MATCH NOTABLES
Stanford is unbeaten in the last 20 matches against Saint Mary's (19-0-1) dating back to 1990 ... is outscoring the Gaels 49-8 over those 20 matches - including posting 12 shutouts and a clean sheet in four of the last five ... prior to 2023, the two programs had not played against one another since 2013 ... Paul Ratcliffe spent five seasons as head coach at Saint Mary's from 1998-2002 before taking over on The Farm (55-34-7 record at SMC)
QUICK PASSES
- Stanford entered the week ranked No. 2 in the United Soccer Coaches poll and No. 1 according to TopDrawerSoccer and is the only program to have reached the College Cup in each of the past two seasons ... the Cardinal received three first-place votes in the United Soccer Coaches poll and trails No. 1 Duke by one point in the poll
- The Cardinal has scored at least three goals in each of the first three matches of the year … 15 combined goals over the three matches are the most since scoring 15 in the first three of 2021
- Stanford is averaging 29.33 shots per game, having posted 30 in two of the first three matches of the season
- 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 49-6-8 overall record over its last 63 matches
- Stanford has conceded just one goal so far this season and has managed a clean sheet in 34 of its last 59 contests overall
- The Cardinal owns a 123-7-10 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 and added an assist vs. No. 16 Santa Clara in the second match of the season ... 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
- 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 ... started the first 48 of a possible 49 matches in her career
- Elise Evans was named ACC co-Defensive Player of the Week and a member of the TopDrawerSoccer Team of the Week on August 19 ... contributed a pair of assists in Stanford's 7-0 victory vs. San Francisco to open the season before adding a goal vs. No. 16 Santa Clara in the second match of the year... was named TopDrawerSoccer Preseason Best XI second team and tabbed the No. 20 player on TopDrawerSoccer's Preseason Top 100 list
- 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 47 of a possible 51 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 has scored in back-to-back matches entering Sunday's contest ... is a preseason All-ACC selection and is tabbed the No. 70 player on TopDrawerSoccer's Preseason Top 100 list
- 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
- Allie Montoya has scored a goal in each of the first three matches of the year ... has also added two assists to lead the team with eight points ... is the first Cardinal to score in three straight matches since Andrea Kitahata scored in five straight from August 18 to September 5 last season
NOW AND LATER
- Stanford will continue a five-match homestand to start the 2025 season on Sunday when it hosts Saint Mary's
- Kickoff between the Cardinal and Gaels is set for 1 p.m. and Kyle Morrison and Austin Ota will have the broadcast call on ACC Network Extra
- Following the clash with Saint Mary's, Stanford will remain on The Farm to host Arizona on Thursday, August 28 at 7 p.m.
- The match against the Wildcats will be broadcast live on ACC Network Extra
UPCOMING PROMOTIONS
- Sunday's match vs. Saint Mary's is Stanford's Beat the Heat match at Cagan featuring a message fan giveaway, while supplies last ... the team will also be signing autographs on the concourse following the match, so stick around and get your favorite autographs
LAST TIME OUT
- Hosting San Diego State on Thursday night from Cagan Stadium, No. 2 Stanford scored a trio of goals in the first 18 minutes of the match to coast to a 3-0 shutout victory over the Aztecs
- Senior Allie Montoya continued her torrid start to the season, notching a goal for the third consecutive contest to cap the scoring in the 18th minute
- Montoya also factored into the opener for the Cardinal in the 13th minute, one-timing a pass to sophomore Charlotte Kohler who paced her volley perfectly before unleashing a shot inside the far post for her first goal of the season
- Stanford doubled its lead to 2-0 just over a minute after Kohler’s goal when Andrea Kitahata had a ball trickle out to her off a blocked shot from Kohler ... the redshirt senior read the spin of the ball and blasted her first touch past the outstretched dive of San Diego State goalkeeper Kailey Carlen for her second goal in as many matches
- All three goalkeepers got minutes in the victory for the Cardinal, with freshman Caroline Birkel working the first 45 minutes of the clean sheet while making one save ... sophomore Kaiya Jota started the second half before being replaced by junior Alyssa Savig for the final 14 minutes that included one save
EVANS IS THE FIRST ACC DEFENDER OF THE WEEK IN 2025
- Having helped guide Stanford to a 2-0 week to start the season, senior Elise Evans was named ACC co-Defensive Player of the Week and was listed on the TopDrawerSoccer Team of the Week on August 19
- The conference weekly honor is the third in Evans’ career, including her first as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference after previously being named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week twice during the 2022 season
- The Cardinal posted a 7-0 shutout victory over San Francisco on Thursday before knocking off No. 16 Santa Clara 5-1 on Sunday
- Evans was instrumental in the strong start, compiling a pair of assists in the season opener before scoring her first goal of the season against the Broncos
- The goal was Evans’ sixth of her career, while the multi-assist game was her first
- A native of Redwood City, Calif., Evans totaled 136 minutes at center back over the first two matches, helping Stanford limit the opposition to just six total shots (one on frame)
- Evans shared the Defensive Player of the Week honor with Wake Forest’s Valentina Amaral, while Duke’s Mia Minestrella was named Offensive Player of the Week
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 123-7-10 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 is 3-0-0 so far this season at home and has outscored the opposition 15-1
- 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
SPREADING THE WEALTH
- Ten different players have scored goals through two matches this season, and three more have contributed an assist, as 13 players have already factored into points
- Allie Montoya has scored in all three matches this year while adding two assists to lead the squad with eight points
- Jasmine Aikey, Brooke Holden and Andrea Kitahata have scored twice, while Aikey and Kitahata have assisted on one goal apiece to total five points
- In addition to Montoya's two, Elise Evans has also compiled a team-best two assists, having assisted on goals from Aikey and Y-Lan Nguyen in the season opener
- Twelve different Cardinal players scored a goal last year, and 16 players factored into points
HITTING THE GROUND RUNNING
- Senior Allie Montoya has scored the first goal of the match for Stanford in two of the first three contests this year
- Those two Montoya goals have come in the first 15 minutes of the match, striking in the fifth minute against San Francisco and the 14th against Santa Clara
- Charlotte Kohler and Andrea Kitahata scored in the 13th and 14th minutes against San Diego State as Stanford has managed four goals within the first 15 minutes of a match this year
- The Cardinal has also been quick coming out for the second half, collecting goals in the 47th and 56th minutes
- Stanford scored five goals in the first 10 minutes of a match and added eight more within the first 10 minutes of the second-half kickoff last year - accounting for 13 of its 35 goals on the season
- So far this season, Stanford has scored nine goals in the first half and six in the second half of matches
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 77 career appearances at Stanford, Kitahata has scored 24 goals, including nine game-winners, with 23 assists for 71 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 395-72-41 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
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)
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