When it comes to the west coast women’s college soccer, the Pac 12 often dominates the recruiting race. The lure of Stanford and UCLA can be difficult to top.

However, the West Coast Conference showed its strength in 2012, as programs like BYU, Santa Clara and Portland put together very solid campaigns. The Cougars came one game short of advancing to the College Cup, while the Pilots and Brancos each advanced to the tournament’s second round.

Look for those three programs to continue and make strides nationally, as all bring in some talented players in the class of 2013.