1. USC -The defending national champions, which lost just one match last year and are on a 19 match wining streak, are expected to be title contenders again in 2006. The Trojans had five players on the United States Junior National Team and feature Senior National Team player J.W. Krumholz.
2. UCLA – Having lost just two players to graduation last year, the Bruins still have 15 players on their roster from their 2004 national title team.
3. UC Berkeley – Long Beach State head coach Gavin Arroyo knows this team well, because he was an assistant at Cal last year. With four All-Americans on the roster, the Golden Bears will press for their 12th national title this year.
4. Pepperdine – The Waves are returning five starters and 16 letter winners from an 18-11 season in 2005. Adam Hewko and Grant Miller were the leading goal scorers last year, combining for 86 goals.
5. Stanford – The Cardinals lost their top two goal scorers last year, but still have the attacking players needed to score in the MPSF. Second team All-American goalie Sandy Hohener will need to have a great season if the Cardinals want to compete for the conference crown.
6. UC Irvine – The Anteaters will have the service of Collin Mello, who scored 26 goals in 2004 but sat out last year because of a knee injury. Irvine could have been a top four prediction this year, but Irvine’s top two goal scorers from 2005 are redshirting.
7. Long Beach State – The 49ers are probably still a year or two away from being serious conference contenders. But, if Arroyo’s new summer training program is successful, who knows where the 49ers will finish this year.
8. Pacific – Last year, the Tigers had the most wins they have had since 1993, but won just two games in the MPSF. The Tigers have their two leading goal scorers back in 2006, Matt Turnbow and Dragin Bakic.
9. UC Santa Barbara – Despite a winless record in conference play last season, the Gauchos will return Coulson Lantz, their leading scorer in 2005.