Stanford's women's soccer program will be without key stars Jasmine Aikey, Andrea Kitahata, and Elise Evans in 2026, but new stars are ready to take full advantage of the opportunity in front of them.
With the women's soccer season set to kick off on Sunday, August 16 in San Luis Obispo, Stanford's goal will be the same as it is every year: bring home a national title. Last season the program finished with a 21-2-2 record, including a 9-0-1 record against the ACC, and ended up making it to the national championship game, ultimately losing 1-0 to Florida State.
They enter the 2026 ranked No. 1 in the country, despite key losses to the roster like top goal scorers Jasmine Aikey and Andrea Kitahata as well as top defender Elise Evans. Those departures have opened up opportunities on the Cardinal roster.
Top Drawer Soccer released its preseason Top 100 list ahead of the season, and the Cardinal has two members of the roster in the top 10. The list only consists of sophomores, juniors, and seniors.
Coming in at No. 8 is Charlotte Kohler, who is entering her junior season. Behind Aikey's 21 goals and Kitahata's 17 goals last season, it was Kohler that ranked third on the team with 12. One of the questions facing the program going into 2026 will be who will pick up the scoring slack that's been created. Kohler figures to be one of the favorites to take on that mantle.
Kohler has been added to the preseason All-ACC Team, along with sophomore goaltender Caroline Birkel ahead of the upcoming season, so her emergence is expected on The Farm.
Sophomore midfielder Y-Lan Nguyen ranks just a couple of slots ahead of Kohler on the top 100 list at No. 6.
She played in all 25 games last season and started 15, scoring two goals and recording two assists. Last season Top Drawer ranked her No. 77 on its Midseason Top 100 Freshmen list, and by the end of the season she'd been named Top Drawer's National Freshman of the Year.
In the preseason opener against Pacific last weekend, Kohler ended up taking three shots in her 45 minutes on the field, with Nguyen attempting one shot in 67:57.
Aikey served as a midfielder for Stanford, and with her departure for the NWSL, that will presumably open up a spot for Nguyen to flourish this season. Kitahata was a forward, and her own departure for the NWSL will create even more space for Kohler (midfielder/forward) to thrive.
Also on the Top 100 List
No. 20 - Caroline Birkel, Goalkeeper
No. 34 - Bella Winn, Forward
No. 44 - Eleanor Klinger, Midfielder
No. 86 - Sammy Smith, Defender
