Insight
D1 Women's Soccer Goalkeeper Openings After 2026-27
D1 women's soccer goalkeeper roster openings for 2027: see the 15 programs with the most keepers leaving. 204 programs have at least one leaving.
Pathley went through every current D1 women's soccer roster and counted the goalkeepers who are in their final listed year. The table below ranks the 15 programs with the most goalkeepers leaving after the 2026-27 season. It also shows how many goalkeepers each program carries now and how many of them are freshmen.
This matters most for goalkeepers in the class of 2027, the group that would arrive on campus the fall after these players leave. Programs carry only a few players at this position. The average D1 program has 3.2 goalkeepers on its current roster, so when two or three of them are in their final year, the depth chart can look very different by the next season.
Treat these D1 women's soccer goalkeeper roster openings as a place to start your research, not a promise. If you have been asking How can I tell whether a college soccer program needs a goalkeeper in my class?, the sections below explain what the numbers show and how to check them yourself.
Pathley read the current 2026-27 rosters of 330 D1 women's soccer programs. All 330 list at least one player at goalkeeper, so every program in the count is included in the goalkeeper numbers.
A goalkeeper counts as leaving if her roster lists her as a senior or a graduate student, because that is her final listed year. Across the 330 programs, 258 goalkeepers fit that description. The table ranks programs by that number, then shows the total goalkeepers on each roster and how many are listed as freshmen.
Keep two cautions in mind. Some players in their final listed year may return because they still have eligibility left. Coaches also fill goalkeeper spots with transfers. A high count is a signal worth checking that a program may need help at the position. It does not guarantee that a spot will open for a high school recruit.
The table is built from class years only. It does not show hometowns, international players or where incoming players came from, so read it alongside each program's full roster.
| # | Program | Conference | Goalkeepers leaving | Goalkeepers on roster | Freshman goalkeepers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liberty University | Conference USA | 3 | 4 | 0 |
| 2 | University of Alabama at Birmingham | American Conference | 3 | 5 | 1 |
| 3 | Loyola Marymount University | West Coast Conference | 3 | 4 | 1 |
| 4 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | Big Ten Conference | 3 | 4 | 1 |
| 5 | Auburn University | Southeastern Conference | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| 6 | Boston College | Atlantic Coast Conference | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| 7 | Eastern Michigan University | Mid-American Conference | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| 8 | Rice University | American Conference | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| 9 | Sacred Heart University | Metro Conference | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| 10 | University of Texas at Austin | Southeastern Conference | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| 11 | Colorado College | Mountain West Conference | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| 12 | Duquesne University of the Holy Spirit | Atlantic 10 Conference | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| 13 | Georgia Southern University | Sun Belt Conference | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| 14 | Grand Canyon University | Mountain West Conference | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| 15 | Oregon State University | Pac-12 Conference | 2 | 3 | 0 |
Each program name in the table links to its Pathley team page, where you can see how its full roster is built.
The top program in the table has 3 goalkeepers leaving, and four programs share that number: Liberty University, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Loyola Marymount University and University of Wisconsin-Madison.
The rosters behind that shared number are not the same. Liberty University lists 4 goalkeepers and no freshmen, so 3 of its 4 are in their final listed year. University of Alabama at Birmingham carries 5 goalkeepers, including 1 freshman, which leaves two who are not in their final year. Loyola Marymount University and University of Wisconsin-Madison each list 4 goalkeepers with 1 freshman, so 3 of 4 are leaving at both.
The other 11 programs each have 2 goalkeepers leaving. Six of them carry 4 goalkeepers and five carry 3. At the five programs with 3, including Colorado College and Grand Canyon University, two out of three goalkeepers are in their final listed year.
The freshman column deserves a close look. Only three programs in the table list a freshman goalkeeper, and all three are in the top four. The other 12 list none. That includes Auburn University and University of Texas at Austin, which each have 2 of 4 goalkeepers leaving.
The 15 programs come from 12 different conferences, ranging from the Big Ten and the Southeastern Conference to the Metro Conference and the Sun Belt. Three conferences appear twice: the Southeastern Conference, the Mountain West and the American Conference. The list includes programs on both coasts, in the Midwest and in the South.
For a recruit, this means the biggest goalkeeper turnover is not limited to one conference or one tier of D1. You can find programs on this list across a wide range of levels, so focus on the ones that fit your game, your academics and where you want to live.
Across all 330 programs, 204 (62%) have at least one goalkeeper leaving after 2026-27, and 126 have none leaving. In total, 258 goalkeepers are seniors or graduate students.
Goalkeeper turnover is common across the division. Most programs will lose at least one keeper by class year, so the 15 programs in the table are where departures are most concentrated, not the only places worth a look. The full list of D1 women's soccer roster openings covers every program and position.
These numbers describe the whole division. The steps below show how to turn them into a list of programs worth contacting.
Rosters change during the year, so start with each program's current roster on the school's athletics site and its Pathley team page. Find every goalkeeper and note the class year listed for each one. Our guide on how to read a college roster for recruiting explains what to look for in each column.
You can also run a program through Pathley's free roster analyzer to get a quick read on how its roster is built before you dig into the details.
A number in the leaving column is only the first question. Before you add a program to your list, check these points:
• Class years behind the departing players. A program losing 2 of 4 goalkeepers has a different situation from one losing 2 of 3, and it matters whether the players who remain are sophomores or juniors.
• Freshmen already at the position. A freshman goalkeeper on the roster now is part of the group you would compete with when you arrive.
• Incoming players. Look for announced signees and transfers, since coaches also fill goalkeeper spots that way.
• Your own level. Watch the program play if you can, look at its results, and be honest about whether your film, size and current competition match what you see.
A program that clears all four checks deserves more of your time than one that only looks good in the table. If you are unsure how to present yourself, a useful question to ask is What should a goalkeeper include in a first email to a college soccer coach?
Once a program passes those checks, write to the coaching staff directly. Keep the email short and specific. Include your graduation year, club and high school teams, the level you play at, your height, a link to goalkeeper film, and your academic information.
Show that you have done your homework. Say that you have studied their roster and would like to compete for a place in their goalkeeper group, without assuming that a spot is waiting for you. These recruiting email templates for college coaches show how to structure that first message.
For goalkeepers, film carries a lot of weight. A clear clip that shows shot stopping, handling crosses, distribution with both feet and organizing your back line gives a coach what they need to judge you quickly. Follow up if you do not hear back, and send updates when you have new film or results. When coaches are allowed to reply depends on the rules for your sport and grade, so check the recruiting guide below before you read too much into silence.
Goalkeeper turnover is widespread in D1 women's soccer. With 204 of 330 programs losing at least one keeper by class year, a class of 2027 goalkeeper has more possible openings to look at than the 15 programs in this table.
The table is most useful as a shortlist of where departures are most concentrated. Use it to decide which rosters to study first, then confirm what you find against the current roster, the freshmen already in the group and any announced newcomers. Some players will return and some spots will go to transfers, so the count alone cannot tell you whether a program is recruiting your class.
Your strongest move is to pair these D1 women's soccer goalkeeper roster openings with an honest look at your own level. If you are still working that out, start with How do I know if D1 is the right level for me as a goalkeeper? After that, write to the programs where the roster, the level and the school all fit you, and your family will have a clear plan for the months ahead.
