[Hieronymus]

I've long thought Boamah is best suited to forward.  She likes to take on her opponent with the ball and she's skilled.  She also has a strong leg for crosses.  I'd like to see her at left wing.

I am always reluctant to be critical of the student athletes with whom I still identify, even asI've already played out the 40-year decision, but I don't think Brooke Holden is ready to be a starter.  She racked up a bunch of goals early in the year in "garbage time," but against good teams she looked overmatched.


Stanford women's soccer is like Alabama football -- every year they're a threat.  I think the defense will remain solid without Elise Evans, the midfield is very strong, and among the forwards leaving this year, only Aikey will be hard to replace.  Potentially a brobdingnagian hole at center forward, to be sure, but I'm inclined to believe there will be someone on next year's roster who will be a pleasant surprise.  I don't know a thing about any of the incoming frosh, but every year it seems like 2-3 become starters, so I have to expect we'll see the same in 2026.

I certainly don’t take Holden starting as a given - with the current roster it could be Thomas just as easily. But based on this season Holden has the edge.

Boamah may be better at r/LF but the problem right now is there are no other outside backs. You end up with Smith and Freer and no clear backups. And while Freer can play outside, she is a better CB.

And yes we seem to have at least a couple of Frosh starting every year which will shake up any end of year projections.

My totally unscientific estimate right now says 10-20 in the rankings as is - but an elite recruit or transfer at outside back, CF and another outside F/MF and they are a top 5 contender again. Or 2 recruits plus Bhuta staying.

[Hieronymus]

I've long thought Boamah is best suited to forward.  She likes to take on her opponent with the ball and she's skilled.  She also has a strong leg for crosses.  I'd like to see her at left wing.

I am always reluctant to be critical of the student athletes with whom I still identify, even asI've already played out the 40-year decision, but I don't think Brooke Holden is ready to be a starter.  She racked up a bunch of goals early in the year in "garbage time," but against good teams she looked overmatched.


Stanford women's soccer is like Alabama football -- every year they're a threat.  I think the defense will remain solid without Elise Evans, the midfield is very strong, and among the forwards leaving this year, only Aikey will be hard to replace.  Potentially a brobdingnagian hole at center forward, to be sure, but I'm inclined to believe there will be someone on next year's roster who will be a pleasant surprise.  I don't know a thing about any of the incoming frosh, but every year it seems like 2-3 become starters, so I have to expect we'll see the same in 2026.

I certainly don’t take Holden starting as a given - with the current roster it could be Thomas just as easily. But based on this season Holden has the edge.

Boamah may be better at r/LF but the problem right now is there are no other outside backs. You end up with Smith and Freer and no clear backups. And while Freer can play outside, she is a better CB.

And yes we seem to have at least a couple of Frosh starting every year which will shake up any end of year projections.

My totally unscientific estimate right now says 10-20 in the rankings as is - but an elite recruit or transfer at outside back, CF and another outside F/MF and they are a top 5 contender again. Or 2 recruits plus Bhuta staying.

[Sakibomb25]

If Bhuta stays, does she go back to the midfield or does she stay at right back?

I also think Khitahata will be hard to replace. Her and Aikey, along with Harvey, will be brobdingnagian losses.

Murdock all had hip surgery, so hopefully she will be better by the time the season starts.

[Sakibomb25]

If Bhuta stays, does she go back to the midfield or does she stay at right back?

I also think Khitahata will be hard to replace. Her and Aikey, along with Harvey, will be brobdingnagian losses.

Murdock all had hip surgery, so hopefully she will be better by the time the season starts.

[oldalum]

If Bhuta stays, does she go back to the midfield or does she stay at right back?

I wonder if her decision to stay or not, and where she's going to play, are interrelated: she's already put in significant time filling a need at outside back; if she sees her future as a midfielder she might not want to do it again.

[oldalum]

If Bhuta stays, does she go back to the midfield or does she stay at right back?

I wonder if her decision to stay or not, and where she's going to play, are interrelated: she's already put in significant time filling a need at outside back; if she sees her future as a midfielder she might not want to do it again.

[Hieronymus]

If Bhuta stays, does she go back to the midfield or does she stay at right back?

I wonder if her decision to stay or not, and where she's going to play, are interrelated: she's already put in significant time filling a need at outside back; if she sees her future as a midfielder she might not want to do it again.

My pure analysis view - With Harvey gone, the MF depth looks a whole lot thinner. I would expect MF, but incoming Frosh might.impact things as well.

My personal view as noted at the start of the year is she was the best DM in the country and a top 10 player the second half of 2024. Injuries yanked her in and out of the lineup and she never had that sharpness as a result this year. But for me, MF is a no brainer if she returns.

[Hieronymus]

If Bhuta stays, does she go back to the midfield or does she stay at right back?

I wonder if her decision to stay or not, and where she's going to play, are interrelated: she's already put in significant time filling a need at outside back; if she sees her future as a midfielder she might not want to do it again.

My pure analysis view - With Harvey gone, the MF depth looks a whole lot thinner. I would expect MF, but incoming Frosh might.impact things as well.

My personal view as noted at the start of the year is she was the best DM in the country and a top 10 player the second half of 2024. Injuries yanked her in and out of the lineup and she never had that sharpness as a result this year. But for me, MF is a no brainer if she returns.

[OCcardinal]

For the moment assuming no Bhuta, my estimated lineup next year looks like:

Winn - Holden - Klinger.  Subs: Thomas and maybe Harrison.
Kohler - Nguyen - Jung . Subs: maybe Johnson and maybe Bray.
Some 4 of Boamah, Freer, Emri, Murdock and Smith.  Subs: whoever doesn’t start. Maybe Tay.
Birkel. Sub: Jota

Not a lot of proven depth, but a decent though very young team with only 1 key senior. Losing a bunch of key players will do that. Not a lot of speed in the starting line up, but I don’t know how Winn profiles out. We will see what the incoming Frosh look like.

Some important additions to the roster for next year:

Bella Winn (transfer from UCLA) - Big 10 freshman of the year and TDS Soccer's #3 freshman forward of the year.  Made TDS' 10 best transfer portal moves list.  Can play mid or forward - curious whether she will see some time at attacking mid with Shae Harvey going pro. A redshirt freshman this past season following an injury, she showed immediate maturity with UCLA, becoming their leading scorer.  She scored the opening goal for UCLA against Stanford last September.

Ella Emri (presumed to be returning from injury) - the #20 overall recruit in 2024 (Murdock, by comparison was #161).  She was the third highest-ranked Stanford freshman in the TDS midseason ranking in 2024 (behind only Kohler and Klinger) before her season-ending injury.  In the games I watched she looked very solid in the center back position. If she's healthy I'm a lot less worried about Evans graduating.

Mia Bhuta (limited by injuries last season - not at her best) - My fingers are crossed that Mia Bhuta returns.  She was on the Hermann Trophy watch list before she was injured.  She's already a grad student this year so it seemed like her plan was to go pro, but perhaps with the injury she'd want another shot at a full senior season.

Stanford has the #2-ranked recruiting class in the country coming in.  Among the treasures joining the team will be:

London Young - the #4 overall recruit and #1 defender in the class of 2025. Lots of YNT experience. I'd be shocked if she doesn't start from day 1. One caveat - she has trained with the Washington Spirit. Hopefully she won't turn pro.

Peyton Marinos - The #14 overall recruit and #6 forward in the class of 2025.  May not start right away but should be at least a key backup.

Ella Krall - The #19 overall recruit and #9 forward in the class of 2025. Should be at least a key backup. A very good thing to have two such talented forwards in the class given the departures.  Stanford has 2 of the top 10 ranked 2026 forwards coming in.

It's hard to overstate how much we lost to graduation - a #1 overall recruit defender and three top 6 overall recruit forwards. Not to mention Harvey going pro. That's a lot of talent and maturity gone. But our frosh got some really good minutes/experience last season (especially Freer and Nguyen) and I'm excited to see what the above players can do.  And there may some other surprises in the 2026 class.

[OCcardinal]

For the moment assuming no Bhuta, my estimated lineup next year looks like:

Winn - Holden - Klinger.  Subs: Thomas and maybe Harrison.
Kohler - Nguyen - Jung . Subs: maybe Johnson and maybe Bray.
Some 4 of Boamah, Freer, Emri, Murdock and Smith.  Subs: whoever doesn’t start. Maybe Tay.
Birkel. Sub: Jota

Not a lot of proven depth, but a decent though very young team with only 1 key senior. Losing a bunch of key players will do that. Not a lot of speed in the starting line up, but I don’t know how Winn profiles out. We will see what the incoming Frosh look like.

Some important additions to the roster for next year:

Bella Winn (transfer from UCLA) - Big 10 freshman of the year and TDS Soccer's #3 freshman forward of the year.  Made TDS' 10 best transfer portal moves list.  Can play mid or forward - curious whether she will see some time at attacking mid with Shae Harvey going pro. A redshirt freshman this past season following an injury, she showed immediate maturity with UCLA, becoming their leading scorer.  She scored the opening goal for UCLA against Stanford last September.

Ella Emri (presumed to be returning from injury) - the #20 overall recruit in 2024 (Murdock, by comparison was #161).  She was the third highest-ranked Stanford freshman in the TDS midseason ranking in 2024 (behind only Kohler and Klinger) before her season-ending injury.  In the games I watched she looked very solid in the center back position. If she's healthy I'm a lot less worried about Evans graduating.

Mia Bhuta (limited by injuries last season - not at her best) - My fingers are crossed that Mia Bhuta returns.  She was on the Hermann Trophy watch list before she was injured.  She's already a grad student this year so it seemed like her plan was to go pro, but perhaps with the injury she'd want another shot at a full senior season.

Stanford has the #2-ranked recruiting class in the country coming in.  Among the treasures joining the team will be:

London Young - the #4 overall recruit and #1 defender in the class of 2025. Lots of YNT experience. I'd be shocked if she doesn't start from day 1. One caveat - she has trained with the Washington Spirit. Hopefully she won't turn pro.

Peyton Marinos - The #14 overall recruit and #6 forward in the class of 2025.  May not start right away but should be at least a key backup.

Ella Krall - The #19 overall recruit and #9 forward in the class of 2025. Should be at least a key backup. A very good thing to have two such talented forwards in the class given the departures.  Stanford has 2 of the top 10 ranked 2026 forwards coming in.

It's hard to overstate how much we lost to graduation - a #1 overall recruit defender and three top 6 overall recruit forwards. Not to mention Harvey going pro. That's a lot of talent and maturity gone. But our frosh got some really good minutes/experience last season (especially Freer and Nguyen) and I'm excited to see what the above players can do.  And there may some other surprises in the 2026 class.

[Hieronymus]

For the moment assuming no Bhuta, my estimated lineup next year looks like:

Winn - Holden - Klinger.  Subs: Thomas and maybe Harrison.
Kohler - Nguyen - Jung . Subs: maybe Johnson and maybe Bray.
Some 4 of Boamah, Freer, Emri, Murdock and Smith.  Subs: whoever doesn’t start. Maybe Tay.
Birkel. Sub: Jota

Not a lot of proven depth, but a decent though very young team with only 1 key senior. Losing a bunch of key players will do that. Not a lot of speed in the starting line up, but I don’t know how Winn profiles out. We will see what the incoming Frosh look like.

Some important additions to the roster for next year:

Bella Winn (transfer from UCLA) - Big 10 freshman of the year and TDS Soccer's #3 freshman forward of the year.  Made TDS' 10 best transfer portal moves list.  Can play mid or forward - curious whether she will see some time at attacking mid with Shae Harvey going pro. A redshirt freshman this past season following an injury, she showed immediate maturity with UCLA, becoming their leading scorer.  She scored the opening goal for UCLA against Stanford last September.

Ella Emri (presumed to be returning from injury) - the #20 overall recruit in 2024 (Murdock, by comparison was #161).  She was the third highest-ranked Stanford freshman in the TDS midseason ranking in 2024 (behind only Kohler and Klinger) before her season-ending injury.  In the games I watched she looked very solid in the center back position. If she's healthy I'm a lot less worried about Evans graduating.

Mia Bhuta (limited by injuries last season - not at her best) - My fingers are crossed that Mia Bhuta returns.  She was on the Hermann Trophy watch list before she was injured.  She's already a grad student this year so it seemed like her plan was to go pro, but perhaps with the injury she'd want another shot at a full senior season.

Stanford has the #2-ranked recruiting class in the country coming in.  Among the treasures joining the team will be:

London Young - the #4 overall recruit and #1 defender in the class of 2025. Lots of YNT experience. I'd be shocked if she doesn't start from day 1. One caveat - she has trained with the Washington Spirit. Hopefully she won't turn pro.

Peyton Marinos - The #14 overall recruit and #6 forward in the class of 2025.  May not start right away but should be at least a key backup.

Ella Krall - The #19 overall recruit and #9 forward in the class of 2025. Should be at least a key backup. A very good thing to have two such talented forwards in the class given the departures.  Stanford has 2 of the top 10 ranked 2026 forwards coming in.

It's hard to overstate how much we lost to graduation - a #1 overall recruit defender and three top 6 overall recruit forwards. Not to mention Harvey going pro. That's a lot of talent and maturity gone. But our frosh got some really good minutes/experience last season (especially Freer and Nguyen) and I'm excited to see what the above players can do.  And there may some other surprises in the 2026 class.

Well gotta give PR credit. That top 3 Frosh list almost exactly matches what I said the needs are. It would be nice if London played RB instead of CB, but I will take it. I expect Freer will be at RB then.

Can’t tell from highlights if Winn is LF, CF or some of both for UCLA. So CF could still be interesting, though Klinger could play there instead of RF as well - I think she is actually better as a CF. We will see.

[Hieronymus]

For the moment assuming no Bhuta, my estimated lineup next year looks like:

Winn - Holden - Klinger.  Subs: Thomas and maybe Harrison.
Kohler - Nguyen - Jung . Subs: maybe Johnson and maybe Bray.
Some 4 of Boamah, Freer, Emri, Murdock and Smith.  Subs: whoever doesn’t start. Maybe Tay.
Birkel. Sub: Jota

Not a lot of proven depth, but a decent though very young team with only 1 key senior. Losing a bunch of key players will do that. Not a lot of speed in the starting line up, but I don’t know how Winn profiles out. We will see what the incoming Frosh look like.

Some important additions to the roster for next year:

Bella Winn (transfer from UCLA) - Big 10 freshman of the year and TDS Soccer's #3 freshman forward of the year.  Made TDS' 10 best transfer portal moves list.  Can play mid or forward - curious whether she will see some time at attacking mid with Shae Harvey going pro. A redshirt freshman this past season following an injury, she showed immediate maturity with UCLA, becoming their leading scorer.  She scored the opening goal for UCLA against Stanford last September.

Ella Emri (presumed to be returning from injury) - the #20 overall recruit in 2024 (Murdock, by comparison was #161).  She was the third highest-ranked Stanford freshman in the TDS midseason ranking in 2024 (behind only Kohler and Klinger) before her season-ending injury.  In the games I watched she looked very solid in the center back position. If she's healthy I'm a lot less worried about Evans graduating.

Mia Bhuta (limited by injuries last season - not at her best) - My fingers are crossed that Mia Bhuta returns.  She was on the Hermann Trophy watch list before she was injured.  She's already a grad student this year so it seemed like her plan was to go pro, but perhaps with the injury she'd want another shot at a full senior season.

Stanford has the #2-ranked recruiting class in the country coming in.  Among the treasures joining the team will be:

London Young - the #4 overall recruit and #1 defender in the class of 2025. Lots of YNT experience. I'd be shocked if she doesn't start from day 1. One caveat - she has trained with the Washington Spirit. Hopefully she won't turn pro.

Peyton Marinos - The #14 overall recruit and #6 forward in the class of 2025.  May not start right away but should be at least a key backup.

Ella Krall - The #19 overall recruit and #9 forward in the class of 2025. Should be at least a key backup. A very good thing to have two such talented forwards in the class given the departures.  Stanford has 2 of the top 10 ranked 2026 forwards coming in.

It's hard to overstate how much we lost to graduation - a #1 overall recruit defender and three top 6 overall recruit forwards. Not to mention Harvey going pro. That's a lot of talent and maturity gone. But our frosh got some really good minutes/experience last season (especially Freer and Nguyen) and I'm excited to see what the above players can do.  And there may some other surprises in the 2026 class.

Well gotta give PR credit. That top 3 Frosh list almost exactly matches what I said the needs are. It would be nice if London played RB instead of CB, but I will take it. I expect Freer will be at RB then.

Can’t tell from highlights if Winn is LF, CF or some of both for UCLA. So CF could still be interesting, though Klinger could play there instead of RF as well - I think she is actually better as a CF. We will see.

[Sakibomb25]

For the moment assuming no Bhuta, my estimated lineup next year looks like:

Winn - Holden - Klinger.  Subs: Thomas and maybe Harrison.
Kohler - Nguyen - Jung . Subs: maybe Johnson and maybe Bray.
Some 4 of Boamah, Freer, Emri, Murdock and Smith.  Subs: whoever doesn’t start. Maybe Tay.
Birkel. Sub: Jota

Not a lot of proven depth, but a decent though very young team with only 1 key senior. Losing a bunch of key players will do that. Not a lot of speed in the starting line up, but I don’t know how Winn profiles out. We will see what the incoming Frosh look like.

Some important additions to the roster for next year:

Bella Winn (transfer from UCLA) - Big 10 freshman of the year and TDS Soccer's #3 freshman forward of the year.  Made TDS' 10 best transfer portal moves list.  Can play mid or forward - curious whether she will see some time at attacking mid with Shae Harvey going pro. A redshirt freshman this past season following an injury, she showed immediate maturity with UCLA, becoming their leading scorer.  She scored the opening goal for UCLA against Stanford last September.

Ella Emri (presumed to be returning from injury) - the #20 overall recruit in 2024 (Murdock, by comparison was #161).  She was the third highest-ranked Stanford freshman in the TDS midseason ranking in 2024 (behind only Kohler and Klinger) before her season-ending injury.  In the games I watched she looked very solid in the center back position. If she's healthy I'm a lot less worried about Evans graduating.

Mia Bhuta (limited by injuries last season - not at her best) - My fingers are crossed that Mia Bhuta returns.  She was on the Hermann Trophy watch list before she was injured.  She's already a grad student this year so it seemed like her plan was to go pro, but perhaps with the injury she'd want another shot at a full senior season.

Stanford has the #2-ranked recruiting class in the country coming in.  Among the treasures joining the team will be:

London Young - the #4 overall recruit and #1 defender in the class of 2025. Lots of YNT experience. I'd be shocked if she doesn't start from day 1. One caveat - she has trained with the Washington Spirit. Hopefully she won't turn pro.

Peyton Marinos - The #14 overall recruit and #6 forward in the class of 2025.  May not start right away but should be at least a key backup.

Ella Krall - The #19 overall recruit and #9 forward in the class of 2025. Should be at least a key backup. A very good thing to have two such talented forwards in the class given the departures.  Stanford has 2 of the top 10 ranked 2026 forwards coming in.

It's hard to overstate how much we lost to graduation - a #1 overall recruit defender and three top 6 overall recruit forwards. Not to mention Harvey going pro. That's a lot of talent and maturity gone. But our frosh got some really good minutes/experience last season (especially Freer and Nguyen) and I'm excited to see what the above players can do.  And there may some other surprises in the 2026 class.

Who was the No. 1 overall defensive recruit we lost?

[Sakibomb25]

For the moment assuming no Bhuta, my estimated lineup next year looks like:

Winn - Holden - Klinger.  Subs: Thomas and maybe Harrison.
Kohler - Nguyen - Jung . Subs: maybe Johnson and maybe Bray.
Some 4 of Boamah, Freer, Emri, Murdock and Smith.  Subs: whoever doesn’t start. Maybe Tay.
Birkel. Sub: Jota

Not a lot of proven depth, but a decent though very young team with only 1 key senior. Losing a bunch of key players will do that. Not a lot of speed in the starting line up, but I don’t know how Winn profiles out. We will see what the incoming Frosh look like.

Some important additions to the roster for next year:

Bella Winn (transfer from UCLA) - Big 10 freshman of the year and TDS Soccer's #3 freshman forward of the year.  Made TDS' 10 best transfer portal moves list.  Can play mid or forward - curious whether she will see some time at attacking mid with Shae Harvey going pro. A redshirt freshman this past season following an injury, she showed immediate maturity with UCLA, becoming their leading scorer.  She scored the opening goal for UCLA against Stanford last September.

Ella Emri (presumed to be returning from injury) - the #20 overall recruit in 2024 (Murdock, by comparison was #161).  She was the third highest-ranked Stanford freshman in the TDS midseason ranking in 2024 (behind only Kohler and Klinger) before her season-ending injury.  In the games I watched she looked very solid in the center back position. If she's healthy I'm a lot less worried about Evans graduating.

Mia Bhuta (limited by injuries last season - not at her best) - My fingers are crossed that Mia Bhuta returns.  She was on the Hermann Trophy watch list before she was injured.  She's already a grad student this year so it seemed like her plan was to go pro, but perhaps with the injury she'd want another shot at a full senior season.

Stanford has the #2-ranked recruiting class in the country coming in.  Among the treasures joining the team will be:

London Young - the #4 overall recruit and #1 defender in the class of 2025. Lots of YNT experience. I'd be shocked if she doesn't start from day 1. One caveat - she has trained with the Washington Spirit. Hopefully she won't turn pro.

Peyton Marinos - The #14 overall recruit and #6 forward in the class of 2025.  May not start right away but should be at least a key backup.

Ella Krall - The #19 overall recruit and #9 forward in the class of 2025. Should be at least a key backup. A very good thing to have two such talented forwards in the class given the departures.  Stanford has 2 of the top 10 ranked 2026 forwards coming in.

It's hard to overstate how much we lost to graduation - a #1 overall recruit defender and three top 6 overall recruit forwards. Not to mention Harvey going pro. That's a lot of talent and maturity gone. But our frosh got some really good minutes/experience last season (especially Freer and Nguyen) and I'm excited to see what the above players can do.  And there may some other surprises in the 2026 class.

Who was the No. 1 overall defensive recruit we lost?

[BACardinal]

For the moment assuming no Bhuta, my estimated lineup next year looks like:

Winn - Holden - Klinger.  Subs: Thomas and maybe Harrison.
Kohler - Nguyen - Jung . Subs: maybe Johnson and maybe Bray.
Some 4 of Boamah, Freer, Emri, Murdock and Smith.  Subs: whoever doesn’t start. Maybe Tay.
Birkel. Sub: Jota

Not a lot of proven depth, but a decent though very young team with only 1 key senior. Losing a bunch of key players will do that. Not a lot of speed in the starting line up, but I don’t know how Winn profiles out. We will see what the incoming Frosh look like.

Some important additions to the roster for next year:

Bella Winn (transfer from UCLA) - Big 10 freshman of the year and TDS Soccer's #3 freshman forward of the year.  Made TDS' 10 best transfer portal moves list.  Can play mid or forward - curious whether she will see some time at attacking mid with Shae Harvey going pro. A redshirt freshman this past season following an injury, she showed immediate maturity with UCLA, becoming their leading scorer.  She scored the opening goal for UCLA against Stanford last September.

Ella Emri (presumed to be returning from injury) - the #20 overall recruit in 2024 (Murdock, by comparison was #161).  She was the third highest-ranked Stanford freshman in the TDS midseason ranking in 2024 (behind only Kohler and Klinger) before her season-ending injury.  In the games I watched she looked very solid in the center back position. If she's healthy I'm a lot less worried about Evans graduating.

Mia Bhuta (limited by injuries last season - not at her best) - My fingers are crossed that Mia Bhuta returns.  She was on the Hermann Trophy watch list before she was injured.  She's already a grad student this year so it seemed like her plan was to go pro, but perhaps with the injury she'd want another shot at a full senior season.

Stanford has the #2-ranked recruiting class in the country coming in.  Among the treasures joining the team will be:

London Young - the #4 overall recruit and #1 defender in the class of 2025. Lots of YNT experience. I'd be shocked if she doesn't start from day 1. One caveat - she has trained with the Washington Spirit. Hopefully she won't turn pro.

Peyton Marinos - The #14 overall recruit and #6 forward in the class of 2025.  May not start right away but should be at least a key backup.

Ella Krall - The #19 overall recruit and #9 forward in the class of 2025. Should be at least a key backup. A very good thing to have two such talented forwards in the class given the departures.  Stanford has 2 of the top 10 ranked 2026 forwards coming in.

It's hard to overstate how much we lost to graduation - a #1 overall recruit defender and three top 6 overall recruit forwards. Not to mention Harvey going pro. That's a lot of talent and maturity gone. But our frosh got some really good minutes/experience last season (especially Freer and Nguyen) and I'm excited to see what the above players can do.  And there may some other surprises in the 2026 class.

Who was the No. 1 overall defensive recruit we lost?

Elise Evans

[BACardinal]

For the moment assuming no Bhuta, my estimated lineup next year looks like:

Winn - Holden - Klinger.  Subs: Thomas and maybe Harrison.
Kohler - Nguyen - Jung . Subs: maybe Johnson and maybe Bray.
Some 4 of Boamah, Freer, Emri, Murdock and Smith.  Subs: whoever doesn’t start. Maybe Tay.
Birkel. Sub: Jota

Not a lot of proven depth, but a decent though very young team with only 1 key senior. Losing a bunch of key players will do that. Not a lot of speed in the starting line up, but I don’t know how Winn profiles out. We will see what the incoming Frosh look like.

Some important additions to the roster for next year:

Bella Winn (transfer from UCLA) - Big 10 freshman of the year and TDS Soccer's #3 freshman forward of the year.  Made TDS' 10 best transfer portal moves list.  Can play mid or forward - curious whether she will see some time at attacking mid with Shae Harvey going pro. A redshirt freshman this past season following an injury, she showed immediate maturity with UCLA, becoming their leading scorer.  She scored the opening goal for UCLA against Stanford last September.

Ella Emri (presumed to be returning from injury) - the #20 overall recruit in 2024 (Murdock, by comparison was #161).  She was the third highest-ranked Stanford freshman in the TDS midseason ranking in 2024 (behind only Kohler and Klinger) before her season-ending injury.  In the games I watched she looked very solid in the center back position. If she's healthy I'm a lot less worried about Evans graduating.

Mia Bhuta (limited by injuries last season - not at her best) - My fingers are crossed that Mia Bhuta returns.  She was on the Hermann Trophy watch list before she was injured.  She's already a grad student this year so it seemed like her plan was to go pro, but perhaps with the injury she'd want another shot at a full senior season.

Stanford has the #2-ranked recruiting class in the country coming in.  Among the treasures joining the team will be:

London Young - the #4 overall recruit and #1 defender in the class of 2025. Lots of YNT experience. I'd be shocked if she doesn't start from day 1. One caveat - she has trained with the Washington Spirit. Hopefully she won't turn pro.

Peyton Marinos - The #14 overall recruit and #6 forward in the class of 2025.  May not start right away but should be at least a key backup.

Ella Krall - The #19 overall recruit and #9 forward in the class of 2025. Should be at least a key backup. A very good thing to have two such talented forwards in the class given the departures.  Stanford has 2 of the top 10 ranked 2026 forwards coming in.

It's hard to overstate how much we lost to graduation - a #1 overall recruit defender and three top 6 overall recruit forwards. Not to mention Harvey going pro. That's a lot of talent and maturity gone. But our frosh got some really good minutes/experience last season (especially Freer and Nguyen) and I'm excited to see what the above players can do.  And there may some other surprises in the 2026 class.

Who was the No. 1 overall defensive recruit we lost?

Elise Evans