MAC

What happened in 2020-21: The Mid-America Conference split off into East and West Divisions, with six teams on each side. Bowling Green won the East and Ball State triumphed in the West. The Falcons won the MAC title game, earning the at-large bid where they lost to Mississippi on penalty kicks.

What to expect in 2021: Bowling Green and Ball State(m) should be back among the contending sides once again, as both bring back plenty of talent. For BGSU, that includes First Team All-MAC honorees Madi Wolfbauer and Nikki Cox. Buffalo was in the mix in the East Division and can replicate that against a full schedule, especially with Marcy Barberic back for another season, along with last year’s Defensive Player of the Year Hannah Callaghan. Eastern Michigan and Western Michigan were both solid in the small sample size of the spring season and have enough returning to make a run against the entire conference.

Missouri Valley

What happened in 2020-21: It was a dominant season from Loyola-Chicago, winners of both the regular season and conference tournament titles. Indiana State, Illinois State, Northern Iowa and Valparaiso rounded up the top five.

What to expect in 2021: The dominance of Loyola-Chicago in the spring looks likely to carry over into the fall. Conference honorees Megan Nemec and Abby Swanson are both among Loyola’s returning talent. Alaina Abel also earned Freshman of the Year for the Ramblers. The search for an upstart to unseat the defending champs could start with Valparaiso, which bring back Goalkeeper of the Year Nikki Coryell. Abby Santos returns for Illinois State and will look to push the program back into contention. Indiana State and Northern Iowa had solid seasons and have a big chance to build on that.

Mountain West

What happened in 2020-21: The conference split into West and East Divisions for the spring. San Diego State won the former, and New Mexico dominated the latter, as the Lobos beat the Aztecs to make it to the NCAA tournament. New Mexico made it to the second round of the 

What to expect in 2021: Things could be wide open as a normal schedule returns. The spring’s top two offensive players, Chloe Frisch (SDSU) and Gwen Maly (New Mexico), aren’t back. However, those two programs have enough returning talent on their rosters to be in mix for first place in the upcoming season. There’s a good bit of coaching turnover, as Utah State, Wyoming and Colorado State all have new head coaches. Several programs with a recent history of success will look to contend, including Boise State, Colorado College and Fresno State.

Northeast

What happened in 2020-21: Central Connecticut won a shortened conference season, posting a 6-0 record against NEC foes. They won the conference tournament as well, and swept the major conference postseason awards.

What to expect in 2021: Preseason voting tabbed Central Connecticut as the favorites, even with a couple of big holes to fill. Roma McLaughlin returns, and remains one of the top midfielders in college soccer. The three-time defending champions are certainly going to be difficult for the likes of Fairleigh Dickinson, Sacred Heart, Bryant, Saint Francis (PA)(w) or Merrimack to overcome. Howard is also set to compete in the NEC this season, moving from the SWAC.

Ohio Valley

What happened in 2020-21: Murray State won a fifth regular-season title during the spring campaign, but was unable to secure the NCAA tournament bid. That went to second-place finishers SIUE, which posted an 8-3-2 record in the spring campaign.

What to expect in 2021: Coaches in the conference expect a two-team race at the top, with SIUE shading it to earn the dreaded favorite label in preseason polling. Mackenzie Litzsinger, forward Lily Schnieders and midfielder Matea Diekema are all among the key returnees for last season’s conference tournament champs. Defender of the Year Isabel Heckman leads the experienced players for Murray State, who have every chance of winning another regular-season crown. Southeast Missouri State(w), UT Martin, Belmont and Tennessee Tech can’t be overlooked either.

Patriot League

What happened in 2020-21: It’s difficult to read too much into the spring campaign in the Patriot League, as teams played small schedules on a north and south divide. Boston University took first place in the regular season in the north, while Navy posted a 3-0-1 record to win the south. Navy won the conference tournament on penalty kicks against Colgate.

What to expect in 2021: Navy’s been a dominant force in the Patriot League of late, as head coach Carin Gabarra continues to leverage her experience to lead the program to success. Boston University is more than capable of mounting a challenge, with Jenna Oldham leading the attack. Programs like Colgate, Army and Loyola (MD) can certainly enter the mix if they prove that the short success of the spring can roll over into a longer fall schedule.

Southern

What happened in 2020-21: After Samford edged Furman in the regular season, the Paladins won the conference tournament to advance to the NCAA tournament. UT Chattanooga finished third.

What to expect in 2021: Winners of the past two conference tournaments, Furman and Samford looked primed to duke it out for regular season and postseason honors. Isabella Gutierrez and Nieva Gaither will be a tough one-two punch to deal with at Furman. Taylor Yount and Alyssa Frazier can be counted among the important returning players for Samford. Maggie Shaw’s back for UT Chattanooga, a big boost as the reigning SoCon Defensive Player of the Year had a huge spring season. Mercer, UNC Greensboro and Mercer will also look to make some noise in the full season.

Southland

What happened in 2020-21: Stephen F. Austin triumphed in the regular season, before bolting to join the WAC this summer with three other former Southland programs. Southeastern Louisiana surged to the conference tournament crown after finishing fifth in the regular season.

What to expect in 2021: The conference looks vastly different, as Stephen F. Austin, Sam Houston State, Abilene Christian, Lamar University(w) shifted to the WAC. That means that three of the programs that finished in the top four are now gone, opening the door for one of the eight remaining teams to win the regular season. Southeastern Louisiana has ample talent from last year’s title winners back in the fold, including Emma Jones, Makenzie Maher and Dalton Fish. Northwestern State finished highest of the returning sides last year, but this fall should be wide open with the team movement. Incarnate Word and McNeese State certainly capable of stepping up into contention.

SWAC

What happened in 2020-21: Alabama State won the regular season title, narrowly edging out Grambling State. The Hornets were able to make it a double and reach the NCAA tournament by winning the SWAC tournament.

What to expect in 2021: Another close race should be on the cards. Grambling State had four players voted to the first team All-SWAC for preseason, though there are several newcomers at Alabama State that have plenty to prove. Prairie View A&M, Jackson State and Alabama A&M all enjoyed pockets of success in the spring and can hope to carry that into the fall.

Summit League

What happened in 2020-21: Despite the pandemic, the Summit League programs were able to get in a relatively robust conference schedule. Denver was dominant, posting a 14-1-1 mark to finish just ahead of South Dakota State. Omaha and South Dakota rounded out the top four. The Pioneers gave UNC trouble in the NCAA tournament before bowing out to the ACC powerhouse.

What to expect in 2021: The bulk of Denver’s stellar group is back for the fall season, as both Natalie Beckman and Sami Feller are seniors. Beckman was one of the few players in the country to post double-digit goals (10) and assists (14). South Dakota State posted four draws in conference play, and will need to turn those into wins if Denver sets the same kind of pace in the upcoming season. Replacing Defensive Player of the Year Gabby Vivier-Hannay will be critical to maintain the pace set in the spring. Two newcomers helped push Omaha into the conference tournament, and both Mia Reedtz Rehde Olesen and Sophia Green will look to reprise that again this upcoming season.

Sun Belt

What happened in 2020-21: There was more success for South Alabama, as the Sun Belt played the bulk of competitive games (and its tournament) last fall. The Jaguars won both the regular season and conference title, as the league split into East and West Divisions. Arkansas State excelled in the West, but couldn’t find a way past South Alabama in the conference tournament.

What to expect in 2021: A balanced schedule returns, as Arkansas State takes a shot at defeating South Alabama. Sarah Sodoma and Megan McClure are both back, crucial players for Arkansas State. Meanwhile, the Jaguars did lose top talent like Brenna McPartlan via transfer. Morgan Cross and Gracie Wilson are among the returnees ready to step up. Can any other program sneak into the mix? Georgia State, Louisiana, Coastal Carolina and Texas State will look to create problems for the favored sides.

WCC

What happened in 2020-21: Santa Clara won it all. That’s both the conference regular season title and national championship. BYU looked dangerous as well, losing in the NCAA tournament to Virginia after nabbing an at-large bid.

What to expect in 2021: The Broncos bring just about everyone back for the fall season. Julie Doyle is the lone exception, though College Cup stars Kelsey Turnbow and Alexis Loera are using their extra season of eligibility. BYU hasn’t lost much either, as Mikayla Colohan is one of the best players in the country and opted to play another season of eligibility. It’s hard to imagine anyone unseating either team. Pepperdine has a history of contention, as does Portland, but will need to put together a special season to chase down either team.

WAC

What happened in 2020-21: It was a tight tussle for the regular season between Seattle and Utah Valley, as the two programs finished tied for first with a 10-2-2 record. Utah Valley went on to win the conference tournament, with California Baptist, Grand Canyon and UTRGV rounding out the top five.

What to expect in 2021: It’s a completely new league in one sense, with the addition of the four programs from the Southland. As noted above, Stephen F. Austin, Sam Houston State, Abilene Christian, Lamar University(w), have joined. The league is now split between the West and Southwest Division, with the new quartet joined by Chicago State and UTRGV. The regular season schedule means programs play home-and-away against division opponents only. That means one of the new teams, such as Abilene Christian or Stephen F. Austin in line to compete for regular season honors. Utah Valley is likely to battle it out for first place in the East.

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