Despite losing 5-1 to Florida State in the 2023 College Cup final, Stanford(w) head coach Paul Ratcliffe could not help but be positive in the post-game press conference. After all, the Cardinal came just one game short of an undefeated national championship despite a final starting line-up that consisted of four sophomores and three freshmen. That core, joined by a No. 3-ranked 2024 recruiting class, immediately returned to the College Cup semi-final last season, where it suffered a narrow 1-0 loss to Wake Forest.

The continuity, lessons, and invaluable experience from those two years of heartbreak have fueled a bona fide juggernaut where the Cardinal recently became the first team in NCAA history to score five or more goals in the third round, Sweet Sixteen, and Elite Eight. To date, the ACC regular season and tournament champions have scored 95, just five short of becoming the fourth 21st-century team to reach triple-digit goals in a campaign.  

That high-flying offense has been as unpredictable as it is dominant, scoring every which way, whether it's from an individually brilliant Eleanor Klinger goal, Andrea Kitahata turning her defender inside and out, Charlotte Kohler finding an unexpected pass, or TDS Player of the Year finalist Jasmine Aikey delivering a world-class moment. When the team needs some defensive fortitude, senior captain and program legend Elise Evans can be called upon with the experience from her 83 career starts, aiding two standout freshmen in ACC Goalkeeper of the Year Caroline Birkel and TDS Midseason No. 2-ranked first-year defender Lily Freer.

So, perhaps when Ratcliffe, one of the most decorated coaches in NCAA history, offered a cheeky smile in the wake of that 2023 championship loss, it was because he saw a vision of the future where those young stars would take their licks then, but bounce back for one of the most dominant seasons in recent history.

Ten Key Moments:

08/14/2025 - Kicks off season with 7-0 rout of San Francisco, becoming the first sign of potent offense.

09/04/2025 - Stanford routs USC 5-1, marking a perfect 6-0 start with 30 goals scored.

09/07/2025 - Rival UCLA shocks Stanford with 2-0 loss, a wake up call for the Cardinal who have not lost since.

10/09/2025 - Elise Evans comes in at No. 2 in the TDS Midseason Player Rankings. Following Evans are No. 11 Jasmine Aikey, No. 20 Andrea Kitahata, and No. 74 Shea Harvey.

10/10/2025 - No. 2 Lily Freer, No. 77 Y-Lan Nguyen, and No. 96 Caroline Birkel all make the TDS Freshman Player Rankings.

10/16/2025 - Hands No. 5 Florida State its first home loss since 2022.

10/30/2025 - Routs California 8-2 to win first ACC regular season trophy.

11/05/2025 - The ACC All-Conference recipients are recognized with Stanford receiving seven honors. Elise Evans is named Defensive Player of the Year, Caroline Birkel as Goalkeeper of the Year, and Paul Ratcliffe as the Coach of the Year. Joining on the list are Jasmine Aikey, Andrea Kitahata, Shae Harvey, Charlotte Koher, Y-Lan Nguyen.

11/09/2025 - Cardinal defeat Notre Dame in penalty kicks to do the ACC regular season and tournament double.

11/28/2025 - 5-1 victory over Michigan State sends Cardinal to third consecutive College Cup.

Ten Key Statistics:

• Stanford is playing in a third consecutive College Cup.

• With 95 goals, the Cardinal need five more to become the fourth 21st century team with 100 scored in a single season.

• Nine players who played in 2023 College Cup final are on the roster (Elise Evans, Allie Montoya, Shae Harvey, Mia Bhuta, Jasmine Aikey, Andrea Kitahata, Joelle Jung, Erica Grilione, Maryn Wolf).

• Aikey is a TDS Player of the Year finalist.

• Aikey has recorded a goal contribution in all 12 of her career NCAA tournament games.

• Aikey leads the team and is third nationally with 20 goals, the most a Stanford player has scored in a single season since Catarina Macario in 2019.

• Kohler leads the country with 17 assists, the most a Cardinal has recorded since Catarina Macario in 2019.

• Aikey (51), Kitahata (44), Kohler (41), Klinger (24), Montoya (22), Harvey (20), Evans (20), Jung (16), and Brooke Holden (13), all have double-digit points.

• Elise Evans leads the team with 1975 minutes played.

• 15 different goal scorers.