STANFORD, Calif. - Stanford was selected to finish second in the Pac-12 following a poll of the Conference's head coaches, it was announced on Monday.
Stanford, which has not received fewer than 100 points since 2010, garnered 113 points and three first-place votes, trailing only reigning national champion UCLA with the other nine first-place votes and 119 total points.
The Cardinal has been picked to finish in the top two spots in all but one season since 2007, and has received at least one first-place vote in the poll in every season since 2002.
After the Bruins and Cardinal, USC followed in third place with 94 points, ahead of California (85 points) and Washington State (76) to round out the top five.
Arizona was slated to finish sixth after earning 61 points, followed by Arizona State, Colorado and Washington with 53 points apiece to share seventh. Utah checked in at No. 10 with 51 points, followed by Oregon (19 points) and Oregon State (15 points) to round out the poll.
The league's top three also landed in the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Top 25 released last week. UCLA enters the season at No. 1 nationally, Stanford at No. 11, and USC at No. 22.
Stanford went 17-2-3 overall in 2022, including 9-1-1 in the Pac-12 to win the conference title for the 15th time in program history. The Cardinal made its 31st NCAA Tournament appearance overall, including its 24th in the last 25 seasons, and has reached the postseason in all but one campaign under Knowles Family Director of Women's Soccer Paul Ratcliffe.
Stanford will open the 2023 season on Thursday, August 17 when it visits San Diego for a 7 p.m. kickoff. The Cardinal will then play at UC Irvine on Sunday, August 20, before returning home for the home opener against San Francisco on Thursday, August 24 at 7 p.m.
