The 2025 NCAA women’s soccer season kicked off two weeks ago and is already off to a fiery start. Plenty of stars return from last year, while a mix of fresh faces begin to make their mark on top Division I programs. Take a look at five players 5wins predicting to have breakout seasons this fall:

Bella Gaetino (D), North Carolina

A returning sophomore with UNC, Bella Gaetino was one of only three freshmen to play in every game of the Tar Heels' championship run. While she anchored UNC’s defense, she was also stellar in the attack, with five goals and two assists on the season. It’s no surprise she opened up North Carolina’s scoring this year just five minutes into their Aug. 17 matchup against Siena, in true defender style—a rocket from near the top of the box after a cross was spilled out.

Gaetino ended her 2024 campaign as a member of the ACC All-Freshman team and ranked as the No. 14 freshman in the country. Despite being an underclassman, Gaetino will help bring a sense of veteran experience to the incredibly young Tar Heels roster.

Grace Restovich (M), Notre Dame

It’s hard to believe Restovich didn’t get more hype as a freshman at Notre Dame last season. She made up one half of the dynamic duo between her and fellow midfielder Izzy Engle, who often was on the receiving end of Restovich’s assists and had an outstanding year for the Irish. Those 11 assists on the season ranked 11th nationally and earned her a spot on TopDrawerSoccer’s Freshman Best XI First Team. Two of her five goals last year were game winners, and she also tallied an absolute banger against No. 1 seed Mississippi State in the NCAA Tournament. Safe to say, Restovich was just getting started. As she gears up for another season paired with Engle, Notre Dame could easily make a College Cup run.

Keegan Smith (GK), Arkansas

Keegan Smith might be one of the most athletic college soccer players in the country, but we’ll get to that later. A 5'11 sophomore keeper with Arkansas, Smith started her college soccer career with 11 shutouts in 21 appearances for the Razorbacks, tying a program shutout record from 2022. She was a major reason Arkansas made it back to the Sweet 16 and had a staggering 9 saves against Stanford.

The only freshman goalkeeper in program history to earn All-SEC honors, Smith may go down as the best keeper the Razorbacks have ever had if her performances stay consistent. Her incredible first college season earned her two U.S. Youth Women’s National Team callups this year—one in February and another this past summer with the U-18/19 team. Expect this added confidence and experience at the highest level to carry over for the team this year.

Side note: If there’s ever a need, the Razorbacks always have Smith as an option in the attack. Believe it or not, her play as an attacking midfielder is what made her the 2023 New York Girls Gatorade Soccer Player of the Year in high school. Her career 89 goals and 59 assists are what most field players dream of, but somehow she shined even more in the net. Talk about athletic.

Taylor Suarez (M/F), Florida State

Florida State’s second-year midfielder Taylor Suarez capped off her freshman season as an ACC Tournament Champion and made the list of Top 100 freshmen in the postseason. On the pitch, Suarez logged 11 points in just 700 minutes, tallying three goals and five assists. Her knack for showing up in big moments stood out—she scored the opening goal in FSU’s ACC Championship win over No. 8 North Carolina, notched her first multi-assist game against Pittsburgh and assisted on two goals in the Seminoles’ 8-0 NCAA Tournament rout of Samford.

With her first career goal coming in the season opener against South Florida, Suarez quickly established herself as an impact player. Selected to the Preseason Best XI Freshman Team and now stepping into a starting role for 2025, she’s primed to take on a bigger stage as one of FSU’s leaders and college soccer’s breakthrough stars.

Avery Oder (F), Duke

We can’t make this list without the addition of a freshman phenom. Forward Avery Oder wasted no time solidifying herself into the Duke squad, scoring their first goal of the season in a contest against Penn State on Aug. 14, just three minutes into the game. The goal was the second-quickest tally by a Duke freshman in program history. Ranked the top forward in the 2025 class, Oder came to the Blue Devils as a U-17 ECNL National Player of the Year, All-American and U-17 ECNL National Champion. In only three seasons of high school soccer, she scored 54 goals and notched 32 assists. Oder will undoubtedly be one of the top freshmen, if not top forwards in the ACC this fall.