The 2017 NCAA Division I women's soccer season was the 36th season of NCAA women's college soccer. The USC Trojans were the defending national champions.

Preseason Coaching changes ProgramOutgoing coachManner of departureDate of vacancyIncoming coachDate of appointment Alabama A&M Frank Davies Not announced Not announced Emanuel Stephens Not announced Albany Caitlin Cucchiella Retired December 13, 2016 Nick Bochette March 10, 2017 Alcorn State Samuel Nwaneri Not announced Not announced Junior Noel May 3, 2017 Arizona State Kevin Boyd Resigned/to Legends FC November 7, 2016 Graham Winkworth November 29, 2016 Arkansas–Pine Bluff Jamie Hutchison to Washburn February 3, 2017 Marcus Hoover Not announced Bowling Green Lindsay Basalyga Contract not renewed November 9, 2016 Matt Fannon December 26, 2016 Campbell Stuart Horne Not announced Not announced Samar Azem July 2017 Chicago State Tony Tommasi Contract not renewed October 31, 2016 Kevin Meek February 24, 2017 Cleveland State Sonia Curvelo Resigned November 10, 2016 Dallas Boyer December 7, 2016 Cornell Patrick Farmer Not announced Not announced Dwight Hornibrook February 23, 2017 Davidson Greg Ashton Not announced 2016 Adam Denton December 20, 2016 Dayton Mike Tucker Retired After 2016 season Eric Golz December 20, 2016 Delaware Scott Grzenda Resigned November 11, 2016 Mike Barroqueiro January 18, 2017 FIU Thomas Chestnutt Not announced 2016 Sharolta Nonen January 17, 2017 Grambling State Totty O. Totty Released After 2016 season Justin Wagar May 30, 2017 Gonzaga Amy Edwards Contract not renewed November 9, 2016 Chris Watkins December 12, 2016 Houston Chris Pfau Resigned November 15, 2016 Diego Bocanegra December 5, 2016 Illinois State Eric Golz To Dayton December 20, 2016 Brad Silvey December 20, 2016 Kentucky Jon Lipsitz Fired November 4, 2016 Ian Carry November 22, 2016 Liberty Nate Norman Resigned January 16, 2017 Lang Wedemeyer January 31, 2017 LIU Brooklyn Scott McClellan Not announced Not announced Eleri Earnshaw March 10, 2017 Marist Kate Lyn Resigned April 6, 2017 Gene Smith June 28, 2017 Mississippi State Aaron Gordon Resigned November 3, 2016 Tom Anagnost December 8, 2016 North Dakota Matt Kellogg Contract not renewed November 7, 2016 Chris Logan December 14, 2016 Northern Iowa Chris Logan Resigned/to North Dakota December 14, 2016 Bruce Erickson February 10, 2017 Oakland Margaret Saurin Resigned January 27, 2017 Juan Pablo Favero March 6, 2017 Omaha Don Klosterman Contract not renewed November 4, 2016 Tim Walters December 19, 2016 Portland State Laura Schott Resigned May 22, 2017 Katie Burton June 23, 2017 Rhode Island Michael Needham Resigned/to Ohio State February 7, 2017 Megan Jessee April 4, 2017 San Diego Ada Greenwood Released November 15, 2016 Louise Lieberman December 30, 2016 South Alabama Graham Winkworth To Arizona State November 29, 2016 Richard Moodie December 16, 2016 South Dakota State Lang Wedemeyer To Liberty January 31, 2017 Brock Thompson January 31, 2017 Southeastern Louisiana Matt Muia Not announced Not announced Christopher McBride November 28, 2016 Southern Utah Becky Hogan Fired October 31, 2016 Fred Thompson December 9, 2016 Texas A&M–Corpus Christi Shanna Caldwell Relieved of Duties November 8, 2016 Craig Shaw December 13, 2016 Troy Jason Hamilton To Mississippi State December 20, 2016 Ged O'Connor January 30, 2017 UAB Harold Warren Not announced 2017 Erica Demers May 22, 2017 UMass Lowell Joel Bancroft Resigned December 2, 2016 Francesco D'Agostino February 3, 2017 Utah Valley Brent Anderson Resigned/to BYU January 13, 2017 Chris Lemay February 21, 2017 Villanova Fran Kulas Not announced Not announced Chris McLain December 16, 2016 Wagner Mike Minielli Resigned November 29, 2016 Phil Cassela January 4, 2017 Xavier Woody Sherwood Resigned October 31, 2016 Kacey White December 14, 2016 Kacey White Resigned/to US Soccer April 18, 2017 Nate Lie May 14, 2017

Conference realignment Three schools joined new conferences this season. Two moved their entire athletic programs to new conferences, and a third began play in its current all-sports league.

Valparaiso moved from the Horizon League to the Missouri Valley Conference. The Crusaders replaced Wichita State, which does not sponsor either men's or women's soccer, after that school left the MVC for the American Athletic Conference. The Horizon League replaced Valparaiso by recruiting IUPUI from the Summit League. Kansas State, a full Big 12 Conference member that started its women's soccer program in 2016 and played that season as an independent, began playing a full Big 12 schedule.

While no Division I schools added women's soccer programs for 2017, two NCAA Division II members that sponsor women's soccer announced during the 2016–17 offseason that they would upgrade their athletic programs to Division I effective in 2018. North Alabama, currently in the Gulf South Conference, will join the Atlantic Sun Conference. California Baptist will leave the Pacific West Conference for the Western Athletic Conference.

The 2017 season is the last for one Division I school in its current conference: North Dakota will leave the Big Sky Conference, its home since 2012, to join the Summit League in 2018.

Season Overview

Polls

Pre-season polls United Soccer CoachesRankTeam1 West Virginia2 Stanford3 USC4 South Carolina5 Georgetown6 North Carolina7 Florida8 BYU9 UCLA10 Auburn11 Virginia12 Duke13 Clemson14 Connecticut15 Florida State16 Oklahoma17 Arkansas18 Notre Dame19 Minnesota20 Utah21 Rutgers22 Nebraska23 Northwestern24 Santa Clara25 Colorado Top Drawer SoccerRankTeam1 Penn State2 Stanford3 West Virginia4 Florida State5 Duke6 UCLA7 California8 USC9 North Carolina10 Georgetown11 Santa Clara12 South Carolina13 Utah14 Notre Dame15 Florida16 Colorado17 Northwestern18 Arkansas19 Virginia20 BYU21 Clemson22 Texas A&M23 NC State24 Long Beach State25 Auburn Soccer AmericaRankTeam1 Stanford2 West Virginia3 Penn State4 UCLA5 Florida State6 Georgetown7 South Carolina8 USC9 Florida10 North Carolina11 Santa Clara12 BYU13 Duke14 Virginia15 California16 Notre Dame17 Utah18 Clemson19 Colorado20 Northwestern21 Texas A&M22 Rutgers23 Kansas24 Memphis25 Auburn Hero SportsRankTeam1 USC2 Stanford3 West Virginia4 North Carolina5 UCLA6 BYU7 Virginia8 South Carolina9 Florida10 Utah11 Auburn12 Duke13 Georgetown14 California15 Clemson16 Santa Clara17 Minnesota18 Colorado19 Florida State20 Notre Dame21 Arkansas 22 Oklahoma23 Penn State24 Washington State25 Pepperdine

Final polls United Soccer CoachesRankTeam1 Stanford 2 UCLA3 Duke4 South Carolina5 Penn State6 Florida7 Princeton8 North Carolina9 Virginia10 West Virginia11 Baylor12 Texas A&M13 USC14 Texas15 Florida State16 Pepperdine17 UCF18 Notre Dame19 Washington State20 Santa Clara21 NC State22 Rutgers23 Ohio State24 Georgetown25 Tennessee Soccer AmericaRankTeam1 Stanford2 North Carolina3 Duke4 UCLA5 South Carolina6 USC7 Texas A&M8 Georgetown9 Penn State10 Princeton11 UCF12 Pepperdine13 West Virginia14 Oklahoma State15 Virginia16 Ohio State17 Wisconsin18 Florida19 Texas20 Cal21 Rutgers22 Butler23 NC State23 Wake Forest 24 Florida State25 Clemson Top Drawer SoccerRankTeam1 Stanford2 UCLA3 Duke4 South Carolina5 Princeton6 Penn State7 Florida8 Baylor9 Virginia10 West Virginia11 North Carolina12 Texas A&M13 Pepperdine14 USC15 Georgetown16 NC State17 Oklahoma State18 UCF19 Wake Forest20 Texas21 Tennessee22 Northwestern23 Rutgers24 Florida State25 Arizona Hero SportsRankTeam1 Stanford2 North Carolina3 Duke4 UCLA5 UCF6 Penn State7 South Carolina8 Pepperdine9 Florida State10 Texas A&M11 USC12 Santa Clara13 Notre Dame14 Rutgers15 Princeton16 Virginia17 West Virginia18 Florida19 Georgetown20 NC State21 Ohio State22 Arizona23 Cal24 Minnesota25 Clemson

Major upsets

Date Winner Score Loser August 24, 2017 Wake Forest 3–2 #3 South Carolina August 25, 2017 UCF 2–1 (2OT) #4 North Carolina August 27, 2017 Alabama 1–0 #6 Florida State August 31, 2017 Wisconsin 1–0 #3 Virginia September 1, 2017 Washington 1–0 #2 Florida September 21, 2017 Texas A&M 2–1 #6 Florida September 24, 2017 #17 Texas 1–0 #5 West Virginia September 30, 2017 Ohio State 1–0 #6 Penn State October 13, 2017 Kansas 2–1 #9 Texas October 14, 2017 Columbia 2–0 #11 Princeton October 15, 2017 Auburn 1–0 #10 Florida October 15, 2017 Providence 1–0 #15 Georgetown October 15, 2017 Rutgers 1–0 #12 Ohio State October 19, 2017 Washington State 1–0 #2 UCLA October 19, 2017 Vanderbilt 2–1 #11 Tennessee October 22, 2017 Clemson 2–1 #15 Wake Forest October 25, 2017 Wisconsin 1–0 #11 Penn State October 27, 2017 #22 Oklahoma State 1–0 #8 Texas October 31, 2017 Arkansas 1–0 #3 South Carolina November 1, 2017 Baylor 2–1 #14 Texas November 10, 2017 Vanderbilt 2–1 #14 Ohio State November 11, 2017 Washington State 1–0 #8 UCF November 19, 2017 #13 Princeton 2–1 (OT) #2 North Carolina

Conference winners and tournaments