No. 15 Stanford (0-0-2)
No. 4 Notre Dame (2-0-0)
Friday, Sept. 2 • 2:30 p.m. PT/5:30 p.m. ET
Bill Armstrong Stadium • Bloomington, Ind.
Complete Release (PDF)
Television •BTN Plus
Live Statistics •Available via IUHoosiers.com
LOOKING AHEAD » No. 15 Stanford makes its first road trip of 2016 this weekend when it heads to Bloomington, Ind. for the adidas/IU Credit Union Classic. The Cardinal faces No. 4 Notre Dame on Friday, Sept. 2 at 2:30 p.m. PT/5:30 p.m. ET (BTN Plus) and meets the No. 5 Hoosiers on Sunday, Sept. 4 at 4:30 p.m. PT/7:30 p.m. ET (Big Ten Network).
HISTORY VS. OPPONENTS » Friday will be the first meeting between Stanford and Notre Dame. The Cardinal is 1-4-2 all-time against the Hoosiers, but the two programs have not met since Nov. 4, 2000. In that last match, Todd Dunivant found Scott Leber in overtime and Stanford won 1-0 at the Cal/adidas Legacy Classic in Berkeley, Calif. The Cardinal's one previous game at Indiana was a 2-2 draw to start the season on Sept. 6, 1991 in the adidas MetLife Classic. Stanford (2015), Notre Dame (2013) and Indiana (2012) have won three of the past four national championships.
CONNECTIONS » The Hoosiers' fourth national championship in 1998 came at the Cardinal's expense in its first College Cup Final appearance in Richmond, Va. A Simon Elliott penalty was all Stanford mustered in the 3-1 loss. That team, which went 18-5-2, was led by third-year Stanford coach Bobby Clark, now the head man at Notre Dame. Clark was 71-21-12 (.713) in five years on The Farm (1996-2000) and guided Stanford to four playoff appearances, including that 1998 College Cup run. Clark's son Jamie, a 1999 graduate of Stanford, played for his father from 1996-98. A two-time NSCAA All-American, he was the first player in program history to receive first team honors as a senior in 1998. The younger Clark is now the head coach at Washington.
MORE CONNECTIONS » Indiana's Tanner Thompson is the younger brother of former Stanford midfielder Ty Thompson, who co-captained the Cardinal to the program's first national championship in December. In 2015 Ty was voted to the NSCAA All-Far West Region first team and the All-Pac-12 first team. An economics major, he was also a CoSIDA Academic All-District pick and made the Pac-12 All-Academic first team. The elder Thompson finished his career with nine assists and on Dec. 17 became the 14th NSCAA Academic All-American in Stanford history when he was named an NSCAA Scholar Second Team All-American, the first for the Cardinal since 2010. Ty and Tanner's father, Gregg, is in the Indiana University Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame for soccer and was a 1984 Olympian. Gregg was a co-captain of Indiana's first NCAA title team in 1982, which earned its second win of that season with a 4-2 triumph at Stanford on Sept. 19, 1982.
2015 REWIND » One of the program's stated goals every year is to "play as many games as it can" and the Cardinal did that in 2015. Stanford's magical season was capped with the program's first national championship in its 100-plus year history when it routed Clemson, 4-0, at Sporting Park in Kansas City on Dec. 13. The Cardinal scored the most goals in an NCAA final since 1996 and won by the largest margin since 1975, tying for the highest margin in College Cup history. The win extended the school's streak of at least one NCAA team championship to an ongoing record 40 years and was Stanford's 108th NCAA team title (now at 109 following women's tennis' 2016 championship). Stanford became the fifth school to capture men's and women's Division I soccer titles, following the Cardinal women in 2011. Jeremy Gunn became one of four coaches to win NCAA titles in both Division I and Division II, following his 2005 crown at Fort Lewis.
LOOKING BACK TO LAST WEEK » Stanford opened its 2016 campaign with a pair of draws at home against Penn State (0-0) and Saint Mary's (2-2). Against the Gaels on Sunday, the Cardinal was down a man and two goals with 13 minutes remaining in regulation, but Foster Langsdorf (78') and Drew Skundrich (81') scored three minutes apart to bring the Cardinal back level.
Career goal numero uno. @D_Baby14 #GoStanford pic.twitter.com/52s3J0OyuK
— Stanford M Soccer (@StanfordMSoccer) August 30, 2016
DRAW DEJA VU » It was the 12th time in program history the Cardinal had played back-to-back draws and first since 2014. Stanford, which has never had three consecutive matches end in a tie, last opened its season with a pair of draws in 1991.
CHECKING THE POLLS » Stanford dropped to No. 15 in the NSCAA Top 25 on Tuesday. In a preseason polling of the nation's coaches, the Cardinal was picked as the country's No. 1 team, collecting 20 first-place votes and 579 points. The Cardinal went 18-2-3 a season ago, including a 7-1-2 mark in Pac-12 play, to earn its second consecutive conference title. It tied the school record for fewest losses in a season, tied the second-highest win total in program history and set a Stanford record for league wins.
STREAKS » The Cardinal is unbeaten in its last eight matches dating back to last season and is 6-0-2 following its last eight draws. Stanford has lost its road opener the past two years. It dropped a 2-0 decision at Creighton in 2014 and then reeled off seven straight wins. Last August, Stanford fell at UC Santa Barbara, 1-0, before winning eight in a row and going on a 15-match unbeaten streak that spanned 66 days, the second-longest in program history.
RANKED » Stanford is 13-12-4 all-time against ranked opponents under Jeremy Gunn, including a 6-0-2 mark last season. The Cardinal is 6-6-1 in true road games against ranked opponents under Gunn and 7-7-2 including all matches with ranked foes away from Cagan Stadium.
Stanford Against Ranked Opponents Under Gunn (Road/Neutral)
| Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 12/13/15 | vs. #3 Clemson | W, 4-0 |
| 12/11/15 | vs. #5 Akron | T, 0-0 |
| 12/5/15 | at #1 Wake Forest | W, 2-1 (OT) |
| 8/31/15 | at #18 Louisville | W, 1-0 |
| 11/16/14 | at #15 Cal | W, 3-2 (2OT) |
| 10/30/14 | at #1 UCLA | T, 2-2 (2OT) |
| 10/5/14 | at #5 Washington | L, 3-1 |
| 12/1/13 | at #2 Washington | L, 1-0 |
| 11/24/13 | at #20 CSUN | W, 1-0 |
| 11/8/13 | at #3 Washington | L, 2-0 |
| 10/20/13 | at #1 Cal | L, 1-0 |
| 10/10/13 | at #6 UCLA | L, 1-0 |
| 11/1/12 | at #5 UCLA | L, 2-1 (2OT) |
| 10/26/12 | at #25 UC Santa Barbara | W, 1-0 (OT) |
| 9/7/12 | at #11 UC Irvine | W, 2-0 |
| 9/2/12 | vs. #22 Furman | L, 2-0 |
NEW LOOK, SAME STANFORD » A process-oriented bunch, Stanford heads into 2016 with the task of replacing five starters from a year ago, including MAC Hermann Trophy winner Jordan Morris and two-time Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year Brandon Vincent. Those two, along with Slater Meehan, Ty Thompson and Eric Verso, accounted for 53 percent of the Cardinal's goals (23-of-43), 48 percent of its assists (23-of-48) and 52 percent of its points (69-of-134) last season.
WHAT'S BACK » Eight starters received All-Pac-12 nods last season and four are back in Corey Baird, Andrew Epstein, Tomas Hilliard-Arce and Foster Langsdorf.
BAIRD » As a sophomore in 2015, Baird was named to the College Cup All-Tournament Team and was an All-Pac-12 second team selection. He started all 23 matches, tied for the team lead in assists (13) and was second in points (19) while adding three goals. Baird tied for second in the country in assists, a total which is fifth in Stanford single-season history, and was sixth in assists per game (0.57). His assist total, matched by teammate Eric Verso, was the highest for the Cardinal since 2002 and the most in the Pac-12 since 2010.
EPSTEIN » Epstein, a CoSIDA Third Team Academic All-American and NSCAA Scholar All-West Region pick, allowed 15 goals and posted a 0.631 goals against average in 2015 while playing 2,138 minutes. He finished 10th in the nation in goals against average and is fifth in Cardinal single-season history in that category. His eight solo shutouts during last year's title run are eighth in school history. Epstein was also selected to the College Cup All-Tournament Team after not allowing a goal against a pair of top-10 offenses in Akron (2.33 goals per game) and Clemson (2.17 goals per game). The electrical engineering major is currently 11th in Stanford history in saves (117) and is a two-time All-Pac-12 second teamer.
HILLIARD-ARCE » Hilliard-Arce started all 23 games at center back for the Cardinal a season ago and scored three goals. Stanford's defense surrendered just 15 scores, its lowest total since 2001 (13), and finished sixth nationally in goals against average (0.62), the sixth-best mark in program history.
LANGSDORF » Stanford's leading returning goal scorer, Langsdorf put in seven last season and tied for third on the team in points (17). Four of his seven goals were game winners, which ranked second in the Pac-12, including a header in the 97th minute at No. 1 Wake Forest to send Stanford to its first College Cup since 2002.
GREAT UNDER GUNN » One of four coaches to win NCAA titles in both Division I and Division II, Jeremy Gunn's teams are 50-20-13 (.681) in his four-plus seasons on The Farm, including 31-5-8 (.795) since 2014. He is one of only three coaches in program history to lead Stanford to three straight seasons of 10 or more wins along with Bobby Clark (1996-2000) and Nelson Lodge (1978-83). In guiding the Cardinal to consecutive conference championships, Gunn was awarded Pac-12 Coach of the Year and NSCAA Far West Region Coach of the Year honors in both 2014 and 2015. He owns a career record of 237-81-44 (.715) in 17+ seasons, a mark which makes him the third winningest active coach at the Division I level (by percentage).
Winningest Active Coaches (Entering 2016)
| Coach | Years | Record | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ray Reid, UConn | 27 | 414-109-70 | .757 |
| Carlos Somoano, North Carolina | 5 | 76-19-16 | .757 |
| Jeremy Gunn, Stanford | 17 | 237-81-42 | .717 |
| Steve Sampson, Cal Poly | 6 | 75-24-24 | .707 |
| Jamie Clark, Washington | 8 | 100-36-21 | .704 |
COACHING CHANGES » Gunn welcomes a pair of new coaches to the staff this season in Oige Kennedy and Charles Rodriguez.
KENNEDY » Kennedy was a two-time NCAA Division II national champion head coach at Fort Lewis College and racked up a 102-37-9 overall record in seven seasons leading the Skyhawks. He first arrived at Fort Lewis in 2006 when he was hired as an assistant on Gunn's staff in Durango, Colorado. The Skyhawks went 21-2-1 that season and were national runners-up. Gunn left after the season to take over at Charlotte while Kennedy remained to work under Tim Hankinson in 2007-08, winning 33 more games and advancing to the NCAA Division II postseason both years. On those 2006 and 2007 FLC teams was current Stanford assistant coach Nick Kirchhof. Kennedy took the reins of Fort Lewis' program in 2009 and continued the powerhouse's push forward. Hired as interim head coach just weeks before his team was to report for preseason training, he became the first coach in NCAA history to guide a men's soccer team to a national championship in his first year of collegiate coaching. In January 2012, he became the second Fort Lewis head man to be named NSCAA Division II Coach of the Year. Gunn earned the accolade in 2005 after guiding the Skyhawks to their first national crown.
RODRIGUEZ » Rodriguez played for Jeremy Gunn at Charlotte and captained the squad that advanced to the 2011 College Cup Championship match. As a senior, he was named a Soccer America First Team All American, was a NSCAA First Team All-Mid-Atlantic Region selection and became the first defender in Charlotte history to earn NSCAA First Team All-America honors. He was also named to the 2011 NCAA College Cup All-Tournament Team while leading the 49ers to the national final for the first time in school history. Rodriguez spent the past three seasons on staff at Xavier.
DESTINATION STANFORD » In late July, Liverpool used Cagan Stadium for training during its United States tour. The visit continued a trend of top national sides and clubs utilizing the unparalleled facilities and environment of Stanford for training. The USMNT visited campus for camp before the 2014 FIFA World Cup and within the past three years Stanford has also hosted Manchester United, Italian giant Juventus and English side Norwich City.
Post game team photo! @LFC #gostanford pic.twitter.com/a5fR4hol7y
— StanfordMen'sSoccer (@StanfordMSoccer) July 24, 2016
USMNT » In the past two years, a pair of Gunn's players have capped for the USMNT in Jordan Morris and Brandon Vincent. In November 2014, Morris became the first active collegian since 1995 to receive a cap for the U.S. Men's National Team when he came on in the 76th minute in a friendly against Ireland in Dublin. On April 15, 2015 in San Antonio, Texas, Morris started and scored for the United States against Mexico, becoming the first college player to score for the USA since September 1992. Vincent was pulled away from the MLS Combine after just one day when he was added to the U.S. Men's National Team roster for its January 2016 training camp in Carson, Calif. by head coach Jurgen Klinsmann. The 2015 College Cup Defensive Most Outstanding Player earned his first MNT cap on Feb. 5 when he came on for the second half of a 1-0 win against Canada at StubHub Center.