In STACK’s soccer rankings, we take you beyond wins and losses to reveal what truly makes a college soccer team great. To come up with our list of the top 10 men’s soccer programs, we consider a variety of factors—not just a team’s record, but also academic rankings from U.S. News & World Report and Academic Progress Rates. The result is a list of schools we’d recommend to any soccer player seeking an elite athletic program and a strong education. Learn more about how we arrived at our rankings through the Elite 50 guide, and browse through STACK’s rankings for 20 other sports at the bottom of this page.

STACK’s Top 10 Men’s Soccer Teams

College	Score	’12 U.S. News Rank	APR [Out of 1,000]	National Ranking ’10/’09/’08	Games Above .500 [Past 3 Seasons]	STACK Factor
1. Maryland	100	55	977	6/6/1	45	84
2. North Carolina	99.33	29	962	3/4/3	33	144
3. Akron	94.51	NR	975	1/2/9	58	12
4. UCLA	77.85	25	972	7/5/NR	24	120
5. Cal	77.73	21	966	5/NR/12	28	120
6. Wake Forest	70.84	25	983	NR/3/2	31	24
7. Michigan	69.49	28	978	4/NR/13	22	96
8. Duke	62.54	10	1000	NR/12/NR	13	156
9. Butler	61.38	2*	984	11/NR/NR	36	24
10. Virginia	61.07	25	929	NR/1/24	23	132

 
 

 
Inside the Rankings: Maryland Soccer
Maryland is on the cusp of creating a dynasty in men’s soccer. Their national championships in 2005 and 2008, together with their perennial deep runs in the College Cup, have made them one of the highest performing programs in collegiate soccer history.
The Terps’ success is rooted in their focus on being faster, fitter and stronger than any other team in the nation. When a soccer player arrives in College Park, team strength and conditioning coach Barry Kagan is waiting for him. “We get the young guys acclimated to our training immediately,” he says. And the intense focus doesn’t let up when the season begins; it extends all the way through the postseason. “You can never lose that training consistency, or your performance will suffer,” Kagan adds. “That’s why we train hard all season, all the way up until the big game.”
The team’s hard work is recognized and rewarded by the Terp faithful, who come out in droves to support their squad. In 2010, Maryland soccer boasted the second highest attendance in the nation, and a record crowd of 7,260 watched them defeat archrival Duke. Over the past eight seasons, they averaged more than 2,000 fans per game at Ludwig Field, making them one of the most heavily supported teams in college soccer.
Check out the rest of STACK’s college rankings:

Football	Softball	Men’s Swimming	Men’s Cross Country
Volleyball	Women’s Track	Women’s Swimming	Men’s Golf
Men’s Basketball	Men’s Track	Hockey	Women’s Golf
Women’s Basketball	Lacrosse	Wrestling	Men’s Tennis
Baseball	Women’s Soccer	Women’s Cross Country	Women’s Tennis