No. 3 Stanford Opens ACC Play Thursday

MATCH NOTABLES

• Clemson advanced past Stanford in a penalty kick shootout in the third round of the NCAA Tournament in 2006 ... goals are even 2-2 in the all-time series between the two squads ... Thursday will be the first regular-season match between the two teams since clashing at the Clemson Classic in 1997

QUICK PASSES

• Stanford entered the week ranked No. 3 in the United Soccer Coaches poll, No. 6 according to TopDrawerSoccer, and is the only program to have reached the College Cup in each of the past two seasons ... held the No. 1 national ranking for two weeks this season (weeks of August 25 and September 1) ... Stanford spent three weeks ranked No. 1 according to United Soccer Coaches last season ... has been ranked in each of the last 37 United Soccer Coaches polls dating back to October 4, 2022 ... has recorded at least 15 wins in each of the last 18 seasons in which it has played 15 matches (played just 12 matches during the 2020-21 season) and has reached 20 wins in 10 of those seasons ... is the winningest program in California since 2010, compiling 288 victories
• The Cardinal has scored at least three goals in six of the first seven matches of the year and has reached the five-goal plateau four times … totaled a season-best seven goals in the season opener vs. San Francisco ... 30 combined goals over the seven matches are the most since scoring 37 in the first seven of 2017
• Stanford is averaging 25.00 shots per game, having posted at least 30 in three of the first seven matches of the season, and ranks second in the nation in scoring offense (4.29 goals per game)
• 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)
• The Cardinal enters Thursday's match carrying a 52-7-8 overall record over its last 67 matches
• Stanford has conceded just five goals so far this season, has posted three shutouts, and has managed a clean sheet in 35 of its last 63 contests overall
• The Cardinal owns a 125-7-10 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
• 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
• Jasmine Aikey has contributed at least a point in five of the first seven matches this season, and scored in three straight from August 24 to September 4 ... has a goal in four of the seven contests this season ... leads the team in total points with 13 (team-high six goals and one assist) and has contributed two game-winners ... has managed a pair of braces this season and owns five multi-goal games in her career ... 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
• Caroline Birkel has started every match in goal this year ... is the first Stanford true freshman to start in goal since Jane Campbell started 18 matches in 2013
• 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... also scored in Stanford's 6-0 victory over Arizona on August 28 ... 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 571 minutes, including the full 90 in five of the first seven matches
• Shae Harvey is ranked No. 61 on TopDrawerSoccer's Preseason Top 100 Players list ... has started 51 of a possible 55 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 has contributed at least one assist in three of the last four matches ... has two multi-assist matches in the last four to run her career total to three multi-assist matches ... notched a goal and two assists against Saint Mary's on August 24 to post her first career match with a goal and an assist
• Andrea Kitahata contributed at least one point in each of the first six 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
• Eleanor Klinger recorded her first career multi-goal match with a brace at No. 6 USC on September 4 ... has scored all three of her career goals against USC
• Charlotte Kohler has contributed at least a point in five of the first seven matches this season and has contributed two game-winners ... had a string of three straight matches with a goal from August 21-28 ... posted her first career multi-goal match with two against Arizona on August 28 ... was named TopDrawerSoccer Freshman Best XI first team last season
• Allie Montoya scored in each of Stanford's first four matches, and has contributed at least one point in five of the first seven contests this year ... has scored four goals and added three assists to manage 11 points

NOW AND LATER

• Stanford will begin Atlantic Coast Conference play this week, traveling to Clemson for a match on Thursday night
• Kickoff between the Cardinal and Tigers is set for 3 p.m. PT and Jenn Hildreth and Lori Lindsey will have the broadcast call on ACC Network
• Following the clash with Clemson, Stanford will continue ACC play with a 10 a.m. PT match at Pitt on Sunday
• The match against the Panthers will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra

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

CARDINAL IN THE TOP 10

• Stanford opened the season at No. 7 in the United Soccer Coaches poll, spent two weeks at No. 1, and has been ranked in the Top 10 throughout the year
• The Cardinal has been ranked in the top three in each of the last four polls
• Prior to this season, the Cardinal last carried the No. 1 overall ranking according to United Soccer Coaches for three consecutive weeks starting on September 2 last year
• 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 in all but one week this season as Tennessee replaced Stanford this week ... North Carolina entered the year at No. 1, Duke owned the slot following one week of competition, and the Cardinal held the top spot the last two weeks
• In the last 26 weeks of the United Soccer Coaches Poll, dating back to 2023, an ACC team has been ranked No. 1 in all but three polls

LAST TIME OUT

• Despite several quality chances that saw Stanford play to a 21-6 advantage in shots, the Cardinal suffered a 2-0 setback at the hands of then-No. 18 UCLA on Sunday from Wallis Annenberg Stadium for its first loss of the season
• The Bruins made good on their first chance of the afternoon, claiming the early 1-0 lead on a goal from Bella Winn in the fifth minute
• With the Cardinal desperately searching for the equalizer in the second half, the Bruins doubled the lead in the 79th minute as Lexi Wright beat Stanford freshman goalkeeper Caroline Birkel to run the tally to 2-0
• Birkel was credited with two saves in the setback ... UCLA's Daphne Nakfoor was outstanding in goal, collecting nine saves to secure the shutout
• The Cardinal was shut out for the first time since falling 1-0 to then-No. 3 Wake Forest in a College Cup Semifinal on December 6, 2024
• Senior Allie Montoya took eight shots and put four on frame

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

FRESHMEN READY TO PLAY

• Freshmen Caroline Birkel and Lily Freer have started every match of their inaugural campaigns on The Farm, with Freer logging a team-best 571 minutes, including the full 90 in five of the first seven
• Fellow freshmen Brooke Holden, Noe Johnson and Y-Lan Nguyen have each played in all six matches this season
• 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 to become the first Cardinal since at least 2000 to record multiple goals in her collegiate debut ... she added a goal at No. 6 USC on September 4 to run her season total to three
• Freshman Milly Bray has contributed a goal and an assist, Nguyen has tallied a goal in 323 minutes, and Ava Harrison has assisted on one tally
• In addition to the freshmen debuts, sophomore Kaiya Jota also made her collegiate debut in goal against San Francisco in the season opener

THEY HAVE THE ANSWER

• The Cardinal has allowed just five goals this year, but when it has conceded, it has been quick to respond with a counterpunch
• Stanford allowed its first goal of the season to then-No. 16 Santa Clara on August 17 with the clock reading 88:51, but freshman Milly Bray got that goal back for the Cardinal just 24 second later
• Saint Mary's scored in the 52nd minute on August 24, but Jasmine Aikey and Stanford responded for a goal in the 55th to regain all the momentum
• After USC's Jaiden Anderson netted a goal in the final ticks of the 80th minute on September 4, Eleanor Klinger completed a brace with a goal in the 83rd

SPREADING THE WEALTH

• Twelve different players have scored goals this season, and three more have contributed an assist, as 15 players have factored into points
• The 12 different goal scorers are the fifth-most in the nation, trailing Houston and Indiana State (14), and Texas State and Louisville (13)
• Jasmine Aikey has scored six goals and added one assist for a team-best 13 points, while Allie Montoya has scored four goals while adding three assists for 11 points
• Charlotte Kohler has contributed four goals and two assists for 10 points, while Joelle Jung has posted nine points on two goals and a team-high five assists
• Andrea Kitahata has also been a key player in the attack, registering three goals and four assists for 10 points

HOME SWEET HOME

• Stanford owns a 125-7-10 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 5-0-0 so far this season at home and has outscored the opposition 25-2
• 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

HITTING THE GROUND RUNNING

• Stanford has scored seven goals in the first 15 minutes of a match this year, including three in the first 10 and two within five minutes of kickoff
• 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 six goals in the first 15 minutes, and two in the first 10 minutes, of the second-half whistle ... 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 15 goals in the first half and 15 in the second half of matches

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 398-73-41 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

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 was 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 August 14 before knocking off No. 16 Santa Clara 5-1 on August 17
• 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
• 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

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

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

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

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