Team CelebrationTeam Celebration
Jim Shorin/ISI Photos
Women's Soccer

Top-Ranked Cardinal Concludes Homestand Thursday

No. 1 Stanford will conclude a five-match homestand to start the 2025 season on Thursday when it hosts Arizona

Game Coverage

MATCH NOTABLES

Thursday's match will be the first between the two former Pac-12 foes since Stanford made the transition to the Atlantic Coast Conference and Arizona joined the Big 12 ... Stanford has won 18 of the last 19 matches against Arizona ... is outscoring Arizona 60-11 over the last 19 matches, including posting 12 shutouts ... the Cardinal is a combined 91-13-6 (.855) all time against teams currently competing in the Big 12: 27-3-0 vs. Arizona; 19-5-3 vs. Arizona State; 8-3-1 vs. BYU; 14-0-1 vs. Colorado; 1-0-0 vs. Iowa State; 1-0-0 vs. Kansas; 1-0-0 vs. Oklahoma State; 4-0-0 vs. TCU; 1-1-0 vs. UCF; 14-1-1 vs. Utah; 1-0-0 vs. West Virginia

QUICK PASSES

  • Stanford entered the week ranked No. 1 in the United Soccer Coaches and TopDrawerSoccer polls 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 edged Tennessee by one point for the top spot in the poll ... Tennessee garnered four first-place votes and Duke (No. 3 in the poll) earned one ... Stanford spent three weeks ranked No. 1 according to United Soccer Coaches last season
  • The Cardinal has scored at least three goals in each of the first four matches of the year … 19 combined goals over the four matches are the most since scoring 20 in the first four of 1991
  • Stanford is averaging 26.50 shots per game, having posted 30 in two of the first four 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 Thursday's match carrying a 50-6-8 overall record over its last 64 matches
  • Stanford has conceded just two goals so far this season and has managed a clean sheet in 34 of its last 60 contests overall
  • The Cardinal owns a 124-7-10 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 has contributed at least a point in three of the first four matches this season, and has scored in two of the four ... ranks second on the team in total points with seven (three goals and one assist) ... 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) ... was ranked No. 47 on TopDrawerSoccer's Preseason Top 100 Players list
  • Mia Bhuta was 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
  • Lily Freer has played a team-best 321 minutes, including the full 90 in each of the last three matches
  • Shae Harvey is ranked No. 61 on TopDrawerSoccer's Preseason Top 100 Players list ... has started 48 of a possible 52 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
  • Joelle Jung scored a goal and added two assists in Sunday's 4-1 victory over Saint Mary's ... second career multi-assist match (2 vs. California on November 3, 2023) and her first career match with a goal and an assist
  • Andrea Kitahata has contributed at least a point in all four matches this season ... scored in back-to-back matches against No. 16 Santa Clara and San Diego State ... was a preseason All-ACC selection and is tabbed the No. 70 player on TopDrawerSoccer's Preseason Top 100 list
  • Charlotte Kohler has contributed at least a point in three of the first four matches this season, and has scored in back-to-back matches entering Thursday ... was named TopDrawerSoccer Freshman Best XI first team last season
  • Allie Montoya has scored a goal in each of the first four matches of the year ... has also added two assists to lead the team with 10 points ... is the first Cardinal to score in four straight matches since Andrea Kitahata scored in five straight from August 18 to September 5 last season

NOW AND LATER

  • Stanford will conclude a five-match homestand to start the 2025 season on Thursday when it hosts Arizona
  • Kickoff between the Cardinal and Wildcats is set for 7 p.m. and Sara Ach and Max Agress will have the broadcast call on ACC Network Extra
  • Following the clash with Arizona, Stanford will hit the road for the first time this season, traveling to No. 4 USC on Thursday for a 6:30 p.m. kickoff
  • The match against the Trojans will be broadcast live on Big Ten Network

UPCOMING PROMOTIONS

  • Stanford will host Hispanic Heritage night on Thursday, October 9 vs. Virginia Tech
  • The Cardinal will promote Breast Cancer Awareness with one of a kind pink jerseys for a match against Virginia on Sunday, October 12 ... Stanford will also honor its alumni and the team will be signing autographs on the concourse following the match, so stick around and get your favorite autographs

A NEW NO. 1

  • After carrying the No. 2 ranking last week according to United Soccer Coaches, Stanford received three first-place votes and made the leap to the top this week, checking in at No. 1
  • The Cardinal edged Tennessee by one point for the top spot in the poll ... Tennessee garnered four first-place votes and Duke (No. 3 in the poll) earned one
  • The Cardinal last carried the No. 1 overall ranking according to United Soccer Coaches for three consecutive weeks starting on September 2 last season
  • The top ranking last year was the first for Stanford since finishing the 2019 season as the national champion
  • The ACC has held the No. 1 ranking throughought the 2025 season, with North Carolina entering the year at No. 1, Duke owning the slot following one week of competition, and the Cardinal taking over this week
  • In the last 24 weeks of the United Soccer Coaches Poll, dating back to 2023, an ACC team has been ranked No. 1 in all but two polls

LAST TIME OUT

  • Junior Joelle Jung scored a goal and added two assists to guide Stanford to a 4-1 victory over Saint Mary’s on Sunday afternoon from Cagan Stadium
  • Jung and the Cardinal wasted no time getting on the board, scoring in the third minute to post the quickest goal thus far this year
  • Charlotte Kohler notched her second goal in as many matches in the 22nd minute, stretching Stanford’s lead to 2-0
  • Having surrendered just its second goal of the year in the 52nd minute, Stanford immediately responded in the 55th minute when Jasmine Aikey received a perfectly paced through ball from Jung that she powered past the Gaels' goalkeeper for her third goal of the season
  • Stanford put the finishing touches on the match in the 79th minute when Allie Montoya cleaned up a rebound for her fourth goal in as many matches
  • Freshman Caroline Birkel went the distance in goal for Stanford, recording three saves in the victory

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 124-7-10 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 4-0-0 so far this season at home and has outscored the opposition 19-2
  • 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 four matches this season, and three more have contributed an assist, as 13 players have already factored into points
  • Allie Montoya has scored in all four matches this year while adding two assists to lead the squad with 10 points
  • Jasmine Aikey has scored three goals, while Brooke Holden and Andrea Kitahata have scored twice ... Aikey has added one assist to total seven points
  • Joining Montoya with two assists this season are Kitahata, Joelle Jung and Elise Evans
  • Twelve different Cardinal players scored a goal last year, and 16 players factored into points

HITTING THE GROUND RUNNING

  • Stanford has scored five goals in the first 15 minutes of a match this year, including two in the first five
  • Joelle Jung's third-minute goal vs. Saint Mary's on August 24 is the quickest tally for the Cardinal this year
  • The Cardinal has also been quick coming out for the second half, collecting three goals in the first 15 minutes of a second half ... Jung also has the fastest second-half goal, striking for one in the 47th minute against No. 16 Santa Clara on August 17
  • So far this season, Stanford has scored 11 goals in the first half and eight in the second half of matches
  • 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

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 78 career appearances at Stanford, Kitahata has scored 24 goals, including nine game-winners, with 24 assists for 72 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 396-72-41 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