If there’s one thing to know about women’s soccer in the NCAA, is that the ACC is dominant. The University of North Carolina has a staggering 21 national championships. Behind UNC is another ACC school, Florida State, which has won the NCAA tournament four times, and Notre Dame, which has earned the trophy three times.

The ACC has also long carried a reputation for building some of the country’s best soccer players at the national level. USWNT stars like Tobin Heath, Crystal Dunn, and Allie Long all went through the UNC machine before putting in years with the national team. The University of Virginia produced Becky Sauerbrunn and Morgan Gauraut (nee Brian). Jenna Nighswonger, Casey Krueger, and Emily Sams yield from Florida State, and Korbin Albert comes from Notre Dame. Countless other ACC players have ended up in the National Women’s Soccer League – 19 alone were drafted in 2019 – and a handful of athletes play in other leagues around the world, like Mexico’s Liga MX Femenil and the French Première Ligue.

With conference realignments, the ACC is only looking stronger. As of October 8, the ACC has nine teams ranked in the United Soccer Coaches poll. They also hold the top three spots in the poll – Duke in first, North Carolina at second, and Wake Forest in third.

Conference Realignment Movement

Now, with the addition of Stanford and California, the conference is even more powerful with the addition of Stanford and the University of California. A conference that didn’t used to have to contend with intimidating West Coast talent is now adjusting to a new reality where bi-coastal competition is commonplace.

Stanford, a historically dominant soccer school with three NCAA championships in its history and two almost-perfect seasons, is having an uncharacteristically and relatively tough start to its season. The Cardinals fell to Wake Forest 1-0 in their ACC debut and later tied 1-1 with the University of Pittsburgh, two disappointing results for the team. As of publication, they sit at No. 7 on the table. California, the other significant addition to the ACC, sits at No. 17 but is performing slightly higher than was expected, not jumping into the top 25 until October 1.

Stanford’s and California’s programs both have highly-regarded reputations and lists of notable alumni that come with them. Stanford has produced possibly more USWNT players than any other NCAA program, including but not limited to Kelley O’Hara, Christen Press, Andi Sullivan, Tierna Davidson, Naomi Girma, and Sophia Smith. In addition to their three national championships, the Cardinals captured the Pac-12 title 15 times. California has produced stars like Alex Morgan, Brandi Chastain, and Joy Fawcett, and won the Pac-12 tournament in 2023.

The West Coast additions might not have caused any tectonic shifts in the ACC, but Stanford and California are making their presences known in a conference that may not have known what to anticipate. On Oct. 10, current No 2. UNC defeated current No. 17 California in a 1-0 win after forward Bella Sember scored with only 11 seconds on the clock. The game was a thriller for UNC – and their 250th regular season ACC victory – but it also served as a testament to California’s grit, tenacity, and ability to truly keep up just months into their new conference.

And on Sunday, Oct. 13, current No 7. Stanford beat UNC 1-0, and current No. 1 Duke narrowly defeated California 2-1. The past few days have given the ACC its first true understanding of how the new bi-coastal nature of the conference shapes the competition. And while the ACC regular, like UNC and Duke, remain dominant, with each game played, the west coast additions get closer and closer to claiming the conference as their own.