On cloud nine: A look at the freshmen on the women’s soccer team

The scoreboard read 0-0 as freshman forward Charlotte Kohler dribbled past defenders and launched the ball from outside the box into the back corner of the goal, securing a win against USF — and her first of many career goals for Stanford. When asked afterward what scoring that winning goal felt like, she replied, “I was just happy to celebrate with my teammates.”

This tight bond among the nine freshmen on the women’s soccer team has been a large contributor to their success this season. The team will play in the semifinals of the NCAA tournament on Friday against Wake Forest University after a resounding 4-0 win against UCSB on Nov. 15 and successive wins against UConn, Arkansas and Notre Dame. With several goal-scorers and starters, the class of 2028 has had a stellar college debut. The secret to their success is their chemistry with each other — both on and off the field.

“We spend a lot of time together off the field, and so building those connections together really lets us bring those connections onto the field,” explained freshman midfielder Mia Crisera.

Freshman defender Sophie Murdock agreed: “Some people will meet up for coffee and talk about how they can improve their connections on the field,” she elaborated, “I might reach out to another center back… and ask how we can help each other.” 

Freshman forward Jaden Thomas described the ways the entire class maintains their bond: “We try to do something with just our class to stay connected and just check in with each other,” she said. Thomas explained that team-building activities could include going to a comedy show together, or getting ice cream, or having a class dinner at the house of Kohler, who is local.

Freshman defender Ella Emri noted that it takes time to build those relationships, but that pre-season really helped. “Right away, you’re living with the team… so you get really close with the girls,” she said, “you learn everything about them.” That friendship translates to more advanced play on the field, Emri explained.

Freshman goalkeeper Kaiya Jota added, “though we do have a lot of younger players, we were able to integrate ourselves really fast.”

The freshmen have found that having a large class comes with a special advantage: They all bring something different to the table. “Our class has every personality you could ever imagine,” said Thomas. Jota, Thomas, and freshmen defenders Lizzie Boamah and Samantha Smith describe themselves as energizers, while Emri describes herself as a calming presence. Kohler said she brings a quieter positive energy, and freshman Eleanor Klinger says she brings her creativity to the field.

“Sophie’s our social organizer,” Thomas said, and Crisera says she works to be supportive of her teammates.

“We all have just really come together and embraced all the different personalities,” Murdoch said. “I think it’s made us closer overall.”

Being on a younger team has also allowed the class to take more risks in their playing style. “I think it does give us a little bit more freedom to kind of be ourselves,” noted Klinger. At the same time, she said, “we have a bigger role on the team, [so] we have to take accountability for what we’re doing.”

For coach Paul Radcliffe, the decision to bring nine freshmen onto the team was multifaceted. The program was trying to rebuild the team, and the good talent pool allowed Radcliffe to do just that. “We need the influx of talents and feel really lucky that we’re able to attract nine fantastic student athletes to the Farm,” he said.

“[Having more freshmen] gives me more choices for player selection. We’ve had a lot of freshmen that have stepped in and started straight away because they’re so strong,” he explained. “That’s fantastic for the team, and we need them… We need a balance in the squad.” 

Radcliffe is optimistic of the role this class will play in the coming years as well. “It helps if they get minutes as younger players, then when they get to their junior and senior years, they can really be even more impactful as leaders as well.”

In the future, Radcliffe is looking to continue recruiting a minimum of seven to nine new players each year. “I think the younger players always add great energy to the team,” he said. “They’re excited to be at Stanford that they’re learning so many new things, creating new relationships with the older players.” 

When asked what he looks for in a recruit, he said definitively, “character is the number one thing.” That includes “work ethic, being a team player, caring about their teammates, and then the passion for soccer that they want to get better, and they want to excel in the future.”

Radcliffe is very satisfied with his recruiting decisions this year. 

“I think they’ve added tremendous energy to our team and are really talented. So I’m excited for their futures at Stanford,” he said. “I think they’re going to really add a lot of value and really impact the team in a positive way.”

Fans of the Cardinal will be eagerly awaiting this talent and energy in Friday’s game.

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