Gotham FC continues to trust the youth by signing Andrea Kitahata | OneFootball

After questioning whether NJ/NY Gotham FC would sign other college players, the team announced the addition of Andrea Kitahata from Stanford University. The California native joins the Bats on a one-year contract after a fantastic collegiate career. She is also the second rookie signed for 2026, joining Talia Sommer, who signed from Butler University. This shows the NJ/NY side continues to believe in the youth by signing rookies.

Kitahata spent five years at Stanford, for she was given a redshirt year after playing only six matches in her sophomore season. As a result, she played 99 games, scoring 39 goals and providing 32 assists. She had 17 goals and 10 assists in her senior year, truly blossoming into a star on the soccer stage.

Andrea Kitahata is the latest signing for Gotham FC

Notably, Gotham signed a player who was part of a winning squad. While Kitahata and Stanford did not win the College Soccer Cup, they still made the championship game twice during her time there. Then, she ended her season winning both the ACC regular season and the tournament.

In addition, the college team always had a winning percentage while she was there, with the lowest coming in at .675 during her freshman year. As such, she knows what it is like to be part of a team with a winning mentality. This makes her a perfect addition to the reigning NWSL champions.

Moreover, the forward is versatile, where she can play on the wings and as a second striker. This gives Gotham depth up front, and perhaps she will add some goals in her first professional season.

In addition, one can argue that Kitahata has a strong mental fortitude. As mentioned, she only played in six matches during her sophomore year, but it was not because she was injured. She stepped away from soccer to focus on her mental health after losing her friend and teammate, Katie Meyer, who sadly took her own life.

The recognition that she had to step away shows strength. Not everyone is willing to take such action, but she knew what she had to do. She was not performing at her expected level, and Kitahata was impacted by the loss of her teammate and close friend. In the end, she came back to the beautiful game and now finds herself with her first professional contract a few years later.

Gotham FC is lucky to have her on the team. How much playing time she gets will depend on her, for the Bats have found someone with potential.