The Pac‑12 Conference released its 2026 preseason women's soccer poll this week, positioning the San Diego State Aztecs fourth among the league's twelve programs.
It is only the third occasion in the last seventeen years that the Aztecs have fallen outside the top two in the preseason rankings, the previous instances occurring in 2019 and 2025, underscoring both the program's recent consistency and the competitiveness of the league.
Utah State earned the preseason No. 1 slot after capturing the Mountain West Tournament title, while Texas State followed in second after a Sun Belt Tournament victory the previous season, and Boise State claimed third after securing the Mountain West regular‑season championship.
The middle of the pack featured a cluster of programs, with Washington State, Colorado State and Gonzaga sharing sixth place, while Fresno State landed eighth and Oregon State ninth, reflecting a tightly contested landscape.
Preseason Impact List highlights
Midfielder Katie Senn and defender Lily Boudet earned spots on the Pac‑12 Preseason Impact List, recognizing Senn's playmaking and goal contributions from the previous season and Boudet's defensive reliability and offensive output, while goalkeeper Kailey Carlen, a sophomore returning from a seven‑shutout campaign that placed her among the program's top ten, also received preseason acknowledgment.
The Aztecs will open the 2026 campaign with a home match against UC San Diego at 7 p.m. local time, a game that will be streamed live on the Pac‑12 YouTube channel and available to paid ESPN+ subscribers; matches played on the SDSU Sports Deck will admit fans free of charge.
With a blend of experienced returnees and fresh talent, the team hopes to translate its preseason momentum into a deeper postseason run, aiming to end the long‑standing top‑two drought.