Rowan Schnebly, Palmer Bank, Dylan Hooper, Dylan Groeneveld, Fletcher Bank, Zach BohaneRowan Schnebly, Palmer Bank, Dylan Hooper, Dylan Groeneveld, Fletcher Bank, Zach Bohane
Scott Gould/ISI Photos
Men's Soccer

Card Hosts NC State

No. 2 Stanford takes on NC State at Cagan Stadium on Friday night

No. 2 Stanford vs. NC State

Friday, October 4 • 6:30 p.m. PT | ACC Network Extra

UP NEXT » No. 2 Stanford takes on NC State in an ACC clash on Friday night at Cagan Stadium. It will be Stanford’s fifth ACC match of the season and the second at home. NC State and Stanford have met only once (at least since 1987) with the Wolf Pack earning the win in 1987.

THIRD ACC WIN » Stanford stayed undefeated in ACC play last Friday 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.

DRAMATIC DRAW » Stanford fought to a 2-2 draw against Duke last weekend, pushing its unbeaten streak to seven straight. The Cardinal went down 2-0 in the 55th minute, but found a 75th minute goal from Fletcher Bank and a 88th minute equalizer to earn a point in ACC play.

OWNING THE ACC » Stanford is undefeated in the ACC so far, owning a 3-0-1 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 eight games, the Cardinal has tallied 20 goals, averaging 2.5 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  » The Cardinal stayed at No. 2 in this week’s United Soccer Coaches rankings and the TopDrawerSoccer rankings.

NCAA STATS » The Cardinal has been among the most efficient teams in college soccer this season. Stanford currently ranks fourth in won-lost-tied percentage (0.850), ninth in total assists (25), 13th in total goals (22), fourth in goal differential (+15), 12th in total points (69), 17th in points per game (6.90), 12th in assists per game (2.50), and 24th in scoring offense (2.20).

TEAM FIRST MENTALITY » Stanford is home to plenty of offensive playmakers. Zach Bohane ranks third in the nation and first in the ACC in game-winning goals (3) and Shane de Flores is 23rd nationally (2). Fletcher Bank ranks 34th  in total assists (4). Shane de Flores and Zach Bohane are both tied for 76th in the NCAA in total goals (4), and Bohane ranks 63rd in the NCAA in total points (11).

SHARING THE SCORING » 18 Stanford players have registered a point this season, two more than during the entire 2023 campaign. Zach Bohane paces the group with 11 total points, followed by Shane de Flores with nine and Fletcher Bank with eight. 12 of the 18 players have tallied multiple points.

TEAM STATISTICAL SUCCESS » Stanford is outpacing its opponents across the board. The Cardinal holds the edge in goals (22-7), shots (129-86), shots per game (12.9-8.6), assists (25-6), and corner kicks (62-47).

CONFERENCE STATS » Stanford is the third-best scoring team in the ACC through three weeks, tallying 22 total goals for an average of 2.20 per game, trailing only Duke (27 goals, 3.38 average) and Notre Dame  (24 goals, 2.67 average). The Cardinal is third in total goals allowed (7). Zach Bohane ranks sixth in shots per game (2.90) and eighth shots on goal per game (1.30). Fletcher Bank currently ranks 12th in assists per game (0.40) and fifth in total assists (4).

NONCONFERENCE EFFICIENCY » Unbeaten in their last 17 non-league matches, ACC teams are now 44-9-19 (74.3%) in non-conference play, best of any league this season. ACC teams have held the No. 1 national ranking in three of five polls this season (Clemson first two weeks).

DEFENSIVE DOMINANCE » Rowan Schnebly has led Stanford to five shutouts this season, including two in ACC play. Schnebly ranks 34th in the NCAA in goalie minutes played (892:31) and 19th in goals against average (0.706).

ACC IN THE RANKINGS » Seven ACC teams are ranked in the United Soccer Coaches Poll, including each of the top three. The ACC’s seven teams in the top 25 marks the most of any conference. Pitt held onto the No. 1 spot this week and is followed by Stanford (2), North Carolina (3), SMU (16), Duke (18), Virginia Tech (19), and Clemson (24). ACC teams have held the No. 1 national ranking in five of the seven national polls this season (Clemson 2, Pitt 2, Stanford 1).

CHAMPIONSHIP CONFERENCE » 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 titles.

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 157-48-47 (.713) in his 12 seasons on The Farm and he owns a career record of 344-109-78 (.720) in 23 seasons, a mark which makes him the sixth-winningest active coach at the Division I level (by percentage). Gunn’s 343 career wins rank 12th among all active coaches currently at the Division I level.