Michigan State reached the top of the latest NCAA soccer rankings after a dominant start to the 2026 women's college soccer season.
The Spartans jumped from No. 5 to No. 1 in the September 15th IWSOC Poll, earning five first-place votes and 197 total points.
NCAA Soccer Rankings Shift with Michigan State Win, Stanford Loss
Their 6-0-2 record through five weeks pushed them past former No. 1 Stanford. The Cardinal subsequently slid to No. 6 after dropping its first game of the year. Meanwhile, Duke kept its No. 2 position with a 6-0-1 mark. And Wake Forest stayed unbeaten at No. 3 behind an 8-0-0 record.
The rest of the women's college soccer Top 5 features Vanderbilt at No. 4 and Ohio State at No. 5. Both programs entered the week without a loss.
Further down the poll, four newcomers cracked the Top 25. Notre Dame entered at No. 17, and Utah State slotted in at No. 18, before No. 24 Oklahoma and No. 25 Central Florida closed things out.
For Michigan State soccer, the No. 1 ranking extends the program's rise under head coach Jeff Hosler. The Spartans will look to hold their position as conference play picks up.
