some of the players on this list have picked up where they left off last season.

Others are off to slow starts or yet to step onto the pitch.

As the season progresses, these are some of the players whose 2023 performances lead us to believe a big campaign is on the horizon.