NCAA Women's Goalkeeper Rankings (Fall 2025)

Bill Reno November 23, 2025

Seniors

1. Pauline Nelles (Arizona State, Germany)
2. Jordan Nytes (Colorado)
3. Keara Fitzgerald (Washington State) #
4. Jordan Brown (Georgia) #
5. Teagan Wy (California)
6. Olivia Pratapas (NC State)
7. Taylor Rath (Utah State)
8. Erin Jones (Old Dominion)
9. Annabel Austen (Penn)
10. Molly Pritchard (Ohio State)

11. Bella Hollenbach (Milwaukee)
12. JLo Varada (Campbell, Puerto Rico)
13. Mac Titus (UT Martin)
14. Katie Bahn (Sam Houston State)
15. Sophine Kevorkian (LSU)
16. Addy Holgorsen (Clemson)
17. Belle Okoroafo (West Florida, D2)
18. Ally Zazzara (Tennessee)
19. Hannah Dickinson (Villanova)
20. Kamryn Willoughby (Eastern Washington)
21. Bella Grust (USC)
22. Caroline Duffy (Oklahoma)
23. Faith Nguyen (Texas Tech)
24. Camryn Miller (Cincinnati)
25. Tallulah Miller (Monmouth) #

# - did not finish season due to injury

Storylines to Watch: Although the NWSL followed the USL Super League’s footsteps in removing their annual college draft, every professional side is still narrowing down their top options to pull in for next season. Injuries unfortunately derailed Fitzgerald, Brown, and Miller’s momentum. We’re sending good vibes for a smooth recovery to the talented prospects and hopefully seeing them back on the field soon. Goalkeepers like Nytes, Wy, and Jones have significant strengths but are far from being rounded out goalkeepers, often relying too heavily on their athleticism to be the answer to opposing teams’ attacks. Some outside options like Austen, Miller, and Hollenbach might be viewed with high value for some pro clubs but the level of consistency is something that’s going to need to be cleaned up if they want to continue playing at the next level. Similar to the men’s seniors, it’ll be interesting to see which goalkeepers are viewed as just good college goalkeepers versus which ones are rated as untapped potential.

Juniors

1. Izzy Lee (Illinois)
2. Aubrey Brown (SMU)
3. Olivia Shippee (Boston College)
4. Victoria Safradin (Virginia)
5. Kate Phillips (Missouri)
6. Jayden Emmanuel (Florida)
7. Olivia Bodmer (Rutgers)
8. Mallorie Benhart (South Dakota State)
9. Audur Scheving (LSU, Iceland)
10. Laurynn Ziller (UC Irvine)
11. Atlee Olofson (Miami)
12. Jackie Hollomon (Notre Dame)

Storylines to Watch: Izzy Lee is the main standout here, leading the Fighting Illini to their first 13 win season since 2011. A few of these goalkeepers - Brown, Emmanuel, Benhart - have some of the toolkit professional scouts are looking for, but despite all standing at 5’11” or 6’0”, they’ve been off most scouts’ radars for one reason or another. On the other side of the coin, goalkeepers like Olivia Shippee and Olivia Bodmer are highly mobile goalkeepers who don’t shy away from the chaos of the game. For each goalkeeper here who can round out their game a little more by solving problems through athleticism and a detailed blueprint to their game, expect a professional side to invest in them in 2027.

Sophomores

1. Liv Geller (TCU)
2. Sonoma Kasica (Notre Dame)
3. Caroline Dysart (Duke)
4. Keegan Smith (Arkansas)
5. Valentina Amaral (Wake Forest)
6. Sydney Fuller (Texas A&M)
7. Cameron Gabrielson (Georgetown)
8. Nona Reason (Clemson)
9. Sarah Wommack (Mississippi State)
10. Hannah Johann (North Carolina, Germany)

11. Sarah Martin (Minnesota)
12. Paloma Pena Toro (Florida, Dominican Republic)
13. Liya Brooks (North Carolina)
14. Mariangela Medina (UCLA, Mexico)
15. Jamie Campbell (Colorado)
16. Azul Alvarez (Baylor)
17. Genesis Perez Watson (UCF, Costa Rica)
18. Jillian Medvecky (Pepperdine)
19. Addie Todd (Florida State)
20. Nimu Karani (St. Louis)
21. Amaris Franco (Santa Clara)
22. Sammy Widnick (Drexel)

Storylines to Watch: Following the thread of inconsistency from the seniors and juniors, the entire sophomore class seems plagued by this issue. At times, you’ll drop your jaw looking at saves from Geller, Kasica, Wommock, or Johann and the next moment you’re seeing them give up a soft goal. Karani, Campbell, and Gabrielson faced extremely limited minutes this fall, but all showed signs of more to come in 2026. As far as natural talent goes, the sophomores are loaded but none have showcased a consistent level of play you’d expect to see from a future pro. This offseason will be a silent proving ground to see who’s willing to put the work in to elevate their game from “good” to “great”.

First Years

1. Kate Ockene (Florida State)
2. Khadijah Cisse (Kentucky, Canada)
3. Caroline Birkel (Stanford)
4. Noe Henning (Michigan State, Canada)
5. Charlotte Wilfert (UC San Diego)
6. Hannah Folliard (Georgia)
7. Evan O'Steen (Florida State)
8. Nyamma Nelson (Northwestern)
9. Daphne Nakfoor (UCLA)
10. Molly Vapensky (Duke)
11. Talisa Perez (UC Riverside)

Storylines to Watch: Ockene’s journey last fall went from being a quiet three-star recruit to winning the NCAA All-Tournament Defensive Most Outstanding Player award. Notching only 145 minutes through August and September, Ockene only gained momentum throughout the season, including a last-second save in the semifinal against TCU and an eight-save shutout in the final over Stanford. As to Evan O’Steen’s future with the school, it’s hard to say, but we’ve surely not seen the last of the starting goalkeeper for the United States’ U17s. Canada represented well this fall with Cisse and Henning, goalkeepers that US fans may come to remember well over the years, while some smaller schools like UC San Diego and UC Riverside received a strong return on investment with Wilfert and Perez. Although starting for a top school understandably comes with immense pressure, taking the number one spot as a first year when you’re expecting to see multiple chances on goal a game takes a specific amount of confidence as well.

Past Collegiate Goalkeeper Rankings

2025: Preseason
2024: Preseason and Final
2023: Preseason and Final
2022: Preseason and Final
2021: Preseason and Final
2020: Preseason and Final
2019: Preseason and Final
2018: Preseason and Final
2017: Preseason and Final
2016: Preseason and Final
2015: Preseason and Final

NCAA Men's Goalkeeper Rankings (Fall 2025)

Bill Reno November 23, 2025

Seniors

1. Logan Erb (NC State)
2. Grant Calvert (Belmont)
3. Freddie Lapworth (Bucknell, England)
4. Alec McLachlan (St. John's, England)
5. Devin Armstrong (NJIT)
6. Nigel Van Haveren (FIU, Netherlands)
7. Marius Helias (Rider, France)
8. Scott Williams (New Hampshire)
9. Owen Cornell (UIC)
10. Joseph Andema (Clemson, Ghana)

11. James Lowell (Marist)
12. Jonathan Kliewer (Missouri State)
13. Zac Kelly (Michigan State)
14. Brian Lanier (Seattle Pacific, D2)
15. Jackson Leavitt (Elon)
16. Tim Baerwalde (Presbyterian, Germany)
17. Tomas Hut (Syracuse)
18. Mitchell Budler (Akron)
19. Sebastian Conlon (Kentucky)
20. Ciaran Dalton (Rutgers)

Storylines to Watch: The senior class has a bit of “island of misfit toys” vibe. Goalkeepers like Scott Williams, Owen Cornell, and Jonathan Kliewer showed qualities of a professional goalkeeper this fall but all have very limited career minutes to their names (none played in 2024). On the other side of the coin, we have goalkeepers carrying some professional prestige, like Logan Erb, Nigel Van Haveren, and Mitchell Budler, but their collegiate careers haven’t been the smoothest, whether needing to transfer or a lack of consistency on the field. Outside of the goalkeepers who played in the Final Four, which is an odd collection of schools in itself, it’s hard to say who is entering 2026 with momentum. That’s not to say there isn’t quality, but as to who will get a proper chance and investment, it's hard to say. Where some goalkeeper coaches see unfinished products, some see untapped potential.

Juniors

1. Rowan Schnebly (Stanford)
2. Aidan Crawford (Loyola-Chicago)
3. Seth Wilson (UNC Greensboro)
4. Wyatt Nelson (UCLA)
5. Jonathan Munteanu (Dayton)
6. Justin Stewart (Western Oregon, D2)
7. Andrew Samuels (Princeton)
8. Philip Hovers (Loyola Marymount)
9. Josh Caron (High Point)
10. Jakob Buhrkuhl (Memphis)

Storylines to Watch: The most obvious one is tracking Justin Stewart’s detour to Division 2. The FC Dallas product has the game-saving action in his toolkit but injuries have plagued his collegiate career thus far, featuring in only nine matches this fall. It’s not the odds on bet that he’ll make it to the pro game at this point, but with natural talent like his, you never count him out. Josh Caron is a strong representative for our short kings goalkeeping squads, leading High Point to a 14-2-4 record through scrappy and mobile play that allows him to cover more of the goal than one would expect. Schnebly, Crawford, Wilson, and Nelson all had strong moments this year, but none have really broken away from the pack. Similar to the seniors, it’s anyone’s game to say who will be the top prospect this time next year.

Sophomores

1. Blake Kelly (Notre Dame)
2. Matisse Hebert (Wisconsin, Canada)
3. Jonah Mednard (Wake Forest)
4. Charles DeMarco (Georgetown)
5. Levi Bieber (Washington)
6. Kyle Durham (Connecticut)
7. Alastair Hafner Schnee (Holy Cross)
8. Declan Finnegan (IU Indianapolis)
9. Tom Mabon (UAB, France)
10. Leo Ledin (Virginia Tech, Sweden)
11. Sebastian Stanaj (Oakland)
12. Weston Joyner (Chico State, D2)

Storylines to Watch: If you missed Mednard’s triple save or the sock advertising that came along with it, then you are really missing out on what is effectively the save of the season. Mednard and Kelly will battle for top Americans in the class for the next couple years, but don’t rule out goalkeepers coming out of left field, similar to Memphis’ junior goalkeeper Jakob Buhrkuhl, who transferred in from Lee University. With the portal becoming a more viable route to bolster your athletic career, expect to see even more movement between colleges going forward.

Freshmen

1. Jonathan Evans (Penn State)
2. Matthew Hudson (Creighton)
3. Lenno Schmidt (Rhode Island, Germany)
4. Emil Holmberg (East Tennessee State, Sweden)
5. Judewellin Michel (Indiana, Canada)
6. Luke Shrivers (Wisconsin)
7. Payton Roehrich (Fort Hays State, D2)
8. Alex Provost (Denison, D3)
9. Jacob English (Southern Indiana)
10. John W. Smith Jr. (Holy Cross)
11. Ryan Carney (Providence)
12. Keller Krieger (Grove City College, D3)
13. Keegan O'Brien (Cal St. Dom. Hills, D2)

Storylines to Watch: Obviously there were MLS alumni who showcased well this fall - Evans, Hudson, and Carney - but every year is a healthy reminder that there are always quality goalkeepers at schools you’ve never heard of and came out of clubs you’ve also never heard of. Now the question to what their development looks like moving forward is impossible to answer, but in the right environment they could blossom just like Champions League veteran and Division 2 product Josh Cohen. Keep an eye on universities to see if they can figure out if they want to continue to outsource the goalkeeping position to international talent or sharpen their recruiting efforts to bring in someone without a transatlantic flight.

Past Collegiate Goalkeeper Rankings

The Best Premier League Goalkeepers of 2025/26

Bill Reno November 19, 2025

In recent seasons, the role of the goalkeeper in the Premier League has shifted from simply shot-stopping to being a full-fledged playmaker. The 2025/26 campaign is no different, with several keepers combining elite reflexes, distribution and leadership to stand out among the best. Below we highlight four who are excelling: Alisson Becker, David Raya, Gianluigi Donnarumma and Emiliano Martinez.

Alisson Becker

Alisson has long been regarded as one of the world’s elite goalkeepers, ever since his move to Liverpool in 2018. He’s started the current season as strong as ever, recording a couple of clean sheets already. What sets him apart is his combination of being a commanding presence, being an excellent shot-stopper and being comfortable on the ball. Alisson’s importance to Liverpool has been highlighted further recently, with the team struggling to win games while he’s out injured. Their bad run, as you would expect, also impacted Liverpool’s title chances, as indicated by the latest football betting odds.

David Raya

David Raya has quietly become one of the most reliable goalkeepers in the Premier League. The Spaniard is keeping clean sheet after clean sheet, and has formed an excellent relationship with central defenders William Saliba and Gabriel, who play in front of him. When Mikel Arteta signed Raya as an upgrade on Aaron Ramsdale, some questions were asked about the decision. But since Raya became the Arsenal number one, they’ve been involved in multiple title races and currently lead the Premier League.

Gianluigi Donnarumma

Gianluigi Donnarumma has long been hailed as one of the top goalkeepers on the planet. The Italian has been there and done it on the biggest stages at club and international level, leaving former club Paris Saint-Germain in the summer as a treble winner. Manchester City re-signed former academy star James Trafford to be their number one, but when Donnarumma became available, they didn’t want to pass up the chance. Donnarumma is one of the best shot-stoppers in the world, and he’s a huge presence. If there was ever a goalkeeper who could win a team points on their own, it’s him.

Emiliano Martinez

Emiliano Martinez, who’s affectionately known as “Dibu”, is another world-class goalkeeper plying his trade in the Premier League. The Aston Villa number one has a long-standing reputation for his ability to save penalties and big-game performances. In recent seasons, Martinez has been close to leaving Villa but has eventually stayed put and retained the gloves. The Dibu story is one that will be told in the years to come, with the Argentinian being a backup keeper at Arsenal for much of his career, before he eventually made the breakthrough, moved to Villa, and also became a World Cup winner.

Conclusion

The 2025/26 Premier League campaign is already being shaped by goalkeepers. Alisson has proven he is a key player for Liverpool, and the sooner he’s back between the sticks, the better. Arsenal are top of the Premier League, and a lot of their success is coming from the huge amount of clean sheets they’re keeping, which is, in part, down to David Raya. Manchester City had some early goalkeeping woes, but Gianluigi Donnarumma’s arrival has solved them immediately. And after a disappointing start to the new season, Aston Villa are looking more like their old selves, with Emiliano Martinez playing a key role in that.

The Next Generation: Finding America's Premier League Goalkeeper

Bill Reno October 30, 2025

The United States Men's National Team stands at a crossroads. After years of relying on experienced veterans between the posts, American soccer is searching for its next great goalkeeper. This position has always been crucial for any national team, and the USMNT is no exception. The search for that next first-choice goalkeeper is more competitive than ever, with several talented young American keepers pushing hard to claim the role as the team's primary option.

Goalkeeping in modern soccer has changed. Today's top keepers do far more than just make saves. They need to be comfortable with the ball at their feet, able to start attacks from the back, and smart enough to read the game before danger happens. For the USMNT, finding a goalkeeper who combines traditional shot-stopping ability with these modern skills is the real challenge.

What Makes a World-Class Goalkeeper?

The best goalkeepers in the world share common traits. They are calm under pressure, able to make split-second decisions, and have the confidence to command their penalty area. They communicate constantly with their defense, organizing players and preventing confusion. Most importantly, they are reliable. When their team needs them most, they deliver.

American soccer has produced solid keepers in the past, but few have truly broken through to become stars at the highest level. The USMNT needs someone different—a goalkeeper who can lead by example and inspire confidence in the entire team. This rising star needs to show he can handle pressure at club level before stepping onto the international stage.

The Club Level Challenge

Young American goalkeepers face a unique challenge. To develop into world-class players, they need consistent playing time at competitive clubs. Many top young American keepers are testing themselves in Europe, where the level of competition is among the highest in the world. Playing against top strikers week after week sharpens a goalkeeper's instincts and builds the experience needed to perform on the biggest stages.

The goalkeeper battle within MLS has also become more intense. Clubs are investing in quality young keepers, knowing that a strong goalkeeper can be the difference between making the playoffs and missing out. This competition pushes American goalkeepers to improve constantly, raising the overall standard of the position across the league.

The Next USMNT First-Choice Goalkeeper

Several promising young American keepers are currently in the conversation to become the USMNT's next number one. These rising stars share certain qualities: they're athletic, intelligent, and hungry to prove themselves on the world stage. They understand what it takes to compete at the highest level and aren't afraid of the pressure that comes with representing their country.

The competition to become the first-choice goalkeeper is healthy for the USMNT. It pushes each player to perform better and ensures that only the best will wear the number one jersey. Fans should expect to see this battle play out over the coming years, with different keepers getting chances to prove they deserve the role.

Building Confidence Through Experience

What separates rising stars from established veterans is experience. Young goalkeepers need to play regularly, make mistakes in low-pressure situations, and learn from those mistakes. Each game teaches valuable lessons about positioning, communication, and decision-making. The goalkeepers competing for the USMNT's number one spot are gaining this experience through their club commitments.

International football also provides crucial experience. Friendlies, World Cup qualifiers, and tournament play all help develop a goalkeeper's mental toughness. The USMNT coaching staff is committed to giving young keepers opportunities to develop at the national team level, balancing growth with the need to win important matches.

Looking Ahead: The Future of USMNT Goalkeeping

The future looks bright for American soccer at the goalkeeper position. A new generation of talented young keepers is emerging, and they're more prepared than ever to compete at the highest level. For fans eager to follow every development in this evolving story—and to test their own predictions about emerging talent—platforms like M88 offer a dynamic way to engage with the sport you love and analyze how these rising stars perform.

The USMNT's next first-choice goalkeeper is likely already playing somewhere in the world right now, proving himself week after week. When he finally gets his chance to lead America's defense, the wait will have been worth it.