As the 2025 college soccer season approaches, excitement is building for both the men’s and women’s programs, which will begin competing in less than a month. The Stanford women’s soccer team is set to launch their season on Thursday, August 14, with a home match against the University of San Francisco.
In the previous season, Stanford enjoyed considerable success, finishing with a record of 16 wins, 5 losses, and 2 draws. This strong performance followed a 2023 season where they suffered only one defeat, which came against Florida State in the National Championship match. Last year’s campaign concluded in the semifinals against No. 3 Wake Forest.
Heading into the 2025 season, the team is faced with high expectations, especially as many key players return to the roster. However, a significant challenge lies ahead: replacing goalkeeper Haley Craig, who graduated and has signed with Portland Thorns FC. Craig was instrumental last season, playing almost every minute in goal and achieving a save percentage of 76.3%, ranking her ninth among 17 teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). Despite her notable statistics, it was the synergy between Stanford’s offense, which netted 35 goals, and their defensive capabilities that propelled them to the semifinals.
The team will need to address the departures of crucial defenders, including Nya Harrison, who was also a fixture in the lineup last season, starting all 23 games. In total, Stanford is losing three defenders who played significant roles, making the development of new players in defense a critical factor for success in the upcoming season.
In terms of goalkeeping, Stanford has three potential candidates for the starting position: junior Alyssa Savig, sophomore Kaiya Jota, and freshman Caroline Birkel. Savig was the only backup last season, accumulating nearly nine minutes of play without facing a shot. Conversely, Birkel comes with an impressive background, having contributed to the U.S. women’s national team’s achievement of a bronze medal at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in 2024 and participating in the Concacaf Women’s U-20 Championship in 2025.
While the goalkeeping situation remains uncertain, Stanford retains one of their most valuable offensive players, redshirt senior Andrea Kitahata. Kitahata was pivotal last season, scoring nine goals and assisting on six others, contributing to 15 of Stanford’s total goals.
The women’s soccer schedule this season primarily features matches on Thursdays and Sundays, alongside a unique Saturday matchup against Southern Methodist University (SMU) on October 25. As the kickoff date of August 14 approaches, Stanford’s soccer fans will eagerly anticipate the team’s journey in the 2025 campaign.
