Soccer | 9/1/2026 1:29:00 PM

DENTON, Texas (Sept. 1, 2026) - The Texas Woman's soccer team returned to the NCAA Division II United Soccer Coaches Top 25 on Tuesday, earning the No. 18 spot after opening the season 2-0 in Honolulu, Hawaii.

"We're really excited for our program and our players to receive this recognition," Head Coach Babak Abouzar said. "It's a testament to the work this team has put in, but we also understand that we're still very early in the season, so we're not going to put too much weight into the rankings right now. We don't want to just start the season ranked, we want to continue growing, improving, and put ourselves in a position to finish the season there."

The Pioneers were not ranked in last month's preseason poll. Their No. 18 ranking marks the program's first Top 25 appearance since last season's second poll, when TWU was ranked No. 25 nationally after opening the 2025 season 4-0 and outscoring its opponents 18-1. In 2017, TWU was selected No. 15, the highest ranking in program history.

Regionally, the Pioneers opened the season ranked third in the South Central Region. The Lone Star Conference has two teams in this week's national Top 25, with Dallas Baptist ranked No. 7 and TWU at No. 18.

Other Lone Star Conference teams ranked in the South Central Region's Top 10 include St. Mary's at No. 8, UT Dallas at No. 9 and Angelo State at No. 10.

Within the conference, TWU sits second behind Midwestern State. Both teams are 2-0, while UT Dallas, Dallas Baptist and Oklahoma Christian round out the top five.

The Pioneers will hit the road to face Southern Nazarene at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 2, in Bethany, Okla., at Wes Harmon Field before returning home Saturday, Sept. 5, to take on Colorado Mesa in their home opener.

-PIONEERS-