Top 10 Clash Opens Road Slate

MATCH NOTABLES

Stanford and USC competed against one another as members of the Pac-10/Pac-12 from 1995 through 2023 ... the Cardinal is 1-2-2 against USC in the last five matches after going 5-1-0 over the previous six ... each of the last seven matches between the two teams have been decided by one goal or fewer

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 six first-place votes in the United Soccer Coaches poll and edged Tennessee by five points for the top spot in the poll ... Tennessee garnered two first-place votes ... has held the No. 1 national ranking in each of the last two weeks ... Stanford spent three weeks ranked No. 1 according to United Soccer Coaches last season ... has been ranked in each of the last 36 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 287 victories
• The Cardinal has scored at least three goals in each of the first five matches of the year and has reached the five-goal plateau three times … totaled a season-best seven goals in the season opener vs. San Francisco ... 25 combined goals over the five matches are the most since scoring 26 in the first five of 2019
• Stanford is averaging 27.60 shots per game, having posted at least 30 in three of the first five 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)
• The Cardinal enters Thursday's match carrying a 51-6-8 overall record over its last 65 matches
• Stanford has conceded just two goals so far this season, has posted three shutouts, and has managed a clean sheet in 35 of its last 61 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 four of the first five matches this season, and has scored in three of the five ... leads the team in total points with 11 (team-high five goals and one assist) ... 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 all five matches in goal this season ... is the first true freshman to start in goal for Stanford 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 391 minutes, including the full 90 in three of the first five matches
• Shae Harvey is ranked No. 61 on TopDrawerSoccer's Preseason Top 100 Players list ... has started 49 of a possible 53 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 two assists in back-to-back matches 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 has contributed at least a point in all five 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 four of the first five matches this season, and has scored in each of the last three contests entering Thursday ... 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 had a string of four straight matches with a goal snapped on August 28 vs. Arizona, but has contributed at least one point in each of the first five matches ... has scored four goals and added three assists to lead the team with 11 points

NOW AND LATER

• Stanford will hit the road for the first time this season on Thursday, traveling to Los Angeles for a match at No. 6 USC
• Kickoff between the Cardinal and Trojans is set for 6:30 p.m. and Nick Koop and Tracey Bailey will have the broadcast call on Big Ten Network
• Following the clash with USC, Stanford will travel to No. 18 UCLA on Sunday for a 1 p.m. kickoff
• The match against the Bruins will be streamed live on Big Ten+

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

HOLDING STEADY AT NO. 1

• After carrying the No. 2 ranking two weeks ago according to United Soccer Coaches, Stanford received three first-place votes and made the leap to the top last week, checking in at No. 1 ... the Cardinal remains at No. 1 this week after garnering six first-place votes
• Tennessee remains at No. 2 this week after earning two first-place votes
• 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 throughout the 2025 season, with North Carolina entering the year at No. 1, Duke owning the slot following one week of competition, and the Cardinal holding the top spot the last two weeks
• In the last 25 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

• Senior Jasmine Aikey and sophomore Charlotte Kohler each managed a brace as Stanford shut out Arizona 6-0 on Thursday night from Cagan Stadium
• The brace marked Aikey's second multi-goal match of the year (and fifth of her career), while Kohler's two marked her first career multi-goal match
• The Wildcats had not allowed a goal prior to Thursday’s clash, but Stanford’s six tallies pushed its season total to 25 goals through five matches
• Junior Shae Harvey notched her first goal of the season, while senior Elise Evans put the finishing touches on the rout with her second goal of the year
• All three Stanford goalkeepers earned minutes on Thursday night, with freshman Caroline Birkel working the first half and making one save ... sophomore Kaiya Jota played just over 25 minutes to start the second half before junior Alyssa Savig finished off the combined shutout
• Stanford outshot Arizona 32-6, including 20-2 in the second half … the 32 shots were the most for Stanford since managing 35 vs. UC Santa Barbara on November 15, 2024
• The Cardinal earned a 15-1 advantage in corner kicks – it’s most opportunities since taking 17 vs. Oregon on October 22, 2023

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

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 all five matches of their inaugural campaigns on The Farm, with Freer logging a team-best 391 minutes, including the full 90 in three of the first five
• Fellow freshmen Milly Bray, Ava Harrison, Brooke Holden, Noe Johnson and Y-Lan Nguyen have each played in all five 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
• Bray has contributed a goal and an assist, Nguyen has tallied a goal in 231 minutes, and 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

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

SPREADING THE WEALTH

• Eleven different players have scored goals through five matches this season, and three more have contributed an assist, as 14 players have factored into points
• Allie Montoya has scored in four of the first five matches this year while adding three assists to post a team-high-tying 11 points
• Jasmine Aikey has scored five goals and added one assist for 11 points, while Charlotte Kohler has added four goals and an assist for nine points
• Joelle Jung leads the team in assists with four, while Montoya and Andrea Kitahata have contributed three each
• Twelve different Cardinal players scored a goal last year, and 16 players factored into points

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 five 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 14 goals in the first half and 11 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

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 397-72-41 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