Bay Area Battle Sunday

MATCH NOTABLES

Stanford and Santa Clara have won two of the last six national titles (STAN - 2019, SCU 2020-21) … Santa Clara eliminated Stanford from the 2022 NCAA Tournament ... nine of the last 10 matches have been decided by one goal or fewer ... Stanford is 1-0 so far this year against teams currently competing in the WCC, including a victory over San Francisco ... Lizzie Boamah scored the game-winner in the 55th minute last year to help Stanford to a 1-0 victory over Santa Clara - her first career goal

QUICK PASSES

• Stanford entered 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 7-0 victory over San Francisco to start this season marked the fifth consecutive campaign that Stanford opened the year with a shutout (2-0 at Cal Poly in 2021, 5-0 vs. Sacramento State in 2022, 4-0 at San Diego in 2023 and 1-0 at San Francisco in 2024)
• Including a 7-0 victory over San Francisco this season, Stanford owns a 19-match unbeaten streak in season openers (18-0-1) dating back to 2007 ... Stanford has posted 11 shutouts over the 19-match streak ... the Cardinal has won 15 straight season openers after playing to a 1-1 draw at Boston College to start the 2010 season
• The Cardinal enters Sunday's match carrying a 47-6-8 overall record over its last 61 matches
• Stanford posted a shutout in 12 of its 23 matches last season and has managed a clean sheet in 33 of its last 57 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 121-7-10 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
• Jasmine Aikey managed a brace in the season opener vs. San Francisco ... multi-goal game was the fourth of her career, joining her hat tricks at Oregon State (October 23, 2022) and vs. California (November 3, 2023), and a four-goal match vs. San Jose State (November 11, 2022) ... is ranked No. 47 on TopDrawerSoccer's Preseason Top 100 Players list ... was named United Soccer Coaches All-Region fourth team and All-ACC second team a year ago ... College Sports Communicators Academic All-America first team in 2024
• Mia Bhuta is on the watch list for the MAC Hermann Trophy ... was named TopDrawerSoccer Preseason Best XI first team and tabbed the No. 6 player on TopDrawerSoccer's Preseason Top 100 list ... was named United Soccer Coaches All-America fourth team, All-Region first team, TopDrawerSoccer Best XI second team and All-ACC second team a year ago ... has started 48 of a possible 49 matches in her career
• Elise Evans contributed a pair of assists in Stanford's 7-0 victory vs. San Francisco to open the season ... was named TopDrawerSoccer Preseason Best XI second team and tabbed the No. 20 player on TopDrawerSoccer's Preseason Top 100 list ... was named United Soccer Coaches All-Region fourth team and All-ACC third team a year ago
• Shae Harvey is ranked No. 61 on TopDrawerSoccer's Preseason Top 100 Players list ... had a string of consecutive starts to begin her career snapped at 35 on September 26, 2024 vs. Miami, but has started 45 of a possible 49 matches in her career
• Brooke Holden entered as a substitute in the 60th minute vs. San Francisco and went on to score a brace, notching goals in the 82nd and 87th minutes ... is the first Cardinal since at least 2000 to record a brace in her collegiate debut
• Andrea Kitahata is a preseason All-ACC selection and is tabbed the No. 70 player on TopDrawerSoccer's Preseason Top 100 list ... scored in three of her last six matches a year ago, including a goal and an assist in the 2-0 quarterfinal win over Notre Dame on November 29
• Eleanor Klinger was named to the ACC All-Freshman Team a year ago ... had an assist in three of the final 10 matches on the season in 2024
• Charlotte Kohler was named TopDrawerSoccer Freshman Best XI first team last season ... contributed the game-winner in a 1-0 shutout at San Francisco to open the 2024 season and one more to defeat SMU on the road October 5 ... managed a goal and an assist in her first NCAA Tournament match vs. UCSB on November 15 and scored two goals with one assist through her first five tournament matches

NOW AND LATER

• Stanford will continue a five-match homestand to start the 2025 season on Sunday when it hosts No. 16 Santa Clara
• Kickoff between the Cardinal and Broncos is set for 1 p.m. and Greg Wong and Max Agress will have the broadcast call on ACC Network Extra
• Following the clash with Santa Clara, Stanford will remain on The Farm to host San Diego State on Thursday at 7 p.m.
• The match against the Aztecs will be broadcast live on ACC Network Extra

UPCOMING PROMOTIONS

• 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 and make sure to make some noise!

LAST TIME OUT

• Senior Jasmine Aikey and freshman Brooke Holden each managed a brace on Thursday night as No. 7 Stanford earned a 7-0 shutout victory over San Francisco to open the 2025 season from Cagan Stadium
• The multi-goal game was the fourth of Jasmine Aikey’s career, joining her hat tricks at Oregon State (October 23, 2022) and vs. California (November 3, 2023), and a four-goal match vs. San Jose State (November 11, 2022)
• Thursday's match was the first featuring a pair of Cardinal with multiple goals since Maya Doms (3) and Abby Greubel (2) vs. CSUN on August 26, 2021
• Aikey netted her two goals in the 26th and 56th minutes before being replaced by Holden as a substitute in the 60th minute ... playing her first 30 collegiate minutes, Holden scored goals in the 82nd and 87th minutes to put the finishing touches on the rout
• Senior Allie Montoya scored the first goal of the season in the fifth minute, freshman Y-Lan Nguyen scored in the 36th and sophomore Jaden Thomas added one in the 69th
• Senior Elise Evans assisted on goals from Aikey and Nguyen ... multi-assist game was the first of her career and the first for a Cardinal since Charlotte Kohler had a pair vs. Washington State on September 1, 2024
• Goalkeepers Caroline Birkel and Kaiya Jota each played a half in the shutout, with Birkel earning the start and working the first 45 minutes ... neither goalkeeper was forced into a save as Stanford managed a 30-4 advantage in shots
• The seven goals scored were the most for Stanford since blanking CSUN 7-0 on August 26, 2021 … were also the most in a season opener since defeating Pomona-Pitzer 11-0 to open the 1988 season

GETTING OFF ON THE RIGHT FOOT

• With a 7-0 shutout victory over San Francisco to start the year, Stanford now owns a 19-match unbeaten streak in season openers (18-0-1) dating back to 2007 ... Stanford has posted 11 shutouts over the 19-match streak
• The Cardinal has won 15 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 36-4-2 all time in season openers - including 20-2-1 under Paul Ratcliffe

HOME SWEET HOME

• Stanford owns a 121-7-10 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 7-0 victory over San Francisco this season, Stanford is unbeaten in its last 37 home openers (36-0-1) dating back to 1989 ... lone tie came vs. Portland in 2013
• The Cardinal is outscoring opponents 130-14 with 26 shutouts over those 37 home openers
• Stanford owns a 37-4-1 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

ONE TO WATCH

• Junior Mia Bhuta was among the 43 players named to the 2025 Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy Watch List prior to the start of the season
• The Hermann Trophy is presented annually by the Missouri Athletic Club and is the nation’s highest individual honor recognizing the National Player of the Year as determined by voting of Division I head coaches who are members of United Soccer Coaches
• The award is named in honor of the late Robert Hermann, the legendary St. Louis, Mo., businessman and soccer executive who founded the National Professional Soccer League, the first pro soccer league in the United States which became the North American Soccer League. He was inducted in the U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame in 2012 ... Hermann was inducted in the U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame in 2012
• A Cardinal player has claimed three of the last eight MAC Hermann trophies, with Andi Sullivan earning the award in 2017, followed by Catarina Macario becoming a back-to-back winner in 2018 and 2019 ... Kelley O'Hara was the first Stanford player to win the MAC Hermann Trophy at the conclusion of the 2009 season ... O'Hara was followed by Christen Press (2010) and Teresa Noyola (2011) to bring Stanford's total to six winners
• North Carolina junior forward Kate Faasse was named the winner of the 2024 Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy after guiding the Tar Heels to the national title

CARDINAL TABBED FIFTH IN STACKED ACC

• 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 initial poll

SHE'S BAAAAAAACK

• Andrea Kitahata announced in February that she would return to Stanford for her fourth and final year of eligibility, forgoing professional opportunities that included a multi-year contract in the NWSL and interest from the UEFA Women’s Champions League
• Kitahata said, “This was a very difficult decision for me with all the opportunities and growth at the professional level, but I have unfinished business at Stanford. We are looking for a national title and are primed to do it this season.”
• Kitahata led the Cardinal in goals (9), assists (6), game-winners (3) and points (24), and had a goal in five consecutive matches in the 2024 season - becoming the first Cardinal to score in five consecutive matches since Catarina Macario in the 2019 national title season
• Over 75 career appearances at Stanford, Kitahata has scored 22 goals, including eight game-winners, with 23 assists for 67 points – the most assists and game-winners of any Cardinal to play on The Farm over the last four seasons
• A regular in the United States national team system, Kitahata has been called up for more than 35 youth national team camps ... she competed for the United States in the 2022 U20 FIFA Women’s World Cup and scored seven goals for the U.S. as the second-highest goal scorer in the 2022 U20 CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers
• Kitahata is working toward her Master of Science in Sustainability Science and Practice and has plans to pursue an MBA or attend law school after her playing career is over

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 393-72-41 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

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

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

RELOADING FOR 2025

• Continuing to maintain one of the premier women’s soccer programs in the nation, The Knowles Family Director of Women's Soccer Paul Ratcliffe added the No. 7 overall recruiting class for the 2025 season according to TopDrawerSoccer
• The high-profile signing class includes Caroline Birkel, Milly Bray, Lily Freer, Ava Harrison, Brooke Holden, Noe Johnson, Y-Lan Nguyen and Alex Tay
• Birkel and Freer joined the Cardinal as early-enrollees for the winter quarter in 2025 and began training with the Cardinal during the spring

GATORADE PLAYERS OF THE YEAR

• Four current Stanford 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 Elise Evans as Gatorade Players of the Year on the 2025 Stanford women’s soccer roster after Evans earned the award for California while playing at Woodside High School during the 2021-22 season

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 inducted 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), three-time Pac-10 All-Academic selection (2007-09)

SPREADING THE WEALTH

• Five different players scored goals in the season opener against San Francisco this year, and seven more contributed an assist, as 12 players have already factored into points
• Twelve different Cardinal players scored a goal last year, and 16 players factored into points
• Jasmine Aikey and Brooke Holden each managed a brace in the season opener, while Allie Montoya, Y-Lan Nguyen and Jaden Thomas also contributed goals
• Elise Evans leads the team in assists with two, having assisted on goals from Aikey and Nguyen against the Dons

HOME OF CHAMPIONS

• Stanford is the all-time leader with 137 NCAA team championships (70 men, 67 women), and 173 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 49 seasons, dating back to the 1976-77 campaign
• The Cardinal has also produced 565 NCAA individual champions and 658 overall
• Stanford has won the Learfield Directors’ Cup in 26 of the possible 31 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