There’s little questioning the competitiveness of the ACC in women’s soccer.

After all, three of the four entrants at the College Cup last fall represented the conference, and as spring soccer continues in earnest, it’s a massive opportunity for coaches and players to get a leg up heading into the fall.

“This is probably the most important time because the fall is all about preparation, recovery, games,” new Maryland coach Jonathan Morgan told TopDrawerSoccer.com. “These kids hit preseason in August, you have preseason for two weeks, and boom, you’re playing games. There isn’t really a great opportunity to do development, slowing things down and really taking the time to teach. That’s where the spring is great.”

Each program has its own unique way of fostering development and getting back into the swing of things in the spring, but a lot of external factors shape the way things are run. Some programs, such as Duke or Wake Forest, return all their starters from a successful year.

Others, including Maryland, Virginia, Florida State and Boston College, must begin the process of shuffling lineups and trying to figure out the best way to reform the team and be ready to compete again in the fall.

And with both the U.S. U20 and U23 women also in camp, players like Natasha Anasi (Duke), Vicki DiMartino (Boston College), Amber Brooks (North Carolina), Kassey Kallman (Florida State) and Morgan Brian (Virginia) are overseas trying to impress their respective national team coaches.

One thing is for certain in this elite conference – no one is content with the success or spoils of last fall. Wake Forest coach Tony da Luz, who lost in the College Cup semifinals, hasn’t had to make any tweaks to the approach in spring.

“I thought we might have to really change things just to make sure, but the team, the culture, motivation in the team has been fantastic,” he told TopDrawerSoccer.com. “We haven’t really had to do anything extra. We’ve been doing things pretty much the same, and I’ve been really happy with the competition in the team and the overall attitude to want to get back to that again.”

In state rivals Duke, who lost in the championship game to Stanford, kicked things off by creating an intrasquad futsal tournament, using it as a chance to hone technique and on the ball skills. That helps foster competition as well, but coach Robbie Church isn’t concerned about motivation either.

“We’ve got a very, very competitive group of kids and that’s really led by our rising senior class,” he told TopDrawerSoccer.com. “Those kids always have been, they’re just blue-collar, hard working kids that just go out there and compete and want to do well. It doesn’t matter if it’s a spring game or the NCAA finals.”

Different schools have different plans on the schedule in terms of scrimmages, most staying close to home as they go through the motions. And while the coaches have their goals, the spring is also a chance for players to shine and earn playing time in the fall.

“I think it’s an opportunity for some kids that maybe didn’t play as much during the fall to prove they deserve some time in the future,” Florida State coach Mark Krikorian told TopDrawerSoccer.com.

Of course, most teams are also training this spring without their recruiting classes, which will add another element to the ACC this fall. Their arrival will add another influx of elite talent, as five schools are ranked in the top 10 nationwide.

Add some of those elite players to the mix, and buckle up – it’s going to be another entertaining battle for the top spot in the ACC.