STANFORD, Calif. - No. 2 Stanford (2-0, 0-0 MPSF) makes an appearance in the Cal Cup this weekend in Berkeley. The Cardinal faces No. 15 UC Davis on Saturday at 5 p.m. before taking on No. 7 Long Beach State on Sunday at 2:30 p.m.
Stanford will also play non-counting exhibition matches against California (Saturday) and UCLA (Sunday).
• Stanford opened its season with a pair of wins at Fresno State's Polopalooza, defeating No. 12 UC San Diego 15-4 and No. 5 Hawai'i 12-7. The Cardinal produced dominant stretches in both games, thanks to arguably the deepest roster in the country. The Cardinal received goals from 11 different players through the two games while its defense was exceptional, holding UC San Diego and Hawai’i to combined totals of 20 percent shooting overall and 0-16 on power play opportunities.
• Ryann Neushul was named MPSF Player of the Week for Jan. 21, following a career-high six-goal performance in No. 2 Stanford’s 12-7 victory over No. 5 Hawai’i on Jan. 18. Neushul delivered a career-high six goals on seven shot attempts in the win against the Rainbow Wahine, eclipsing her previous single-game best of five goals against San Jose State on April 28, 2003. It was the fourth career weekly MPSF honor for Neushul, who returned to the lineup after redshirting the 2024 campaign to train and compete for Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
• The Cardinal is coming off an NCAA semifinal finish at 19-7 overall in 2024, maintaining its standing among the nation's elite while extending its streak as the only program to have participated at every NCAA Championship since the event's inception in 2001. Stanford, which fell short in its bid for an NCAA three-peat, was ranked as high as No. 3 last season and nearly reached its 13th NCAA final in 14 seasons.
• In 2024, Stanford was without five players who were taking a leave of absence and redshirt year to train and compete with their respective national teams in preparation for the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics. All-Americans Jenna Flynn, Ryann Neushul and Jewel Roemer joined Ella Woodhead in training for Team USA while Serena Browne competed for Canada. All five players return in 2025, significantly enhancing Stanford’s trademark depth. Neushul and Roemer lead the way as three-time All-Americans and Cutino Award contenders while Flynn produced 60 goals as a freshman, becoming one of four first-year players in school history to score at least 60 in her debut season.
• Stanford was also busy last summer adding Juliette Dhalluin, a 2023 third-team All-American transfer from Arizona State. Dhalluin, who compiled Sun Devil rookie records of 70 goals, 38 assists and 48 steals, also has extensive international experience, most recently competing with France at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics.
• Sophia Sanders is the Cardinal’s leading returning scorer, finishing with 44 goals, 19 assists and 15 multi-goal games in 26 contests. Sanders totaled 12 goals in 15 career games over her first two seasons combined.
• The Cardinal will need to overcome the loss of two-time All-American goalkeeper Maya Avital, who closed out her career ranking second in program history with 613 saves behind Meridith McColl (715). Jackie King, Christine Carpenter and Izzy Scott will compete for time in goal.
• In 28 seasons, head coach John Tanner has compiled a 643-96 overall record while directing the Cardinal to 23 all-time NCAA appearances, nine NCAA titles (2023, 2022, 2019, 2017, 2015, 2014, 2012, 2011, 2002) and nine national runner-ups. An eight-time ACWPC Coach of the Year and six-time MPSF Coach of the Year, Tanner picked up his 600th career victory in Stanford's 25-8 win over Fresno State on Jan. 28, 2003.