Season Begins at San Francisco

MATCH NOTABLES

Including a 4-0 victory last year, Stanford is outscoring San Francisco 85-9 over the 25 matches between the two teams ... the Cardinal has managed 18 shutout wins vs. USF, including four straight ... Stanford last allowed multiple goals to the Dons in a 3-2 victory at San Francisco on October 19, 1997 ... the Cardinal is 10-0-0 under Paul Ratcliffe and has outscored San Francisco 47-3 in those 10 contests ... the Dons are one of two Stanford opponents to have played 12+ matches against the Cardinal and lost every contest between the pair (Stanford is 12-0 vs. Cal Poly)

QUICK PASSES

• Stanford enters the season ranked No. 2 in the United Soccer Coaches and TopDrawerSoccer preseason polls after reaching the College Cup Final and closing the season ranked second in the nation a year ago
• The loss to Florida State in the 2023 national championship match snapped a string of 36 consecutive unbeaten matches (30-0-6)
• Stanford made its 11th appearance in the College Cup, and its sixth appearance in the College Cup Final, last year ... is 3-3 in national championship matches
• The Cardinal owns a 113-5-9 record at Cagan Stadium since the start of the 2014 season
• Stanford posted 14 shutouts and was 8-0-0 in games decided by one goal last season ... has posted 20 shutouts in its last 33 contests
• The 4-0 victory over San Diego to start the 2023 season marked the third consecutive campaign that Stanford opened the year with a shutout (2-0 at Cal Poly in 2021 & 5-0 vs. Sacramento State in 2022)
• The Cardinal has won two of the last seven College Cups - most recently capturing the title in 2019
• Stanford carries a 17-match unbeaten streak in season openers (16-0-1), most recently defeating San Diego 4-0 in 2023
• Jasmine Aikey is a preseason All-ACC selection ... was named 2023 Pac-12 Midfielder of the Year and United Soccer Coaches All-America and All-Region first team ... was a semifinalist for the 2023 MAC Hermann Trophy and a finalist for the Honda Award ... was named Academic All-America second team and earned a spot on TopDrawerSoccer's Best XI first team a year ago ... scored in nine of 25 matches in 2023, and after scoring in the final two in 2022, has scored in 11 of her last 27 matches entering this season ... owns 16 goals in those 27 matches ... contributed a point in 18 of the 25 matches in 2023, and scored in five of the final 16 ... has scored six postseason goals in eight career NCAA Tournament matches ... averaged 1.36 points per game last year to rank third in the Pac-12 and 49th in the nation, while her 3.40 shots per game ranked sixth in the Pac-12 and 43rd nationally ... ranked first in the Pac-12 in assists (12) and points (34) in 2023, second in game-winning goals (4), third in goals (11), and eighth in goals per game (.44)
• Mia Bhuta was named to the 2023 All-Pac-12 third team and earned a spot on the Pac-12 All-Freshman team ... was listed on TopDrawerSoccer's Freshman Best XI second team and was a College Soccer News All-Freshmen first team pick
• Elise Evans is a preseason All-ACC selection ... will compete for the United States at the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Colombia from August 31 through September 22 ... was named to the 2023 United Soccer Coaches All-Region first team, All-America third team and All-Pac-12 second team ... TopDrawerSoccer Best XI third team selection a year ago
• Erica Grilione was named to the 2023 Pac-12 All-Freshman team
• Shae Harvey was named to the 2023 All-Pac-12 third team and earned a spot on the Pac-12 All-Freshman team ... was selected TopDrawerSoccer Freshman Best XI first team, College Soccer News All-Freshmen second team and Women's College Cup All-Tournament a year ago
• Joelle Jung was named to the 2023 Pac-12 All-Freshman team and TopDrawerSoccer Freshman Best XI second team ... contributed four game-winning goals to rank second in the Pac-12 last season
• Andrea Kitahata was named to the 2023 All-Pac-12 second team ... scored in eight of the 25 matches a year ago ... scored five game-winners to lead the Pac-12 and rank 14th nationally in 2023 ... contributed nine assists to rank second in the Pac-12 last year and ranked fourth in the Pac-12 in points (27) and ninth in shots per game (2.80)

NOW AND LATER

• Stanford will begin the 2024 season with a road match at San Francisco on Thursday
• Kickoff between the Cardinal and the Dons is set for 6 p.m. with the match streamed live on ESPN+
• Following the clash with San Francisco, Stanford will return to The Farm to host UC Irvine on Sunday at 1 p.m. for the Cardinal's home opener
• The match against the Anteaters will be streamed live on ESPN+

UPCOMING PROMOTIONS

• Sunday's home opener against UC Irvine will feature a Stanford flag giveaway for fans in attendance
• Fans can also receive a Stanford women's soccer jersey rally towel vs. Washington State on Sunday, September 1

GETTING OFF ON THE RIGHT FOOT

• Stanford was 20-0-4 through 24 matches in 2023 and was unbeaten through 24 to start a season for the fourth time in the previous 15 seasons dating back to 2009 (first since starting 23-0-1 in 2011 en route to winning the national title)
• The undefeated regular season (15-0-4) was Stanford's first since 2018 – a year it went 21-1-2 with the lone loss coming in the semifinals to Florida State
• With a 4-0 shutout victory at San Diego to start the season, Stanford now owns a 17-match unbeaten streak in season openers (16-0-1) dating back to 2007
• Stanford has posted nine shutouts over the 17-match streak
• The Cardinal has won 13 straight season openers ... played to a 1-1 draw at Boston College to start the 2010 season
• Stanford last dropped a season opener in 2006 - a 2-1 defeat at Utah
• Stanford is 34-4-2 all time in season openers - including 18-2-1 under Paul Ratcliffe

CARDINAL TABBED SECOND IN INAUGURAL ACC CAMPAIGN

• Preparing for its first season in the Atlantic Coast Conference, Stanford was picked to finish second in the conference according to the league’s coaches
• The Cardinal, ranked No. 2 in the nation entering the year, trailed only top-ranked Florida State in the poll and earned two first-place votes
• Florida State earned 15 first-place votes to top the preseason poll at 255 points
• The Cardinal followed with 235 points, ahead of Notre Dame (211), North Carolina (187) and Clemson (186) to round out the top five
• Seven of the 17 ACC teams entered the 2024 season ranked in the United Soccer Coaches preseason poll, including Florida State (No. 1), Stanford (No. 2), Clemson (No. 5), Pitt (No. 7) and North Carolina (No. 8) all landing in the top 10 ... Notre Dame (No. 15) and Duke (No. 24) also held national rankings to begin the year

PRESEASON ALL-ACC

• In addition to the preseason poll, the ACC coaches also voted on a preseason All-ACC Team
• Juniors Jasmine Aikey (midfielder) and Elise Evans (defender) earned spots on the 12-member squad
• Aikey was named 2023 Pac-12 Midfielder of the Year during a spectacular sophomore season that saw her finish as a semifinalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy and a finalist for the Honda Award ... she also earned her first All-America selection, claiming first-team honors, after scoring 11 goals to rank second on the team and assisting on a team-best 12 more to collect a team-high 34 points ... the native of Palo Alto, Calif. finished the season ranked first in the Pac-12 in assists (12) and points (34), second in game-winning goals (4), and third in total goals (11)
• Evans earned United Soccer Coaches All-America third-team honors while landing on the All-Region first team ... a staple of the Cardinal backline through two seasons on The Farm, Evans helped guide Stanford to 14 shutouts while limiting opponents to just .60 goals per game on 9.60 shots per game a year ago ... on the attack, she scored two goals, including the game-winner vs. No. 18 Mississippi State in the NCAA Tournament third round ... the native of Redwood City, Calif. played 70+ minutes in 23 of her 25 matches played, including full time in 21 of the 25

U-20 WORLD CUP BOUND

• Junior Elise Evans has been selected by United States Under-20 Women’s Youth National Team head coach Tracey Kevins to represent the U.S. at the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Colombia from August 31 through September 22
• The USA roster is composed of eight professional players currently in the National Women’s Soccer League, 12 college players and one player still in youth soccer
• The lone player still in high school to make the World Cup roster is 5-11 goalkeeper Caroline Birkel, who plays for St. Louis Scott Gallagher
• Including Evans, 10 of the 20 players who helped the USA qualify for this World Cup in the spring of 2023 at the Concacaf Women’s U-20 Championship made the World Cup roster ... joining Evans from that group are: Goalkeepers Teagan Wy and Mackenzie Gress, defenders Gisele Thompson, Leah Klenke and Savy King, midfielder Ally Lemos, and forwards Maddie Dahlien, Ally Sentnor and Jordynn Dudley
• For the first time ever, and in its 11th installment, the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup will feature 24 nations
• The 24 teams that will compete in the tournament are host Colombia, Brazil, Paraguay, Venezuela and Argentina from South America, France, Spain, Germany, Austria and the Netherlands from Europe, the USA, Mexico, Canada and Costa Rica from Concacaf, Cameroon, Morocco, Nigeria and Ghana from Africa, Australia, Korea Republic, Japan and Korea DPR from Asia and New Zealand and Fiji from Oceania
• The 24 participating nations were drawn into six groups of four teams ... the top two finishers in each group along with the four best third-place teams will advance to the Round of 16 to be played on Wednesday, September 11 and Thursday, September 12 ... the winners of those matches advance to the Quarterfinals on Sunday, September 15, from which the winners will advance to the Semifinals on Wednesday, September 18 ... the Third-Place Match will be held on Saturday, September 21 with the FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup Final taking place on Sunday, September 22
• The USA will open the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup on Sunday, September 1 (1 p.m. PT) against reigning FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup champions Spain, will face Morocco on Wednesday, September 4 (6 p.m. PT) and will finish the group stage vs. Paraguay on Saturday, September 7 (4 p.m. PT)
• Redshirt junior Andrea Kitahata also has experience playing in a U-20 FIFA World Cup, representing the U.S. in 2022 in Costa Rica

GATORADE PLAYERS OF THE YEAR

• A trio of first-year Cardinal players were named their respective state Gatorade Players of the Year at the conclusion of their high school careers
• Charlotte Kohler (California), Sammy Smith (Idaho) and Jaden Thomas (Texas) each earned the selections for the 2023-24 school year
• Kohler and Smith are both two-time Gatorade Players of the Year after being lauded as juniors following the 2022-23 season
• The trio joins junior Elise Evans as Gatorade Players of the Year on the 2024 Stanford women’s soccer roster after Evans earned the award for California while playing at Woodside High School during the 2021-22 season.

SUCCESS UNDER RATCLIFFE

• This fall marks the 22nd season under the direction of Knowles Family Director of Women's Soccer Paul Ratcliffe
• Ratcliffe is Stanford's all-time winningest soccer coach with a 376-67-39 record in his tenure on The Farm
• Ratcliffe has guided Stanford to three national championships, six NCAA finals, 10 conference titles, 10 College Cup appearances, a berth in the NCAA third round in 14 of the past 18 seasons, and a spot in the NCAA Tournament in 20 of his 21 seasons

HOME SWEET HOME

• Stanford owns a 113-5-9 record at Cagan Stadium since the start of the 2014 season
• Stanford's 1-1 draw with Washington on October 14, 2023 ended a string of 21 straight wins at home – a stretch that dated back to October 3, 2021 … the Cardinal is still unbeaten in its last 29 straight home matches (28-0-1)
• Stanford went 13-0-1 at Cagan Stadium in 2023 and outscored the opposition 36-5
• The Cardinal has managed unbeaten home slates in six of the last 10 seasons
• Stanford went 11-0 in 2022 and outscored its opponents 39-4 at Cagan Stadium
• Including a 4-0 victory over San Francisco in 2023, Stanford is unbeaten in its last 35 home openers (34-0-1) dating back to 1989 ... lone tie came vs. Portland in 2013
• The Cardinal is outscoring opponents 120-14 with 24 shutouts over those 35 home openers
• Stanford owns a 35-4-1 record overall in home openers in program history (since 1984)
• Stanford had a 43-match unbeaten streak at home snapped during the 2020-21 season with a 1-0 loss to Cal 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

CARDINAL ON THE INTERNATIONAL STAGE

• Tierna Davidson, Naomi Girma and Sophia Smith won gold playing with Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics
• While 2024 marked the first Olympic gold for the trio, the Olympic medal was the second of Davidson’s career after helping the U.S. to a bronze at the Tokyo Games in 2020
• Jane Campbell, an alternate with Team USA in 2024, also earned bronze playing alongside Davidson in Tokyo
• Catarina Macario (United States) and Ali Riley (New Zealand) were also selected for the Games, but withdrew due to injury
• Riley was set to play in her fifth Olympic Games with New Zealand, while Macario previously joined Davidson and Campbell in winning bronze in Tokyo
• One of the top defenders in the world, Girma played every minute of the Olympics for the United States at center back, helping the U.S. post four clean sheets in the six matches
• Proving herself a weapon on the attack for the United States, Smith scored three goals and added two assists ... she was directly involved in a goal in four of the USA’s six matches at the 2024 Olympics
• Davidson missed the group stage final and the quarterfinal match in Olympic play, but returned to the starting lineup and the U.S. backline for the semifinal and gold-medal matches – a pair of 1-0 victories over Germany and Brazil
• With three more added to the list, Stanford women’s soccer has now had seven former players win gold with the U.S. in Olympic competition – compiling 10 gold medals in total
• Julie Foudy, who was on the broadcast call for the final against Brazil, was the first to capture gold, doing so in 1996 and then again in 2004 ... Nicole Barnhart and Rachel Buehler teamed for gold in 2008 before being joined by Kelley O’Hara on the 2012 gold-medal squad
• Prior to guiding the United States to the top of the podium, Davidson, Girma and Smith led Stanford to national championships while on The Farm ... furthermore, each player ultimately became the No. 1 overall pick in their respective NWSL draft classes ... Davidson was a member of the 2017 national champions before being selected No. 1 overall in the 2019 NWSL draft ... Smith and Girma were both sophomores on the 2019 national championship squad before going No. 1 overall in 2020 and 2022, respectively
• In addition to the 2024 Paris Games, seven former Cardinal represented their countries in the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup
• The Farm produced five players for Team USA, including Alana Cook, Girma, Kelley O'Hara, Smith and Andi Sullivan ... all but O'Hara (fourth World Cup) were making their inaugural appearance in the World Cup
• Kyra Carusa made her World Cup debut with Ireland, while Riley captained New Zealand - earning the country's first World Cup victory ... for Riley, the 2023 World Cup was her fifth with The Ford Football Ferns
• Stanford's five U.S. World Cup members were the most of any program in the nation, followed by North Carolina and Santa Clara with two

HOME OF CHAMPIONS

• Stanford is the all-time leader with 136 NCAA team championships (71 men, 65 women), and 167 national championships overall
• The Cardinal owns the most recognizable streak in college athletics, having won at least one NCAA team title during each of the last 48 seasons, dating back to the 1976-77 campaign
• The Cardinal has also produced 562 NCAA individual champions and 645 overall
• Stanford has won the Learfield Directors’ Cup in 26 of the possible 30 seasons, including a 25-year streak from 1995-2019

#OLYMPIANSMADEHERE

• Stanford concluded the 2024 Paris Olympic Games with a school-record 39 medals, shattering its previous best while cementing its reputation on the world’s biggest stage as the nation’s top collegiate program
• The 39 medals were 12 more than the previous record of 27 at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games
• Stanford’s haul of 39 medals (12 gold, 14 silver, 13 bronze) was the most by any school at one Olympics
• Included in the medal winners were Tierna Davidson, Naomi Girma and Sophie Smith who earned gold for Team USA in women's soccer
• Cardinal student-athletes medaled in 13 of Stanford's 36 varsity sports: artistic swimming, women’s basketball, women’s fencing, men’s gymnastics, sailing, men’s rowing, women’s soccer, women’s swimming and diving, men’s track and field, men’s volleyball, women’s volleyball, men’s water polo, women’s water polo
• The Cardinal boasted 19 first-time medalists - a total that ranks second in school history behind the 21 at the 2008 Beijing Games
• If Stanford was a country in the 2024 Games, it would have finished tied with Canada for 11th place
• Boasting a school-record 59 Olympians with Cardinal ties, Stanford won at least 20 medals for the sixth time in school history (2020, 2016, 2008, 1996, 1924)
• The Cardinal’s 59 Olympians (20 male, 39 female) represented 14 countries across 20 varsity sports
• In addition to the 59 qualifiers, Stanford’s Olympic representation also included five alternates (including Jane Campbell with the U.S. Women's National Team), one national team head coach and three national team assistant coaches
• For the third straight Olympics, Stanford totaled more Team USA selections (37) than any other school, reinforcing its status as the preeminent training ground for U.S. national team competition
• Stanford has won 128 medals combined over the last five Summer Games
• All told, Stanford’s affiliates have captured 335 overall medals (162 gold, 93 silver, 80 bronze) from 196 medalists, and the Cardinal has produced at least one medalist in every Olympics in which the U.S. has competed since 1912

THE 2023 SEASON

• Stanford, playing in its 11th College Cup overall, reached the College Cup final for the sixth time in program history before finishing as the national runner-up for the third time
• The Cardinal went 20-1-4 overall in 2023, including 8-0-3 in the Pac-12 to place second in the conference
• Stanford was unbeaten headed into the NCAA final against Florida State – marking the first battle of two undefeated teams in Women’s College Cup history
• Stanford, a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, finished the season ranked No. 2 in the United Soccer Coaches and TopDrawerSoccer polls
• Jasmine Aikey was named 2023 Pac-12 Midfielder of the Year and Ryan Campbell earned Goalkeeper of the Year, highlighting a group of 10 Cardinal on All-Pac-12 teams
• Stanford matched a national-high with four players on the 2023 United Soccer Coaches All-Pacific Region first team, with Campbell and Aikey being joined by Maya Doms and Elise Evans
• Turning in a spectacular sophomore season, Aikey was a semifinalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy and a finalist for the Honda Award
• Aikey also earned her first All-America selection, claiming first-team honors, while Evans placed on the third team
• Academically, four Cardinal players earned 2023 Academic All-American honors, with Aikey, Campbell, Doms and Wesley being lauded
• The latest in a long string of Stanford players drafted into the NWSL, Doms, Wesley and Katie Duong each heard their names called during the 2023 proceedings ... Doms was first off the board, nabbed with the eighth overall pick in the first round by expansion team Bay FC ... Wesley followed shortly after, taken four picks later in the opening round at No. 12 by San Diego Wave FC ... the Portland Thorns selected Duong with their final pick at No. 53 overall in the fourth round
• The Cardinal averaged 2.16 goals per game to rank second in the Pac-12, while also posting 14 shutouts and limiting opponents to just .60 goals against to lead the conference and rank 14th nationally
• 25 Cardinal were named to the Pac-12 Fall Academic Honor Roll
• The Cardinal played to a 445-240 advantage in shots and outscored the opposition 54-15
• Stanford's +39 goal differential (54-15) was second in the Pac-12 and eighth nationally ... 54 goals were first in the Pac-12 and 11th nationally
• The Cardinal went 8-1-3 against ranked opponents
• Stanford was 8-0-0 in games decided by one goal
• The Cardinal made its 32nd NCAA Tournament appearance, including its 25th in the last 26 seasons
• Stanford scored three-plus goals in 10 of the 25 matches, topping out at four on four occasions