MATCH NOTABLES
Including a 1-0 victory last year, Stanford is outscoring San Francisco 86-9 over the 26 matches between the two teams ... the Cardinal has managed 19 shutout wins vs. USF, including five straight ... Stanford last allowed multiple goals to the Dons in a 3-2 victory at San Francisco on October 19, 1997 ... the Cardinal is 11-0-0 under Paul Ratcliffe and has outscored San Francisco 48-3 in those 11 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. 7 in the United Soccer Coaches poll and No. 2 according to TopDrawerSoccer and is the only program to have reached the College Cup in each of the past two seasons
- The 1-0 victory over San Francisco to start the 2024 season marked the fourth consecutive campaign that Stanford opened the year with a shutout (2-0 at Cal Poly in 2021, 5-0 vs. Sacramento State in 2022 and 4-0 at San Diego in 2023)
- Stanford carries an 18-match unbeaten streak in season openers (17-0-1) dating back to 2007, most recently defeating San Francisco 1-0 in 2024 ... Stanford has posted 10 shutouts over the 18-match streak ... the Cardinal has won 14 straight season openers after playing to a 1-1 draw at Boston College to start the 2010 season
- The Cardinal enters the 2025 season carrying a 46-6-8 overall record over its last 60 matches
- Stanford posted a shutout in 12 of its 23 matches last season and has managed a clean sheet in 32 of its last 56 contests overall ... .522 shutout percentage ranked fourth in the ACC and 31st in the nation a year ago ... went 10-3-0 in matches decided by one goal last season, including posting seven 1-0 shutouts
- The Cardinal owns a 120-7-10 record at Cagan Stadium since the start of the 2014 season, but had an unbeaten streak of 34 straight home matches (32-0-2) snapped on October 10, 2024 vs. No. 1 Duke
- Stanford has won two of the last eight College Cups - most recently capturing the title in 2019 ... made its 12th appearance in the College Cup a year ago, including its second in as many years ... has made six appearances in the College Cup Final ... is 3-3 in national championship matches
NOW AND LATER
- Stanford will begin the 2025 season with a home match against San Francisco on Thursday
- Kickoff between the Cardinal and the Dons is set for 7 p.m. and Sara Ach and Jordan Watkins will have the broadcast call on ACC Network Extra
- Following the clash with San Francisco, Stanford will remain on The Farm to host No. 16 Santa Clara on Sunday at 1 p.m.
- The match against the Broncos will be broadcast live on ACC Network Extra
UPCOMING PROMOTIONS
- Thursday's home opener against San Francisco will feature our former Cardinal in the NWSL, and fans can go home with an exclusive Sophia Smith poster
- Bring your past Stanford Women's Soccer noise maker giveaways, or pick up a kazoo at the Stanford Athletics Table, on Sunday vs. Santa Clara
GETTING OFF ON THE RIGHT FOOT
- With a 1-0 shutout victory at San Francisco to start last season, Stanford now owns an 18-match unbeaten streak in season openers (17-0-1) dating back to 2007 ... Stanford has posted 10 shutouts over the 18-match streak
- The Cardinal has won 14 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 35-4-2 all time in season openers - including 19-2-1 under Paul Ratcliffe
HOME SWEET HOME
- Stanford owns a 120-7-10 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 would extend it's unbeaten streak to 34 straight matches (32-0-2) before No. 1 Duke snapped the string with a 4-1 victory on October 10, 2024
- The Cardinal went 7-2-1 last year at home and outscored the opposition 20-9
- Stanford has managed unbeaten home slates in six of the last 11 seasons
- Including a 3-0 victory over UC Irvine last season, Stanford is unbeaten in its last 36 home openers (35-0-1) dating back to 1989 ... lone tie came vs. Portland in 2013
- The Cardinal is outscoring opponents 123-14 with 25 shutouts over those 36 home openers
- Stanford owns a 36-4-1 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 TABBED FIFTH IN PRESEASON POLL
- Stanford was picked to finish fifth in the Atlantic Coast Conference this season according to the league’s coaches
- Defending national champion North Carolina was selected as the preseason favorite with 10 first-place votes and 246 overall points ... Notre Dame garnered two first-place votes and 229 points to edge Florida State (225 points) for second in the poll ... the Seminoles, which defeated Stanford in the 2023 College Cup final, earned four first-place votes while placing third ... Duke was picked fourth with 208 points, followed by the Cardinal with 201 points ... Virginia, which was selected seventh behind Wake Forest in the poll, garnered the final first-place vote
- Including Stanford at No. 7, eight of the 17 ACC teams entered the 2025 season ranked in the United Soccer Coaches preseason poll - tied for most in the country ... joining the Cardinal in the top 10 were North Carolina (No. 1), Notre Dame (No. 2), Florida State (No. 3), Duke (No. 4) and Wake Forest (No. 10) ... Virginia Tech (No. 14) and Virginia (No. 15) also held national rankings to begin the year, while California and Clemson each received votes in the intitial poll
PRESEASON ALL-ACC
- In addition to the preseason poll, the ACC coaches also voted on a preseason All-ACC Team
- Redshirt senior Andrea Kitahata was named to the 14-player squad
- Kitahata led the Cardinal in goals (9), assists (6), game-winners (3) and points (24) a year ago, and had a goal in five consecutive matches during a stretch of the season - becoming the first Cardinal to score in five consecutive matches since Catarina Macario in the 2019 national title season
TOP PLAYERS PLAY ON THE FARM
- Stanford boasted five players on TopDrawerSoccer's Preseason Top 100 Players list and two on the Preseason Best XI teams
- Mia Bhuta and Elise Evans both landed on the Preseason Best XI, with Bhuta earning a spot on the first team and Evans placing on the second team
- Bhuta led the pack of five Cardinal in the Top 100, claiming the No. 6 overall spot ... Evans (No. 20), Jasmine Aikey (No. 47), Shae Harvey (No. 61) and Andrea Kitahata (No. 70) were also featured on the list
- The Cardinal’s five players in the Top 100 were tied with North Carolina and TCU for the most of any program in the nation
SUCCESS UNDER RATCLIFFE
- This fall marks the 23rd 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 392-72-41 record in his tenure on The Farm
- Ratcliffe has guided Stanford to three national championships, six NCAA finals, 10 conference titles, 11 College Cup appearances, a berth in the NCAA third round in 15 of the past 19 seasons, and a spot in the NCAA Tournament in 21 of his 22 seasons
AYE AYE, CAPTAINS!
- Stanford named a quartet of players team captains ahead of the 2025 season - juniors Mia Bhuta and Shae Harvey, senior Elise Evans and redshirt senior Andrea Kitahata
- Evans and Kitahata were both voted team captains a year ago, while Bhuta and Harvey are first-year captains on The Farm
O'HARA CLAIMS HER HALL OF FAME SPOT
- One of the most decorated players in United States soccer history, Kelley O'Hara will be inducted into the Stanford Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2025 on Friday, September 26
- Joining O'Hara as former student-athletes being inductees are Sarah Beeson Andersen (softball), Erin Burdette (women’s tennis), David DeCastro (football), Ryan Garko (baseball), Dan Gill (men’s gymnastics), Kiley Neushul (women’s water polo), Jeanette Pohlen (women’s basketball), Chasson Randle (men’s basketball) and Tank Williams (football)
- O'Hara will be the ninth inductee from women's soccer and the first since Teresa Noyola in 2024
- O'Hara led Cardinal to four NCAA appearances (2006-09), back-to-back NCAA College Cups (2008-09) and a national runner-up finish (2009)
- MAC Hermann Trophy Award recipient (2009) - the first recipient in school history - along with Soccer America Player of the Year (2009) and NSCAA Player of the Year (2009), leading the nation in goals (26) and points (65) as a senior
- Three-time NSCAA All-American (2007-09) and NCAA College Cup All-Tournament Team pick (2009)
- Pac-10 Player of the Year (2009), fueling the Cardinal to its first conference title in seven seasons, and a four-time All-Pac-10 selection (2006-09)
- Ranks fourth in school history in points (146), fourth in goals (57), and fifth in shots (344)
- Three-time Olympian with Team USA (2012, 2016, 2020) and two-time medalist (2012 gold, 2020 bronze), concluding her USWNT career with 160 caps and playing in every senior world championship from 2011-23
- Four-time World Cup participant with Team USA (2011, 2015, 2019, 2023) and three-time medalist (2011 silver, 2015 gold, 2019 gold)
- Competed 11 seasons in NWSL, winning championships with Gotham FC (2023) and Washington Spirit (2021) while also collecting a title with FC Gold Pride (2010) of the WPS
- CSC Academic All-America First Team (2009), NSCAA National Scholar-Athlete of the Year (2009), Senior CLASS Award finalist (2009), 3-time Pac-10 All-Academic selection (2007-09)