NAPERVILLE — North Central is the preseason favorite of the 2025 College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) women’s soccer race, according to the results of a poll submitted by league head coaches and announced by the conference office on Thursday morning.
 
2025 CCIW Women's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll

Team (First-place votes)	Points
1. North Central (8)	64
2. Carroll	51
3. Millikin	49
4. Wheaton (1)	43
5. Elmhurst	37
6. Augustana	25
7. North Park	24
8. Illinois Wesleyan	21
9. Carthage	10

The Cardinals tallied 64 points on the strength of eight first-place votes on Thursday. NCC was the runner-up in last season’s regular-season CCIW race with a 7-1-0 mark, but rallied to win the CCIW Tournament title and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive campaign. 
 
Carroll, which won its first conference regular-season championship last fall with a perfect 8-0-0 record, was voted second in the 2025 poll with 51 points. The Pioneers were 11-4-3 overall last season.
 
The third-place team in the 2025 poll is Millikin with 49 points. The Big Blue placed third in the final regular-season CCIW standings last fall and has been a semifinalist in the CCIW Tournament in each of the previous two seasons.
 
Wheaton seized a first-place vote for 43 points and the fourth spot in Thursday’s rankings. The Thunder are in search of their first league championship since 2021.
 
The remainder of the poll featured Elmhurst (37 points), Augustana (25 points), North Park (24 points), Illinois Wesleyan (21 points) and Carthage (10 points).
 
Friday, Aug. 29 is opening day for all nine CCIW teams. Non-conference play continues through the first four weeks of the campaign until CCIW action starts on Saturday, Sept. 27.