The No. 1 ranked Stanford women's soccer program was able to face an opponent other than itself for the first time on Saturday afternoon, taking down Pacific 3-0 in exhibition play. 

Sophomore Brooke Holden got the scoring started, finding the back of the net in the 11th minute after freshman forward Ella Kral found her cutting across the middle. Kral added a goal of her own in the 23rd minute in transition. 

Freshman Ale Munneke added the third Cardinal goal in the 54th minute. Munneke went to Los Gatos High School, but was born in Perth, Australia. 

"Happy to see a few of our newcomers scoring goals," head coach Paul Ratcliffe said after the game. "We had Ella score, and Ale score, which is fantastic to build their confidence. They've been great additions to the team." 

Coach Ratcliffe also said that Kral has been a dominant player for the Cardinal in training camp, showing off her ability to score and create goals for others, while also adding some flair to the team's attack. 

"She's gonna have a really strong season for us," Ratcliffe said.

The Cardinal offense tallied 31 total shots (14 on goal) and 11 saves by Pacific goaltenders. Stanford allowed just two shots — both in the second half — with neither on goal. 

The main focus moving forward will be on improving the team's crossing passes and getting those passes to curl away from the opposing goaltender a little bit more. Finishing will also be a focus for the program as it gears up for the regular season opener next weekend. 

Stanford got a look at three separate goaltenders on Saturday, with preseason All-ACC selection Caroline Birkel getting the start and playing the first 30 minutes for the Cardinal. The sophomore was the starter in 2025 during her freshman campaign, racking up 1,953 minutes in goal. 

But with the U20 Women's World Cup set to begin in early September, Ratcliffe wanted to recruit another goalie during the offseason since the Cardinal could be down a keeper or two during the Cup. 

Rhiannon Stewart (originally from London, England) was the keeper the Cardinal brought in. She's a graduate transfer from Harvard and earned All-Ivy League Second Team honors in both 2024 and 2025. 

"She's been extraordinary through training camp," Ratcliffe said. "A lot of experience in the Ivy League. I think she's going to add value, and she did really well today for us." 

Stewart was the second goalie in net, coming on to replace Birkel in the 30th minute. In 1,260 minutes last season, she held a 73.1% save percentage. 

There are plenty of questions facing this program as the regular season is now just a week away. The most pressing is who will take over the scoring for this program with Jasmine Aikey graduating and going pro. Saturday's exhibition provided a few potential answers.