No. 7 Stanford Takes on No. 16 Santa Clara in Rivalry Game

Stanford women’s soccer has a massive game ahead of them. Earlier this week, the Cardinal opened their season against Bay Area opponent, USF. Stanford dominated, winning 7-0, off two goals each from Jasmine Aikey and Brooke Holden. They had a ridiculous 30 shots on goal, compared to USF’s four, and showed what they're capable of on the pitch in 2025.

Stanford’s season-opener was great, but Sunday’s game makes things way more interesting, and will be a good early season litmus test for the Cardinal. Stanford has to play Santa Clara, one of the nation's best programs as the No. 16 ranked women's soccer program in the country.

Throughout history, the Broncos have been unstoppable in the WCC conference. Their dominance has spanned for years. In 2001, Santa Clara won their first ever national championship. In 2020, they won another.

After coming into the week 16th in the nation, the Broncos are going into Sunday’s matchup 1-0. On Thursday, they played South Bay rival San Jose State, where they won 3-0. An early goal from Kennedy Schoennauer set the tone in just the 11th minute, followed by goals from Jalana Kimber and Kat Jordan.

Seventh-ranked Stanford and Santa Clara are two of the top teams in America this year, but have a deep history that proves how great of a rivalry the game truly is. The two programs have played almost every year dating back to 2006.

Stanford took six of the first seven games to start, but then the Broncos kept it interesting, winning three of eight leading to 2022, with two draws. In 2023 and 2024, Stanford won 1-0, giving them a bit of an edge in the rivalry.

Going into Sunday, the Broncos are looking for revenge. Last year, Stanford dominated the Broncos on their own pitch, and Santa Clara will be looking to return the favor.

This game is going to be one to watch. Both teams are 1-0, ranked inside the top 20, and are genuinely two of the nation's best programs. With the two schools separated by just over 16 miles, the rivalry goes a little deeper. A win in these games can spoil the other’s season, which has been a frequent occurrence over the years.

This Sunday, both will fight for the rivalry victory, a top 25 victory, and bragging rights in the Bay Area. While it would be too early for a loss for either program to destroy the entire season, it would definitely up the pressure on the program that doesn't pick up the win for the rest of the season.