UP NEXT » No. 2 Stanford (8-1-3) returns to non-conference action against Bay Area foe San Francisco (3-5-3) on Thursday evening on ESPN+. It will be the Cardinal’s 13th game of the 2024 campaign and seventh showdown against a non-conference opponent. Stanford trails 19-22-3 in the series against the Dons, with the two programs most recently meeting in 2023.
CONFERENCE DRAWS » In a ranked showdown between two of the ACC’s newest members, Stanford battled to a 2-2 draw against No. 15 SMU in a back-and-forth affair last Friday. The Cardinal proved to be the more threatening team in the contest with a 9-4 shot advantage, but needed an 81st-minute equalizer from Jackson Kiil to bring home an ACC point. Noah Adnan netted his second score of the season as Stanford’s other goal scorer in the game. It was the Cardinal’s second consecutive draw in conference play, battling NC State to a 0-0 result on October 4.
THIRD ACC WIN » Stanford stayed undefeated in ACC play on Sept. 27, while earning its third road victory of the season and third conference win in a 1-0 triumph over Virginia. Zach Bohane scored his fourth goal of the season to earn the win. His strike came on a free kick and perfectly glanced off the post to seal the victory for Stanford. It was also Stanford’s fifth shutout of the season.
OWNING THE ACC » Stanford is undefeated in the ACC so far, owning a 3-0-3 record against its new conference foes. Seven of the Cardinal’s 15 wins during its NCAA three-peat stretch from 2015-17 came against ACC opponents, including twice in the final.
FIRING ON ALL CYLINDERS » Over the last ten games, the Cardinal has tallied 22 goals, averaging 2.2 goals per game. During Gunn’s tenure on The Farm, Stanford is 69-0-4 when scoring 3+ goals, including a 4-0 record during the 2024 season.
STANFORD IN THE RANKINGS » Stanford jumps to No. 2 in this week’s United Soccer Coaches rankings and No. 3 in the TopDrawerSoccer rankings following Friday’s 2-2 draw against No. 15 SMU. It marks the fourth-time in the past five weeks that the Cardinal is ranked in the top two. Stanford has not been ranked outside of the top-five in either poll since August 27.
NCAA STATS » The Cardinal has been among the most efficient teams in college soccer this season. Stanford currently ranks ninth in won-lost-tied percentage (0.792), ninth in goal differential (+15), 14th in total assists (27), 15th in goals against average (0.750), and 19th in total points (75).
TEAM FIRST MENTALITY » Stanford is home to plenty of offensive playmakers. Zach Bohane ranks tenth in the nation and first in the ACC in game-winning goals (3), while Shane de Flores is sixth in the ACC with two. Both players are tied for 11th in the conference in total goals with (4), with Bohane also ranking fourth in the ACC in shots per game (0.464). Meanwhile, Fletcher Bank is among the conference’s best in assists per game, ranking ninth in the ACC (0.33).
SHARING THE SCORING » 18 Stanford players have registered a point this season, two more than during the entire 2023 campaign. Zach Bohane and Shane De Flores pace the group with 11 total points, followed by Fletcher Bankand Jackson Kiil with eight. 12 of the 18 players have tallied multiple points.
TEAM STATISTICAL SUCCESS » All season long, the Cardinal have been outpacing its opponents in each offensive statistical category. Stanford holds the edge in goals (24-9), shots (149-101), shots per game (12.4-8.4), assists (27-6), and corner kicks (68-58).
CONFERENCE STATS » Stanford finds itself near the top of many statistical categories in the ACC, ranking first in win-loss-tied percentage (0.792), second in goal differential (15), goals against average (0.750), shutout percentage (.500), and total assists (27), and third in assists per game (2.25).
DEFENSIVE DOMINANCE » Rowan Schnebly has been among the nation’s best in goal through 12 games, leading Stanford to six shutouts this season, which ranks fifth nationally and first in the ACC. He also sits third in the conference in goals against average (0.755), good for 22nd in the NCAA.
ACC IN THE RANKINGS » Seven ACC teams are ranked in the this week’s United Soccer Coaches Poll, including two in the top five. The ACC’s seven teams in the top 25 marks the most of any conference. Stanford leads the conference as the second-ranked team in the nation, followed by Pittsburgh (4), North Carolina (7), Clemson (8), SMU (10), Duke (11), and NC State (24). ACC teams have held the No. 1 national ranking in six of the nine national polls this season (Pitt 3, Clemson 2, Pitt 2, Stanford 1).
ACCOMPLISHED ACC » Eight active ACC programs have won at least one national championship, the most of any conference. The 15 active ACC schools have combined for 20 NCAA titles (Virginia 7, Clemson 4, Stanford 3, North Carolina 2, Duke 1, Notre Dame 1, Syracuse 1, Wake Forest 1).
DOMINANT COACHING » Six active ACC head coaches have won D-I national championships as a head coach: Mike Noonan (Clemson), Carlos Somoano (UNC), Jay Vidovich (Pitt), Jeremy Gunn (Stanford), Ian McIntyre (Syracuse) and George Gelnovatch (Virginia). NC State’s Marc Hubbard won a Division II national title in 2013.
RETURNING PLAYERS » The Cardinal returns nine of its 11 starters, losing graduating seniors Mark Fisher and Ryan Dunn. The returning contingent includes Rowan Schnebly, Dylan Hooper, Noah Adnan, Palmer Bank, Fletcher Bank, Zach Bohane, Will Reilly, Shane de Flores, and Jackson Kiil who all started more than half of Stanford’s games last season.
NEWCOMER CARDINAL » Stanford welcomes eight new players to the team, including four freshmen, two graduate transfers, and two walk on players. Joe Moyer, Eric Frintu, Alex Chow, and Jordan Victor make up the newest class of Stanford players. Louis Sterobo from Saint Mary’s and Nik White from Harvard are using their final year of eligibility to compete as graduate transfers. Stanford also added Trevor Islam and Lazslo Bollyky, two walk-on players, to the roster.
POSTSEASON REGULARS » The 2023 NCAA Tournament second round match against Missouri State marked Stanford’s 10th appearance in the NCAA tournament in the last 11 seasons and its 21st NCAA tournament appearance overall. The Cardinal has made seven College Cups, most recently in 2019, along with five College Cup Finals and three NCAA Championships (2015-17).
INAUGURAL ACC SEASON » Stanford kicks off its inaugural ACC season this year, completing its move from the Pac-12. The ACC features 15 men’s soccer programs, nine more conference opponents than the Cardinal had in its previous conference. Stanford will compete for ACC supremacy against Boston College, California, Clemson, Duke, Louisville, NC State, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, SMU, Syracuse, Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Wake Forest. The new-look ACC features 15 men’s soccer programs this season with the addition of California, SMU and three-time national champion Stanford. Eleven of the ACC’s 15 programs competed in the NCAA Tournament last year.
CONFERENCE PROWESS » Nine ACC teams earned bids to the 2023 NCAA Championship, most of any conference in the 2023 tournament. Stanford (Quarterfinals) and SMU (Third Round) also competed in the 2023 tournament. 2023 marked the 11th straight season in which the ACC placed the most teams in the tournament and the 23rd consecutive season that at least five league teams earned a bid.
A DOMINANT RUN » Under Jeremy Gunn, Stanford has solidified its place among college soccer’s elite. No team has won more NCAA titles since 2006 than the Cardinal (3). The Cardinal has won six of the last eight Pac-12 championships, including five straight titles from 2014-18.
CHAMPIONSHIP PEDIGREE » Stanford is one of just two programs to win three straight NCAA titles (2015-17). Virginia won four in a row from 1991-94. It is also one of seven to win at least three national championships along with Saint Louis (10), Indiana (8), Virginia (7), San Francisco (4), UCLA (4) and Maryland (4). Stanford went 52-7-10 (.826) during its three-year championship run.
GREAT UNDER GUNN » One of four coaches to win NCAA titles in both Division I and Division II, head coach Jeremy Gunn has led a team to the College Cup final four times in the past 10 seasons. He and Virginia’s Bruce Arena (1991-94) are the only coaches to win three consecutive NCAA men’s soccer championships. His teams are 157-48-49 (.715) in his 12 seasons on The Farm and he owns a career record of 344-109-80 (.721) in 23 seasons, a mark which makes him the sixth-winningest active coach at the Division I level (by percentage). Gunn’s 344 career wins rank 12th among all active coaches currently at the Division I level.