ATLANTA, Ga. (August 26, 2025) – Maryville was voted the 2025 season preseason frontrunner in the Collegiate Conference of the South (CCS), collecting 63 points and seven first-place votes, determined by a vote by the league’s nine head coaches. The Scots earned the top spot in the poll for the second straight year.
Maryville swept both the regular season and tournament titles for the second straight year in 2024, finishing 13-3-4 overall and a perfect 8-0 in CCS play. The Scots advanced to the NCAA Tournament before their season came to a close in a narrow 1-0 loss to Pacific Lutheran. This fall, they return a strong senior class led by tournament MVP Avery Brown and fellow all-tournament honoree Chloe Chase, along with all-region selections Hannah Smoot and Anabelle Procter.
The battle for second was tight, with Piedmont and Belhaven both collecting 49 points to tie for the runner-up spot in the poll.
Piedmont finished 7-6-4 last season and 5-2-1 in league play before falling to Belhaven in the conference semifinals. The Lions return key defensive presence Sierra Judson and graduate standout Sophie Wells, both of whom earned all-region recognition, as well as forward Paige Kluba, an all-conference selection and team leader with five goals.
Belhaven, meanwhile, turned in a 13-6-1 overall mark in 2024, also going 5-2-1 in CCS competition. The Blazers reached the conference title game after defeating LaGrange and Piedmont in tournament play, ultimately falling 1-0 to Maryville in the championship. Senior midfielder Emma Antonoplos, an all-region honoree, headlines their list of returners.
Asbury was tabbed fourth with 46 points following a 9-8-5 campaign and a 4-2-2 conference record. The Eagles advanced to the semifinals after topping Covenant in the quarterfinals before bowing out against Maryville. Junior forward Anna Spark, an all-tournament selection, and senior midfielder Hannah Muncie, who paced the team with nine goals, return as leaders for the program.
Covenant landed fifth in the poll with 42 points after posting a 9-6-1 record and a 5-2-1 league mark last season. The Scots will lean on their defensive strength with the return of Bronwyn Kickasola, the 2024 CCS Goalkeeper of the Year, and Gretchen Caswell, the 2024 CCS Defensive Player of the Year. Both earned first-team all-conference honors a season ago.
Rounding out the poll were Huntingdon (26 points), LaGrange (24), Agnes Scott (16), and Wesleyan (9).
The 2025 season officially begins on Friday, August 29, with six CCS women’s soccer programs taking the field in non-conference action while conference play is set to heat up in late September. The CCS Women’s Soccer Championship Tournament kicks off Saturday, November 1, and concludes with the championship match on Saturday, November 8, hosted by the highest seeded team involved in each contest.
2025 CCS WOMEN’S SOCCER PRESEASON POLL
| Ranking |
School |
Points |
| 1 |
Maryville College |
63 points (7) |
| T2 |
Piedmont University |
49 points |
| T2 |
Belhaven University |
49 points (1) |
| 4 |
Asbury University |
46 points (1) |
| 5 |
Covenant College |
42 points |
| 6 |
Huntingdon College |
26 points |
| 7 |
LaGrange College |
24 points |
| 8 |
Agnes Scott College |
16 points |
| 9 |
Wesleyan College |
9 points |
First-place votes in parenthesis.
ABOUT THE COLLEGIATE CONFERENCE OF THE SOUTH (CCS)
The CCS is an NCAA Division III athletic conference that began play during the 2022-23 academic year. The conference features nine member institutions (Agnes Scott College, Asbury University, Belhaven University, Covenant College, Huntingdon College, LaGrange College, Maryville College, Piedmont University, and Wesleyan College) and sponsors championships across 14 sports. In addition to sharing the member institutions' geographic identity, the name 'Collegiate Conference of the South' is indicative of a shared commitment to academic excellence, which is commensurate with the NCAA Division III philosophy.
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