STANFORD, Calif. - Returning to the College Cup for the second consecutive season, Stanford finished the 2024 season with a 16-5-2 overall record and a 5-4-1 record in its inaugural Atlantic Coast Conference campaign.
The Cardinal made its 33rd NCAA Tournament appearance overall in 2024, including its 26th in the last 27 seasons.
Stanford entered the year ranked No. 2 in the nation, jumped out to an 8-0 record to start the year, and spent three consecutive weeks ranked No. 1 in the United Soccer Coaches poll – its first top billing since finishing the 2019 season as national champion.
On the other side, Stanford finished seventh in the ACC standings and missed the conference tournament. Though disappointed in missing the ACC Championship, the rest that came as a biproduct of that omission may have benefitted the Cardinal as Stanford was still awarded a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Playing just its second match in a span of 26 days, Stanford opened the tournament with a convincing 5-0 home victory over UC Santa Barbara, went on the road to Arkansas and posted victories over UConn and No. 5 Arkansas, and returned to The Farm to host ACC-foe and No. 13 Notre Dame with a spot in the College Cup on the line. The Cardinal advanced by way of a 2-0 victory before dropping a 1-0 decision to No. 3 Wake Forest in an NCAA national semifinal.
Showcasing the depth of the ACC, for the first time in the history of the College Cup, all four participating teams came from the same conference - Stanford, Wake Forest, Duke and eventual national champion North Carolina.
Sophomore Mia Bhuta turned in a breakout season for the Cardinal, earning a spot on the United Soccer Coaches All-America fourth team and being named to TopDrawerSoccer’s Best XI second team. Bhuta was one of three Stanford players to start all 23 matches in 2024 and scored three goals and assisted on two more for eight points while logging 1,849 minutes in Stanford’s midfield. Bhuta also landed on the United Soccer Coaches All-Atlantic Region first team and was named All-ACC second team following the conclusion of the regular season.
Including Bhuta on the first team, Stanford placed three players on the 2024 United Soccer Coaches All-Atlantic Region teams. Juniors Jasmine Aikey and Elise Evans earned spots on the fourth team – marking their third All-Region selections in as many seasons.
Making an immediate impact within the program, Charlotte Kohler was a TopDrawerSoccer Freshman Best XI first team honoree. Kohler started 22 matches for the Cardinal, scoring five goals and assisting on four more to finish with 14 points.
Working hard on the field and in the classroom, Aikey was named a College Sports Communicators Academic All-American for the second time in her career. Aikey, who earned a spot on the first team in 2024, had previously been named to the second team as a sophomore in 2023. Aikey was joined by teammates Bhuta, Haley Craig, Shae Harvey, Andrea Kitahata and Kellie Pagador as Academic All-District selections prior to being named an Academic All-American. Stanford’s academic prowess was further exemplified as an ACC-best 21 Stanford women’s soccer players earned All-Academic honors following the fall quarter.
A leader on and off the field, senior Nya Harrison was recognized as a recipient of the 2024 ACC UNITE Award, which was created to honor individuals affiliated with the league’s member institutions who have made an impact in the areas of racial and social justice. Harrison embodied the ideals of the ACC UNITE Award through her courageous leadership, including serving as president of Cardinal BLCK, being a Voice in Sport Advocate and leading 2022 Capital Hill Day to pitch expanding Title IX during her trip to Washington, D.C.