A year removed from an NCAA tournament berth, the Nazareth women's soccer team has earned a preseason ranking of No. 24 by United Soccer Coaches. Fellow Empire 8 member Stevens Institute was also on the list, coming in ranked No. 15. 

Nazareth is coming off a 15-4-2 season in which it earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament.  The Golden Flyers downed Wittenberg 2-1 in the first round before falling to Penn State Berks in the second round.  It was the second time in the three seasons that Nazareth made an appearance in the national tournament. 

"It's always nice to be recognized," said Nazareth Coach Gail Mann, set to return for her 25^th season. "We have the same aspirations we always have, but being nationally ranked doesn't mean all that much at this time of the year."

Nazareth's schedule features nine home games and eight away contests.  The Golden Flyers will match up against three nationally-ranked opponents throughout the year in Stevens Institute (No. 15), Buffalo State (No. 21) and Carnegie Melon (No. 22). 

Nazareth opens up the 2017 season on September 1, hosting Oneonta at 2 p.m.