Northwest women’s soccer ranked No. 1 in NJCAA preseason poll

First-ever No. 1 preseason ranking in program history

Aug. 12, 2024 – With the start of the 2024 regular season less than two weeks away, the Northwest Lady Rangers will start things from the very top.

For the first time ever, Northwest enters the season with a No. 1 ranking, the NJCAA announced on Monday afternoon. It’s only the second time in program history that the Lady Rangers have hit the top spot in the NJCAA rankings, after earning the No. 1 slot on Oct. 9, 2023.

Northwest was the unanimous choice for the No. 1 spot, receiving nine first place votes and 140 points. Fellow MACCC foe Jones College checks in at No. 2, while Johnson County (Kan.), Phoenix College and Holmes round out the rankings in slots three through five, respectively.

Other MACCC programs represented in the rankings include Pearl River at No. 13 and Mississippi Gulf Coast, which was unranked but received votes.

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This is the second preseason poll to feature the Lady Rangers, after the United Soccer Coaches association tabbed Northwest seventh in its Junior College Division II rankings last week. Some of that is based off last season’s finish, when the Lady Rangers compiled a 21-2 overall record and won the NJCAA Region 23 championship and a share of the MACCC regular season title.

In two seasons, Northwest has posted a combined 36-5-1 record, earning back-to-back appearances in the NJCAA Division II Women’s Soccer Championship tournament.

Northwest is slated to open its regular season schedule on Saturday, August 24 against Mineral Area College at 5 p.m.