Stanford (13-6-1, 7-3-1 Pac-12)
Overall Stats (PDF)
Year in Review Release
QUICK PASSES
- Stanford went 13-6-1 overall in 2021, including 7-3-1 in the Pac-12 to place fourth
- The Cardinal entered the postseason ranked No. 20 in the United Soccer Coaches poll ... carried a season-best No. 7 ranking the week of September 28
- The Cardinal made its 30th NCAA Tournament appearance overall, including its 23rd in the last 24 seasons
- The Cardinal scored at least three goals in seven games this season
- The Cardinal has won two of the last five College Cups - most recently in 2019
- Four Pac-12 schools made the tournament - Stanford, UCLA, USC and Washington State
- The Cardinal posted the Pac-12's second-best scoring offense (2.30) while ranking 24th nationally
- Stanford's 46 total goals ranked second in the Pac-12 (24th nationally)
- The Cardinal averaged 19.75 shots per game - second in the Pac-12 and fifth nationally
- Stanford averaged 7.40 corner kicks per game to lead the Conference and rank eighth nationally
- Four different players recorded multi-goal games this year (Belle Briede, Maya Doms, Abby Greubel and Andrea Kitahata) with Doms recording a pair
- Stanford lost a Pac-12 opener last year (2-1 loss at Oregon) for the first time since 2000 ... with a 3-0 win over Utah this year, Stanford is now 17-1-3 in Pac-12 openers over the last 21 seasons (ties in 2004, 2006 & 2014)
- Stanford started the season 3-0 through three matches for the ninth time in the last 15 years ... has been unbeaten through three matches in 12 of the last 15 seasons
- With a win at Cal Poly, Stanford extended its unbeaten streak in season openers to 15 matches (14-0-1)
- The Cardinal has now won 11 straight season openers and is 32-4-2 all time, including 16-2-1 under Paul Ratcliffe
ALL-AMERICA DUO
- Senior Naomi Girma and junior Maya Doms were named All-Americans according to United Soccer Coaches
- Girma earned a spot on the first team, while Doms landed on the third team
- This year's selection marks the second of Girma's career after being named to the first team in 2019 following Stanford's run to the national championship, while Doms was tabbed an All-American for the first time in her career
- USC was the only other Pac-12 school to land two players on the All-America teams
- The Cardinal has now earned at least one first-team selection in six of the last seven years.
- Girma, a semifinalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy and a Senior CLASS All-American, captured her second career Pac-12 Defender of the Year award this season ... in addition to being the top defender in the Pac-12, Girma landed on the all-conference first team for the second time ... the three-year captain started all 20 games and logged a team-high 1,745 minutes along a backline that allowed a 0.85 goals-against average while recording nine shutouts ... Girma also contributed four goals, including the game-winner against Washington State
- Doms, a three-time all-conference pick, started all 20 games in the midfield, playing 1,571 minutes and leading the team in goals (11) and points (25) with three game-winners ... her 11 goals ranked sixth in the Pac-12 while her 4.00 shots per game ranked fourth in the conference ... the native of Davis, Calif. managed two multi-goal games this season, including a hat trick in Stanford's 7-0 rout of CSUN on August 26
ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICAN
- Senior Naomi Girma was named to the 2021 CoSIDA Academic All-America first team
- Girma had previously earned a spot on the Academic All-District first team along with Maya Doms (first team), Sierra Enge (first team) and Jojo Harber (second team)
- The native of San Jose, Calif. was one of 11 players to earn a spot on the first team, and was joined by Arizona's Jill Aguilera as representatives from the Pac-12
- Girma, the 2021 Pac-12 Women's Soccer Scholar-Athlete of the Year, was a symbolic systems/management science & engineering (MS) major with a 3.92 cumulative grade-point average
- A three-time All-Pac-12 selection and three-time team captain for the Cardinal, she was a member of the Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll in 2019, 2020 and 2021 ... Girma was a two-time member of the CoSIDA Academic All-District 8 first team and was a Senior CLASS award finalist this fall while earning Senior CLASS All-America recognition
CARDINAL IN THE NWSL DRAFT
- Naomi Girma was selected with the first overall pick by San Diego Wave FC during the 2022 NWSL Draft before San Diego also nabbed Belle Briede 27th overall to start the third round
- Girma became the fourth No. 1 overall pick from Stanford in the last five years – joining Andi Sullivan (2018), Tierna Davidson (2019) and Sophia Smith (2020) ... Girma's selection runs Stanford's NWSL first-round pick total to 10 - the most of any program in the nation
- With two selections, Stanford has now seen 19 total players drafted into the league since its inception in 2013, and has had at least one player drafted in each of the NWSL drafts – including at least two in each of the last four
- Adding one more this year, the Cardinal is the only program in the nation to have a player drafted in the top-five picks each of the last five seasons
CARDINAL RAISES FUNDS FOR WOMEN'S CANCER CENTER
- The Cardinal hosted a pair of Pink Matches sponsored by Stanford Medicine on October 3 vs. Oregon and October 21 vs. Arizona State
- Stanford auctioned off game-worn pink jerseys with proceeds going to the Women's Cancer Center at Stanford Medicine
- The jersey auction raised $4,416 for the Women's Cancer Center
PAC-12 SCHOLAR-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
- Stanford senior defender Naomi Girma was named 2021 Pac-12 Women's Soccer Scholar-Athlete of the Year
- The award, which is presented in each of the 24 sports the Pac-12 sponsors, was established to honor collegiate student-athletes that are standouts both academically and in their sports discipline
- Girma was the eighth Stanford women's soccer player to garner the award, including the first since Michelle Xiao was lauded in 2018
- To be eligible for the Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year award, student-athletes must be a senior (in athletics eligibility) on track to receive a degree, have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher, participate in at least 50 percent of the scheduled contests in the sport and have a minimum one year in residence at the institution
TRIO NAMED ALL-REGION
- A trio of Stanford players were named All-Region selections according to United Soccer Coaches
- Senior Naomi Girma and junior Maya Doms earned spots on the first team, while redshirt junior Sierra Enge was listed on the third team
- All three players had previously been named CoSIDA Academic All-District first team selections for their efforts on the field and in the classroom
- This season marked the second appearance on an All-Region list for Girma and Enge, as Girma earned a first team nod in 2019 before Enge was named to the second team following the 2020-21 season
- Doms made her inaugural appearance on the All-Region list
- Enge, a captain this year, started all 20 matches for the Cardinal, logging 1,642 minutes to place second among field players ... the native of Cardiff, Calif. scored a pair of goals and added three assists to collect seven points en route to earning a spot on the all-conference third team.
- For stats and information on Girma and Doms, see "All-America Duo" notes
ALL-CONFERENCE RECOGNITION
- Senior Naomi Girma was named the Pac-12 Defender of the Year for the second time in her career to highlight seven Stanford women's soccer players landing on one of the four all-conference teams this season
- In addition to being named the defender of the year, Girma landed on the all-conference first team for the second time in her career ... she was also a first team selection and the defender of the year in 2019 after earning a spot on the third team in 2018.
- Girma was joined on the all-conference first team by Maya Doms ... Doms was a third team selection as a freshman in 2019 before earning a spot on the second team a year ago.
- Freshman Andrea Kitahata was named to the second team, while Sierra Enge, Madison Haley and Kennedy Wesley earned selections to the third team
- Making an immediate impact on The Farm, Kitahata and Avani Brandt were named to the all-freshman team
- Including her 2019 selection, Girma is the fifth consecutive Cardinal player to take home the Pac-12's top defensive honor, joining Tierna Davidson (2017), Alana Cook (2018) and Kiki Pickett (2020) ... she continues a streak of eight straight years of a Stanford player claiming at least one of the conference's player of the year honors
TOP OF THE SENIOR CLASS
- Senior defender Naomi Girma was selected as a finalist for the 2021 Senior CLASS Award
- Florida State's Gabby Carle eventually won the award when it was announced in December
- An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the award encourages students to use their platform to make a positive impact as leaders in the community
- To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition
- Girma, the 2019 Pac-12 Defender of the Year, missed the 2020-21 season due to injury ... the 2020 U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year was a 2019 All-America first team selection and earned College Cup Most Outstanding Defensive Player honors after helping to guide Stanford to the national title in 2019.
- Off the pitch, Girma volunteers with Soccer Without Borders, whose mission is to use soccer as a vehicle for positive change ... they provide under-served youth with a toolkit to overcome obstacles for growth, inclusion, and personal success ... additionally, Girma has volunteered with Stanford's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee's annual A, B, Trees event while serving as a member of the Faculty Relations ... recently, Girma has also worked with Curious Cardinals, a startup created by students at Stanford that provides guidance to high school students about what it's like and how to be a successful college student-athlete
- The Cardinal has landed six prior players on the finalist lists – most recently Alana Cook in 2018 ... Andi Sullivan is the lone Cardinal to win the Senior CLASS Award, capturing the honor in 2017
HOME SWEET HOME
- Stanford owns an 89-5-8 record at Cagan Stadium since the start of the 2014 season
- The Cardinal has managed unbeaten home slates in four of those seven seasons
- So far this year, Stanford is 10-1 from Cagan Stadium and is outscoring the opposition 35-5
- Stanford had a 43-match unbeaten streak at home snapped in 2020-21 with a 1-0 loss to California on March 20
- Went 42-0-1 over the span, which began at the beginning of the 2017 season
- Played to a 1-1 draw vs. then-No. 7 Santa Clara on September 16, 2018 for the only tie over the 43-match string
EARLY CONTRIBUTIONS ON THE FARM
- Freshmen Avani Brandt (16), Andrea Kitahata (19) and Kellie Pagador (6) each started at least six of the 20 matches this year to start their careers ... Kitahata appeared in all 20, while Brandt played in 19 ... Pagador entered 14
- Kitahata posted four goals and six assists for 14 points to rank second on the team
- Kitahata's six assists were ninth-most in the Pac-12
- Brandt and Pagador helped anchor a defense that held opponents to .84 goals per game on 6.90 shots
GIRMA LAUDED BY PAC-12 - AGAIN
- Senior captain Naomi Girma was named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week on October 11 and October 25
- Girma anchored a defense that recorded a pair of shutout victories against Arizona State (2-0) and Arizona (4-0) on October 21 and 24, respectively ... Stanford allowed just six total shots, three on goal, in those two shutouts
- Girma marked the nation's leading goal scorer, ASU's Nicole Douglas, and limited her to one off-target shot
- Girma scored the game-winner at Washington State in a 1-0 victory on October 7, nodding in the goal in the 29th minute to eventually capture the first of her two weekly honors
- That goal snapped a string of 578 minutes without a goal allowed by the Cougars - a program record
- The 2019 Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year anchored a Cardinal defense that allowed only 11 shots on target in two road matches, including limiting WSU to just four on goal
- The weekly selections are the second and third of Girma's career (October 22, 2019)
SEASON-OPENING SHUTOUTS
- The Cardinal recorded a shutout in each of its first three matches for the fifth time in program history, including the first since 2014 when it did not allow a goal over the first nine matches of the year
- Stanford faced just 17 total shots through those three matches, six of them on goal, with redshirt junior goalkeeper Katie Meyer recording five saves to accompany one from sophomore keeper Ryan Campbell
- The Cardinal then posted six more shutout victories - defeating San Francisco 1-0 on September 9, LMU 3-0 on September 12, Utah 3-0 on September 24, Washington State 1-0 on October 7, Arizona State 2-0 on October 21 & Arizona 4-0 on October 24 - running its season total to nine
- Meyer contributed five shutouts this season (Cal Poly, San Francisco, Washington State, Arizona State & Arizona) - running her total to 20 for her career to rank eighth in Stanford history
GOALS GALORE
- Stanford's attack was impressive this year, scoring 46 goals on 395 shots to rank second in the Pac-12 for goals per game (2.30) and second in total goals
- Stanford was shut out just twice this season (1-0 at No. 5 UCLA on October 28; 1-0 at No. 12 Santa Clara on November 13)
- Stanford's seven goals vs. CSUN on August 26 were the most since beating Prairie View A&M 15-0 on November 15, 2019
- Maya Doms led the way with 11 goals, followed by Belle Briede and Abby Greubel with five, and Naomi Girma, Jojo Harber and Andrea Kitahata with four each
- 14 different Cardinal scored a goal this year and 16 Cardinal had at least one point
- Doms' 11 goals ranked sixth in the Pac-12 (47th nationally) while her 4.00 shots per game rannked fourth in the conference and 26th in the nation
- Doms recorded a hat trick and Greubel added a brace in Stanford's 7-0 rout of CSUN on August 26 - both serving as the first multi-goal games of their careers
- Doms then added a brace against Arizona on October 24 for her second career multi-goal match
- Briede posted the first multi-goal game of her career on September 12 vs. LMU - netting a pair
- Doms' hat trick was the first for Stanford since Sophia Smith's vs. UCLA on November 6, 2019 in the College Cup semifinals
- Freshman Andrea Kitahata also had a multi-goal game to her name this season, scoring her first two career goals against San Diego State on August 29 in a 6-0 Stanford victory
- Junior Madison Ayson and freshman Nya Harrison joined Kitahata in scoring first career goals against SDSU, while Julia Leontini managed her first against CSUN, Amy Sayer netted her first against LMU and Katie Duong scored her first against No. 11 Santa Clara
PAC-12 PLAYER OF THE WEEK
- Junior Maya Doms earned Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week on August 30
- Doms recorded her first career multi-goal game, netting the Pac-12's first hat trick of the season, in Stanford's 7-0 victory over CSUN on August 26
- She also added an assist in Stanford's 6-0 win versus San Diego State on Sunday to finish the week with seven points
- Doms took a team-best 16 shots (nine on goal) as the Stanford attack managed 73 over the two matches
- The weekly honor was the first of Doms' career and the first for the Cardinal in 2021
CARDINAL TABBED THIRD
- The Cardinal was tabbed third in the annual Pac-12 Preseason Coaches Poll after receiving 106 total points
- Stanford garnered two first-place votes and sits behind defending Pac-12 Champion UCLA (116 points) and USC (110 points)
SUCCESS UNDER RATCLIFFE
- This fall marked the 19th season under the direction of The Knowles Family Director of Women's Soccer Paul Ratcliffe
- Ratcliffe is Stanford's all-time winningest soccer coach with a 339-64-32 record in his tenure on The Farm
- Ratcliffe has guided Stanford to three national championships, five NCAA finals, nine Pac-12 titles, nine College Cup appearances, and a berth in the NCAA third round in 13 of the past 16 seasons
#OLYMPIANSMADEHERE
- Six former Cardinal competed at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics - the most of any program in the nation
- North Carolina featured the second-most players with five
- Ali Riley played in her fourth Olympic Games, serving as team captain for New Zealand
- Jane Campbell, Tierna Davidson, Catarina Macario, Kelley O'Hara and Christen Press captured bronze medals while competing for Team USA
- Campbell, Davidson and Macario were competing in their first Olympic Games ... O'Hara made her third Olympic appearance after winning gold in London and competing in Rio ... Press, a two-time Olympian, captured her first Olympic medal after appearing in all six matches (starting three) for Team USA
STATE SCHOOLS TO START
- Stanford's first three matches of the season came against California State University schools - Cal Poly, CSUN and San Diego State
- Stanford went 3-0 against CSU schools after defeating Cal Poly 2-0 on August 19, CSUN 7-0 on August 26 and San Diego State 6-0 on August 29
- The Cardinal has won 35 consecutive matches over CSU schools and owns a 48-0-1 record over the last 49 - the only tie being a scoreless match at San Diego State on October 10, 1993
- Stanford last lost a match to a CSU school on October 20, 1988 - a 2-1 setback to Cal State Hayward (now Cal State East Bay)
- Stanford is 22-0 against CSU schools under Paul Ratcliffe
- The Cardinal is 52-17-3 all time against the CSU schools
THEY'RE BAAAAAAAAAACK
- Captain and 2019 Pac-12 Defender of the Year Naomi Girma returned this year after missing all of last season due to injury
- Fifth-year players Belle Briede, Madison Haley and Jojo Harber also returned for another season season on The Farm
- Haley, a 2019 All-American, was drafted seventh overall by the Chicago Red Stars in the 2021 NWSL Draft