A season after falling just short of a national title, losing in the big game, the Stanford Cardinal women's soccer program will return to the pitch in just a few weeks' time to begin their quest to bring another national title back to The Farm.

Expected to field a very talented roster once again this fall, the Cardinal should be a major threat to win it all. But even with a star-studded roster, the Cardinal will be missing a big piece in midfielder Jasmine Aikey, who led the team in goals with 21 and was second in assists with 11. Her 21 goals ranked third in the country last season. 

Having graduated last year and been drafted by the Denver Summit of the NWSL following a dominant senior campaign, Aikey leaves a huge production gap for the program to fill. Now that she is gone, a new focal point of the offensive attack will need to be quickly established.

Luckily, the Cardinal have a lot of candidates who can step up to the challenge and prove that they can be the next face of the program. One of those players is forward Charlotte Kohler, set to enter her junior year.

Kohler became a starter immediately upon joining the Cardinal in 2024, and has since evolved into one of the top midfielders/forwards in the country, ending last year as Stanford's leader in assists with 17, a total that also led all of the NCAA.

Kohler is an assists machine, but she can also score, producing 17 goals in two seasons, with a 12-goal campaign last year. Going from totaling 14 points as a freshman to 41 last season, Kohler could be in for a breakout season now that Aikey is gone. 

Eleanor Klinger was the third part of the point-scoring trio with Aikey and Kohler, and she will be another player to watch as the season approaches.

After ending last season with 24 total points, scoring eight goals and contributing eight assists, Klinger could be in for a breakout junior season on The Farm, with more opportunity in front of her. 

The Cardinal play predominantly through their midfield, and if Klinger can step up and possibly join Kohler, the Cardinal could yet again boast one of the nation's best attacking midfields.

Regardless of which player steps up, replacing Aikey will not be easy. Ending her career as one of Stanford's best soccer players, Aikey brought an overall presence and leadership that helped the Cardinal find so much success during her tenure. 

A multi-time First-Team All-ACC selection, TopDrawerSoccer Player of the Year in 2025 and a Women's College Cup All-Tournament honoree, there is no denying that Aikey created a legend for herself on The Farm. Now the task for the team will be finding a way to fill her shoes.