Stanford women’s soccer All-ACC honors 2026, Digi Mart USA News: Six Stanford players earned All-ACC recognition following a vote of the conference coaches, the university announced on Wednesday. Juniors Lizzie Boamah and Charlotte Kohler led the way by earning spots on the All-ACC first team.
Sophomore Y-Lan Nguyen landed on the second team, while sophomore goalkeeper Caroline Birkel took home third-team honors. Freshmen Ella Kral and London Young were lauded for their strong inaugural campaigns and earned spots on the All-Freshman team.
Kohler and Birkel had been named to the Preseason All-ACC team before the 2026 season began. Boamah, who represented the United States at the Under-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland, has logged 949 minutes at center back this year.
The San Diego native was named ACC Defensive Player of the Week on September 22 after making a game-saving tackle in the 90th minute to secure a shutout victory over No. 3 Wake Forest.
So far this season, Boamah has tallied a goal and one assist while helping the Cardinal register nine shutouts. Kohler, a native of Woodside, California, is listed on the MAC Hermann Trophy midseason watch list.
She leads the team in points with 23, contributing eight goals and seven assists.
Kohler was named co-Offensive Player of the Week on August 25 after recording a goal and an assist. A TopDrawerSoccer Preseason Best XI first-team pick, she has scored in eight of the 17 matches this season, including each of the first four matches of the year.
Kohler has recorded a point in 12 of 17 matches overall and has contributed to 15 of Stanford’s 39 goals.
Nguyen and Birkel also competed alongside Boamah for the United States at the Under-20 Women’s World Cup and returned to the lineup against Wake Forest. Nguyen, a native of Fairfax, Virginia, has totaled 960 minutes in the Cardinal midfield, contributing three assists while starting 11 matches.
The 2025 TopDrawerSoccer National Freshman of the Year was named to the TopDrawerSoccer Preseason Best XI first team before the season began.
Birkel was named to the MAC Hermann Trophy watch list at the start of the season and has started 11 matches for the Cardinal. The St.
Louis, Missouri product has allowed just six goals this year, posting an ACC-best goals against average of .571, which ranks 18th nationally, and has recorded five shutouts. A TopDrawerSoccer Preseason Best XI second-team selection, Birkel did not allow a goal until the 65th minute of a match against California on October 20, a span of 559 scoreless minutes to open the season.
Kral was named ACC Freshman of the Week on October 20 after scoring a goal and helping Stanford post a 3-1 victory over California. In her first season at Stanford, the Berkeley, California native has appeared in 12 matches, made eight starts and compiled two goals on 16 shots.
Young has started all 17 matches at center back, posting a team-high 1,454 minutes as a freshman. The McKinney, Texas native has helped Stanford record nine shutouts this season while limiting opponents to 135 total shots, an average of 7.94 shots per game.
With the regular season complete, Stanford is now awaiting the announcement of the 2026 NCAA Tournament field on Monday, November 16.
2026 All-ACC Women’s Soccer Team awards were also announced. Bella Devey of North Carolina was named Offensive Player of the Year, Sierra Sythe of Wake Forest was named Defensive Player of the Year, Lily Joseph of Notre Dame was named Midfielder of the Year, Valentina Amaral of Wake Forest was named Goalkeeper of the Year, Cali O’Neill of North Carolina was named Freshman of the Year, and Nate Norman of Notre Dame was named Coach of the Year.
