BERKELEY, Calif. – Finishing the regular season on the road at Bay Area rival California on Thursday afternoon, No. 2 Stanford (14-1-1, 8-0-1 ACC) put up a season-high eight goals to record an 8-2 victory over the Golden Bears (8-2-8, 4-1-4 ACC).
Teamed with a Notre Dame loss, the win clinched Stanford’s first ACC regular-season championship in outright fashion as the Cardinal and Notre Dame entered Thursday with identical conference records atop the standings.
The Cardinal scored early and often in the victory, with sophomore Charlotte Kohler finding the back of the net in just the third minute. Eleanor Klinger made it 2-0 in the 20th minute before the first of two goals from senior Jasmine Aikey handed Stanford a 3-0 lead in the 26th minute that held until halftime.
Former cardinal Lumi Kostmayer got the Bears on the board early in the second half, but Aikey buried a free kick from just outside the box in the 61st minute to respond and run the tally to 4-1. Three more Cardinal goals, including tallies from Andrea Kitahata in the 75th, Brooke Holden in the 82nd and Jaden Thomas in the 84th, extended the Cardinal lead to 7-1.
After Cal put back a rebound following a blocked penalty kick from Stanford goalkeeper Kaiya Jota in the 85th minute, junior Erica Grilione scored her first goal of the season in the 89th minute to put the finishing touches on the rout.
In addition to recording her sixth career multi-goal match, including her third of the season, Aikey contributed a pair of assists to record six points.
Stanford’s starting goalkeeper, Caroline Birkel, was credited with three saves over nearly 80 minutes in goal before being replaced by Jota.
By finishing atop the ACC standings, Stanford earned a first-round bye in the ACC Championship and will return to action on Thursday, November 6 when it meets the winner of Virginia and Florida State in a semifinal match from Cary, N.C.
GAME NOTES:
- The conference title is Stanford’s first in the ACC and seventh overall since 2015 after winning the Pac-12 in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2022 … the Cardinal has won 16 conference titles in program history
- The Cardinal carries a 61-7-9 overall record over its last 77 matches and has won nine straight contests
- The Cardinal has scored at least three goals in 12 of the first 17 matches of the year, has reached the five-goal plateau eight times, and has scored at least six goals four times … eight goals are the most for Stanford since scoring 15 against Prairie View A&M on November 15, 2019
- Stanford is averaging a national-best 23.47 shots per game, having posted at least 20 in 11 of the first 17 matches, and leads the nation in scoring offense (4.06 goals per game)
- Jasmine Aikey has contributed at least a point in 13 of the first 17 matches this season, has scored in five of her last eight, and has a goal in 10 of the 17 contests this season ... has managed three braces this season and owns six multi-goal games in her career … recorded her sixth career match with at least one goal and one assist … has contributed 35 career goals to rank tied for 10th in Stanford history
- Andrea Kitahata has a point in 14 of the 17 matches this year ... has scored in four consecutive contests, and has a goal in nine of the last 12 overall … has contributed 35 career goals to rank tied for 10th in Stanford history
- Charlotte Kohler has contributed at least a point in 13 of the first 17 matches this season, including each of the last seven