The return of varsity soccer this school year across Washington State brings with it a familiar mix of championship expectations, emerging stars and programs looking to turn last year’s momentum into a deeper postseason run. In Class 3A, the race appears especially intriguing, with several established powers and talented challengers expected to shape the season. Based on the results and final rankings from the 2025 campaign, Bellevue, Liberty, Roosevelt, Eastside Catholic and Seattle Prep enter the conversation as five of the teams to watch.
At the top of the list is defending State Champs, Bellevue, which proved throughout last season that it could survive the pressure of the postseason and win the close games that define a championship run. The Wolverines’ state title immediately makes them the program everyone else will be chasing. Liberty should also be right in the mix after reaching the championship match, while Roosevelt, the 2023 state champion, remains one of the state’s most consistently dangerous programs after another strong season in 2025.
Two other Metro-area powers complete the top five: Eastside Catholic enters the season following a strong 2025 campaign and remains capable of making a deep postseason run. Seattle Prep failed to qualify for the State Tournament in 2025 and will be aiming to demonstrate the kind of consistency that made the school a perennial factor in the classification. The battles among Bellevue, Roosevelt, Eastside Catholic and Seattle Prep should once again make the Seattle-area soccer landscape one of the most competitive in the state.
Of course, the beauty of Washington’s 3A classification is that the championship picture rarely remains unchanged for long. Mount Spokane, Gig Harbor, Holy Names Academy, Ridgeline and Central Kitsap are among the other programs capable of breaking into the conversation. But as the new season begins, Bellevue has earned the target on its back—and Liberty, Roosevelt, Eastside Catholic and Seattle Prep appear ready to make sure the road back to the state championship is anything but easy.