WCC season preview
Who will take home this strong conference and how many teams will make it to the NCAA Tournament?
July 15, 2024 I Jack Latterman I WCC
I would like to preface all of this by saying that this is an opinion piece. I have watched all these teams play last season and done heavy research to create this preview, but that doesn’t mean it is going to be correct… and that is what makes sports so great! My intention is not to make anyone angry with a preseason poll, as they are rarely accurate anyways. This is what I think might happen and I would love to hear if you agree or disagree.
The West Coast Conference has quite a few teams that performed well last year. San Diego, Portland, and Santa Clara all finished with 5 conference wins, making this a super exciting and up for grabs conference. To make things even more exciting, the WCC added Oregon State, who made it to the College Cup semis in 2023.
Oregon State
OSU had a decent regular season last year, winning 4 conference matches. The real story for them had to do with the cinderella run in the NCAA Tournament, where they knocked off 3 different seeded teams. Although Beavers fans might be upset with how all the conference drama has shaken out, this is a great group of soccer programs and I think it will be a super fun league to watch.
One matchup I can’t wait for with this new conference set up is the Portland v Oregon State rivalry game. Although they have met in the past, making this a conference match brings a new level of intensity, especially with both teams likely battling for the title.
The biggest loss for this Oregon State team is the departure of Logan Farrington, who scored 15 goals in 2023. Turner Humphrey is another player from the midfield who is also in the MLS now.
#10 Dante Williams is back and dangerous after his 20 points in 2023. Arnau Farnos and Pere Belmente are also back to lead this stacked squad.
The Beavers are filled with talent and experience. I love them this season, not only in this conference, but in tournament play as well.
San Diego
USD had a great season last year, winning a share of the conference title and winning 11 games for the first time since 2019. The Toreros won just 2 games in 2021, proving just how impressive of a turnaround they’ve had.
San Diego will be without 2023 All-American Mason Tunbridge, who led the team in both goals and assists. They also lost a few other defensive pieces who started every match last year.
Forward Samy Kanaan is a really exciting player, who will look to build off his 6-goal Sophomore year. They’ve also added veteran midfielder Inigo Villaldea, who had 3 great seasons at San Diego St. and was a big part of the success of Bryant in 2023.
The Toreros are bringing back enough weapons that I think they will follow up their incredible season with another solid one. I like them to finish in the top 3.
Santa Clara
Santa Clara are coming off a season where they began poorly, but picked it up late to share the WCC title. For only winning one of their first five games, this season was massively successful.
The Broncos lost senior striker Caden Buckley to Washington and Joshua Dabora after he graduated. They also lost two starting defenders.
Pierce Dyal is back in the center of the park after starting 17 matches last season, and so is his center mid partner Spencer Roberts.
Martin Kwende Jr. is one to watch for after a strong start to his Santa Clara career in 2023. The former San Jose Earthquakes Academy player could be a real danger in this conference for years to come.
I think the Broncos will have a good season again, but it will be hard to replicate last year. I see them finishing in the upper middle of the table.
Portland
The Pilots won 12 games last season including huge results vs Oregon State, Denver, and San Diego. They fell in the NCAA Tournament to that OSU team that made it to the Final Four.
They lost defender Kevin Bonilla to the MLS, It is unclear whether star #9 Jacob Babalai is returning for one final time since he got drafted, or is going to the MLS immediately, but he would be a big loss if he decides to move on.
His forward partner from last season, Buba Fofanah, also got drafted, but decided to come back for one final year. He will be a goal machine in 2024 and will be looking to make his mark on the NCAA before joining the Seattle Sounders. Sebastian Nava is also returning in the number 10 role.
I love this Portland team in 2024. I know San Diego is great and Oregon State are extremely dangerous, but I like this Portland team to not only compete for, but win the conference.
Saint Mary's
The Gaels went above .500 last season and finished 4th in the WCC. They struggled mightily against the strongest teams, but beat up on the teams below them.
Forward Wade Muttitt returns for another season, but strike partner Riley Lynch will not be back. The Gaels are losing a number of starters, but are returning enough key players to be solid.
Luke Lawrence will lead the defense for another season and will have the tough task of defending the scoring weapons in this conference. Goalkeeper Jack Landreth is also back.
They are playing a few tough non-conference matches, meaning their record might hurt, but they should be battle tested come WCC play. I think they will finish towards the middle of the table.
LMU
Loyola Marymount had a solid 10-win season, including impressive victories over Oregon State, Virginia, UCLA, and Portland. They survived 4 NCAA Tournament games, making it all the way to the quarterfinals, and advancing further than any other team in program history.
This run, led in big part by Tyger Smalls, was incredibly fun to watch. Unfortunately, Smalls is no longer with the program and neither is fellow goalscorer Ryan Kingsford. They also lost Brayden Knutson in the back, but are returning the remainder of the back line besides him.
It seems as if Braden Fidelak is coming back for a 5th year and Okafee Cunningham will be joining him in the midfield. They also brought in NJIT midfielder Hugo Tavares as well as Mydas Smalls, the younger brother of Tyger.
The Lions will have a real test vs UCLA and WVU early in the season and will be competing in one of the tougher conferences in the NCAA, but they are a talented bunch. I would be surprised to see a run like last year, but I think they will finish strong in WCC play.
San Francisco
SF started well with 10 points through 4 matches, having just one loss in their first 8. Wins over CAL, Stanford, and LMU prove that this squad had the potential to win big games.
They lost 3 starters in the off-season, but are bringing back a hefty amount of guys into 2024.
Gabriel Bracken Serra and Olivier Sylain are both returning after starting every match in 2023. Goalkeeper Eric Waltz and 3 starting defenders are all coming back as well.
San Fran are a team that is bringing back some experience from 2023 and will have the opportunity to build off some success last year. I am intrigued to see how they fare in this tough conference.
Pacific
The Tigers had a tough time in 2023, specifically in conference play. They had 5 wins on the season, but got just 4 points in conference play.
Pacific are down at least 6 starters from last season, including leading scorer Derick Roque.
They are losing a lot of key players for this team. I haven’t been able to find much information about transfers coming in, so am worried about the lack of replacements coming in for the important players that are no longer on the roster.
Gonzaga
The Zags struggled often in 2023, having a very similar season to Pacific. They also finished WCC play with 4 points.
Gonzaga is returning a huge chunk of their starters from last season, including their entire midfield. This young roster should get better and more cohesive each game that goes on.
The Bulldogs also picked up transfer goalie Jose “Chema” Preciado, who had 30 saves at North Florida last season.
Ian Silva is a name to watch out for in the WCC this season. The forward started 12 matches during his Freshman year and will look to pick up the scoring for the Zags.
I like Gonzaga to do slightly better this season and finish above last this season.
2023 Final Standings
2024 Predictions
- Portland
- Oregon State
- San Diego
- LMU
- Santa Clara
- Saint Mary’s
- Gonzaga
- San Francisco
- Pacific
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