The SLU women went 19-3-2, won their sixth straight A-10 Tournament championship, and made to the NCAA Sweet 16 last season. (Photo: Thomas Grove)

The Saint Louis University women’s soccer team was ranked No. 12 in the United Soccer Coaches 2024 NCAA Division I preseason poll, which was released on Tuesday. That is the highest preseason ranking ever for any Saint Louis women’s soccer team.

The ranking is the third for the Billikens in a United Soccer Coaches preseason poll, following an initial rating of No. 21 for the 2021 and 2023 teams. SLU’s 2006 and 2019 squads were among those listed in the “Also Receiving Votes” section of the preseason rankings.

SLU finished the 2023 campaign with the No. 11 ranking, the highest end-of-season spot in the coaches’ poll in program history.

Defending national champion Florida State was a unanimous choice at No. 1, followed in the top 10 by national runner-up Stanford, BYU, Penn State, Clemson, Nebraska, Pittsburgh, North Carolina and Texas Tech (tied for No. 8), and Memphis. UCLA checks in at No. 11, just two points ahead of the Billikens.

National – Preseason Poll – August 6, 2024

RankSchool1st VotesTotal PointsW-L-T
1Florida State820022-0-1
2Stanford019020-1-4
3BYU017820-3-3
4Penn State017016-3-4
5Clemson015518-4-4
6Nebraska013917-4-3
7Pittsburgh013717-6-1
8North Carolina012813-2-8
8Texas Tech012816-2-5
10Memphis012520-2-0
11UCLA011116-2-1
12Saint Louis University010919-3-2
13Michigan State010514-5-3
14Georgia010413-4-6
15Notre Dame09012-4-4
16Arkansas08715-5-2
17Texas07717-5-2
18Mississippi State07412-6-5
19Wisconsin05714-5-4
20Alabama04112-5-5
21South Carolina02912-3-6
22Santa Clara02614-5-2
23USC02411-5-3
24Duke0156-7-3
25Iowa01313-5-4
25Texas A&M01310-8-4

Records shown are final 2023 records.

Also receiving votes: Princeton (8), Brown (7), TCU(5), Georgetown (3), Virginia (3), Wake Forest (3).

This season, the Billikens will play two teams that are ranked in the preseason Top 5 at home, in non-conference matchups.

Saint Louis will play No. 3-ranked BYU on August 22 at Hermann Stadium and will also play No. 4 Penn State in a rematch of last year’s classic Sweet 16 overtime thriller, which the Nittany Lions won 4-3. That contest will be on September 1.

This weekend, SLU will play an exhibition game, on the road against Evansville on Saturday. The regular season will begin on Thursday, August 15, when Saint Louis will host Kansas City.

2024 SLU BILLIKENS WOMEN’S SOCCER SCHEDULE

DateTimeAtOpponentLocation
August 10, 2024 (Saturday)5 pmAwayEvansville (exhibition)Evansville, IN
August 15, 2024 (Thursday)7 pmHomeKansas CityHermann Stadium
August 22, 2024 (Thursday)7 pmHome#3 BYUHermann Stadium
August 25, 2024 (Sunday)7 pmAwayMissouriColumbia, MO
August 29, 2024 (Thursday)6 pmAwayMissouri StateSpringfield, MO
September 1, 2024 (Sunday)1 pmHome#4 Penn StateHermann Stadium
September 6, 2024 (Friday)5 pmAwayCreightonOmaha, Neb.
September 8, 2024 (Sunday)TBANeutralSIUECity Park / St. Louis, MO
September 12, 2024 (Thursday)6 pmAwayXavierCincinnati, OH
September 19, 2024 (Thursday)3 pmAwayMassachusettsAmherst, MA
September 22, 2024 (Sunday)1 pmHomeGeorge WashingtonHermann Stadium
September 26, 2024 (Thursday)7 pmHomeLoyola ChicagoHermann Stadium
October 3, 2024 (Thursday)7 pmHomeSaint Joseph’sHermann Stadium
October 6, 2024 (Sunday)NoonAwayDuquesnePittsburgh, PA
October 13, 2024 (Sunday)1 pmHomeVCUHermann Stadium
October 17, 2024 (Thursday)3:30 pmAwayRichmondRichmond, VA
October 20, 2024 (Sunday)NoonAwayLa SallePhiladelphia, PA
October 24, 2024 (Thursday)7 pmHomeGeorge MasonHermann Stadium
October 27, 2024 (Sunday)NoonAwayDaytonDayton, OH