Caroline Nicole Birkel (born August 25, 2006) is an American college soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for the Stanford Cardinal.
Early life
Birkel was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, the daughter of Courtney and Mike Birkel, and has two brothers. She played club soccer for St. Louis Scott Gallagher SC, leading the team to two ECNL national championships and being named ECNL All-American twice. She attended Mary Institute and St. Louis Country Day School, where she was a standout in field hockey.
College career
Birkel enrolled early and began training with the Stanford Cardinal in the spring of 2025. In the fall, she became the first true freshman goalkeeper to start for the Cardinal since Jane Campbell in 2013. She helped lead the Cardinal to both the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) regular-season and tournament titles, stopping a penalty in the final shootout against Notre Dame. In the NCAA tournament, she helped Stanford reach the final, losing to Florida State. After her freshman season, she was named first-team All-ACC and the ACC Goalkeeper of the Year. She was also presented the Chalupny Award given to the year's most outstanding female soccer player from the St. Louis area.
International career
Birkel was one of two high school players (alongside Addison Halpern) named to the United States under-20 roster for the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, serving as the third-stringer as the team won bronze. She played every minute for the under-20s at the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in Poland, reaching the round of 16, but was unable to stop any penalties in their shootout loss to Brazil.
Honors and awards
Stanford Cardinal Atlantic Coast Conference: 2025 Atlantic Coast Conference tournament: 2025
United States U-20 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup bronze medal: 2024
Individual ACC Goalkeeper of the Year: 2025 First-team All-ACC: 2025 Chalupny Award: 2025
References
External links