Nothing could have prepared forward Andrea Kitahata for the emotional challenges she would face during her sophomore season at Stanford.
In the fall of 2022, Kitahata’s close friend and teammate, Katie Meyer, died by suicide. After competing in the 2022 U20 FIFA World Cup and just six games into her sophomore season, Kitahata stepped away from the Cardinal soccer team
to focus on her grief and mental health.“Working through the grief of losing someone,
who was part of my daily routine and suddenly disappeared, took everything out of me,” Kitahata said. “Feeling the pressure of playing time, starting spots, and my career, I wanted nothing more than to push my emotions down and be on the field. As an athlete, you’re taught to muscle through pain. It took me six months to realize that this pain meant that I was not on the right track.”
Kitahata worked on her overall well-being and returned to the team in 2023. She played in all 25 games and scored nine goals, earning All-Pac-12 second-team honors.
Last year, as team captain, she helped lead the Cardinal to a spot in the NCAA championship game, where Stanford lost 1-0 to Florida State. She graduated last December and has gone on to play for Gotham FC of the National Women’s Soccer League, where she made her regular-season debut on March 12.
Kitahata is now being honored along with Dorian Darghali of Cal Lutheran’s men’s soccer team with the 2026 CalHOPE Courage Award. The award honors student-athletes at California colleges and universities who have overcome stress, anxiety and mental trauma associated with personal hardships and adversity.
Kitahata's return to the Cardinal soccer team marked a strong comeback for her.
Off the field, Kitahata has supported the Katie's Save foundation, which works to promote mental health, and has mentored young female athletes through the organization Female Footballers.
Darghali faced mental and physical challenges prior to attending Cal Lutheran, where he just wrapped up his freshman season. Darghali experienced his first anxiety attack after stepping onto the pitch for Chatsworth High School.
He began to experience severe anxiety, ultimately leading to isolation and panic attacks. Soccer, the sport that had long provided Darghali a place of calm and confidence, turned into a source of physical and mental anguish.
Darghali hid his struggles out of fear of being seen as weak and losing out on playing time. But over time, Darghali learned many of his teammates were dealing with anxiety, depression, burnout and overwhelming academic and athletic pressure.
Darghali wrote an opinion piece in the Los Angeles Times urging California to adopt mandatory mental health training for coaches, as well as support legislation like AB 2411, which empowers youth mental health boards, particularly challenging harmful norms that discourage male athletes from seeking help.
“Opening up showed me that I wasn’t alone, and that talking about mental health doesn’t make you weak,” Darghali said. “It gives you the strength to keep going and to help others do the same.”
CalHOPE is making $2,000 donations in Kitahata and Darghali's names.
Darghali selected Cal Lutheran to receive the donation to support mental health services for students at the school.
Kitahata requested her donation to support mental health services be split between Katie’s Save and Female Footballers.
