The road to the 2025 Women’s College Cup begins now. Every season, 64 teams compete in the NCAA women’s soccer tournament for a chance to reach the College Cup, with this year’s event set for Kansas City, Mo.
Powerhouse programs like North Carolina (22 of the 43 College Cup championships), Stanford, Florida State and Notre Dame have dominated the tournament for decades. But there are other teams that consistently reach the NCAA tournament yet have never broken through to the semifinals.
Here are four teams that could make it to the College Cup for the first time in program history this season. Rankings listed are from the first week United Soccer Coaches poll.
No. 6 Tennessee | 9-7-4 (2024 record)
Tennessee opened 2025 with a 2-0 win over then-No. 1 North Carolina, the program’s first-ever victory against a top-ranked team. Redshirt junior transfer Shae O'Rourke scored both goals in her Lady Vols debut, while goalkeeper Cayden Norris anchored a clean sheet. The momentum carried into a 1-0 road upset over No. 4 UCLA for the program's first back-to-back shutout wins over top-5 opponents, cementing Tennessee as a legitimate College Cup contender catapulting from unranked in the preseason to sixth in the coaches poll.
talk to me 2! pic.twitter.com/UDxPClD9hP
— Tennessee Soccer (@Vol_Soccer) August 15, 2025
No. T7 TCU | 17-4-2 (2024 record)
The Horned Frogs began the season with a 1-0 win at UTSA, secured by sophomore Cameron Patton’s late strike and goalkeeper Olivia Geller keeping a clean sheet in her debut. Their highest finish in the tournament was in 2020, reaching the quarterfinals. The Horned Frogs proved their top-10 position with a 3-2 victory on the road over No. 9 Iowa. With the win, head coach Eric Bell became the all-time winningest coach in program history.
Emma Yolinsky, WOW 🤩
— TCU Soccer (@TCUSoccer) August 22, 2025
📺 (BTN) https://t.co/9a9FYaXN1A pic.twitter.com/STyTaVVFi6
No. 9 Iowa | 15-3-4 (2024 record)
Iowa began the year by taking down No. 6 Arkansas in a thrilling 3-2 victory, sending an early statement in the top-10 clash. Freshman Liana Tarasco shined and earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors for her breakout performance. The Hawkeyes ended their 2024 campaign in the third round, and with a mix of veteran leadership and impactful newcomers, the Hawkeyes look primed for their deepest postseason push yet.
I mean… 🤯
— Hawkeye Soccer (@HawkeyeSoccer) August 15, 2025
We’ve been watching Abby Skiff’s goal on repeat #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/5aR4DFbcZq
No. 24 Memphis | 13-2-4 (2024 record)
Outside of the power conferences, there are several schools looking to make lengthy postseason runs. Of those teams includes the No. 24 Tigers, who had a perfect 2-0 start, including a convincing 6-0 win over Southern Miss and a 3-2 victory at Ole Miss. The Tigers have made the postseason 12 times, with third round appearances in 2022 and 2023. Memphis has been to each of the last four AAC championship games, winning three of them, and now looks to make a breakthrough run toward its first College Cup.
Alex back on the scoresheet in style 🙂↔️ pic.twitter.com/cqNl4INrZi
— Memphis Women’s Soccer (@MemphisWSoccer) August 18, 2025
