SPOKANE, Wash. — The Gonzaga women's soccer team is ranked No. 20 in the United Soccer Coaches National Top 25 poll. The Zags are ranked for the first time since the 2005 season. GU is ranked second in the West Region, ahead of defending national champion Santa Clara.
"This is a great milestone for the program," GU Head Coach
Chris Watkins said. "But the most important part of the season is still in front of us."
The Bulldogs are off to their best start to a season in program history at 9-1-0 after 10 matches. GU is riding a seven-game win streak, which matches the longest in program history. Gonzaga is outscoring its opponents this season, 34-3, with seven shutouts. The Zags have also outshot their foes, 236-87, with a 126-35 advantage in shots on goal.
Gonzaga's 34 goals are the second-most in the country, along with its 12.6 shots on goal per game. It's 28 assists and 23.6 shots per game both rank seventh in the nation. On the defensive side, the Zags are fifth in NCAA Div. 1 with a 0.30 goals against average, and sixth with a 91.4 save percentage. GU has not allowed a goal in the last 324 minutes of action.
Maddie Kemp leads the nation averaging 3.10 shots on goal per game and is third taking 5.4 shots per game. The redshirt sophomore leads the West Coast Conference and is seventh in the nation with eight goals already this season.
The Bulldogs are five goals, two assists and 12 points shy from matching those program single season records. Kemp is currently tied for eighth for the most goals in a single season.
Gonzaga received votes in the poll three times last season, and once during the 2019 season. The Zags appeared in five polls in 2005, debuting at 22 on Oct. 17, climbing to 19
th on Nov. 8, and finishing at No. 19. That team finished with a 12-4-4 record and made the program's lone appearance in the NCAA Tournament, falling to USC, 1-0, in the first round.
Gonzaga hosts a game as a nationally ranked team for the first time in 16 years Saturday versus Omaha (3-3-2). The final non-conference game of the season for the Zags starts at 7 p.m. at Luger Field.
United Soccer Coaches Top 25 (Sept. 21)
| Rank |
School |
Prev |
1st Votes |
Total Points |
W-L-T |
| 1 |
Florida State University |
1 |
33 |
848 |
8-0-0 |
| 2 |
Duke University |
4 |
0 |
804 |
7-0-0 |
| 3 |
UCLA |
3 |
1 |
768 |
8-0-0 |
| 4 |
University Of North Carolina |
2 |
0 |
743 |
7-1-0 |
| 5 |
Louisiana State University |
6 |
0 |
680 |
8-0-0 |
| 6 |
Pepperdine University |
9 |
0 |
672 |
9-1-0 |
| 7 |
University Of Virginia |
7 |
0 |
616 |
8-1-0 |
| 8 |
TCU |
5 |
0 |
597 |
7-1-0 |
| 9 |
Rutgers University |
16 |
0 |
544 |
6-2-0 |
| 10 |
Stanford University |
10 |
0 |
535 |
6-2-0 |
| 11 |
Auburn University |
12 |
0 |
496 |
7-1-0 |
| 12 |
Penn State University |
8 |
0 |
481 |
6-2-0 |
| 13 |
West Virginia University |
15 |
0 |
372 |
6-2-1 |
| 14 |
Hofstra University |
23 |
0 |
352 |
8-1-0 |
| 15 |
Arizona State University |
20 |
0 |
299 |
8-1-0 |
| 16 |
University Of Arkansas |
RV |
0 |
293 |
6-2-0 |
| 17 |
Southern Methodist University |
24 |
0 |
268 |
6-1-0 |
| 18 |
University Of Michigan |
21 |
0 |
237 |
7-1-1 |
| 19 |
Santa Clara University |
11 |
0 |
224 |
3-3-2 |
| 20 |
Gonzaga University |
RV |
0 |
195 |
9-1-0 |
| 21 |
Xavier University |
17 |
0 |
158 |
7-0-1 |
| 22 |
Clemson University |
RV |
0 |
142 |
6-2-0 |
| 23 |
Harvard University |
RV |
0 |
108 |
6-0-1 |
| 24 |
Rice University |
RV |
0 |
88 |
7-2-1 |
| 25 |
Georgetown University |
25 |
0 |
72 |
4-0-4 |
United Soccer Coaches West Region Rankings (Sept. 21)
| Rank |
School |
Prev |
W-L-T |
| 1 |
Pepperdine University |
1 |
9-1-0 |
| 2 |
Gonzaga University |
4 |
9-1-0 |
| 3 |
Santa Clara University |
2 |
3-3-2 |
| 4 |
Brigham Young University |
3 |
5-3-1 |
| 5 |
Long Beach State University |
5 |
3-4-1 |
| 6 |
Saint Mary's College Of California |
6 |
6-1-2 |
| 7 |
University Of Denver |
7 |
5-4-0 |
| 8 |
University of California-Irvine |
NR |
5-4-0 |
| 9 |
South Dakota State University |
9 |
8-1-0 |
| 10 |
Cal Poly |
NR |
4-5-0 |
