Men's Soccer: 2024 Year in ReviewMen's Soccer: 2024 Year in Review
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Men's Soccer

Men's Soccer: 2024 Year in Review

Stanford remained a postseason regular in 2024 with its 11th NCAA tournament appearance in the last 12 seasons

STANFORD, Calif. - Stanford remained among the nation’s elite in 2024, posting a 9-5-6 record and securing a third straight trip to the NCAA tournament’s third round.

With the program’s 22nd all-time postseason appearance, Knowles Family Director of Men’s Soccer Jeremy Gunn has now guided the Cardinal to 11 NCAA tournament berths in his 12 seasons at the helm.

REGULAR SEASON RECAP
Entering the season ranked No. 5 in the United Soccer Coaches preseason poll, Stanford got out to a blazing 7-1 start to the season that featured four clean sheets and a pair of ranked wins over nationally ranked opponents. 

The highlight of the early-season stretch came on September 6, when the Cardinal traveled to No. 2 Clemson for its first conference test of the year and delivered a statement 3-2 victory over the Tigers, marking the first ACC win in program history. 

Stanford rode that momentum into a stretch of three consecutive shutout victories, a dominant defensive stint that included yet another impressive road victory over No. 23 Notre Dame. The dominant start to the year vaulted Stanford to the No. 1 spot in the United Soccer Coaches poll, marking the second straight season that the Cardinal had reached the top of the national rankings.

After a stretch of draws and narrow defeats in the latter stages of the regular season slate, Stanford finished its inaugural season in the ACC with a 3-2-3 conference record and entered the ACC tournament as the No. 7 seed.

MIRACLE FROM MIDFIELD
Despite the late-season challenges, Stanford would begin the postseason on The Farm with a rematch against the Fighting Irish in a match that would result in one of the most dramatic finishes in recent history for the Cardinal. 

After conceding the equalizer with 12 seconds remaining in regulation, sophomore defender Dylan Hooper would answer with a shot from behind the midfield line that remarkably cleared the outstretched gloves of the Notre Dame goalkeeper with one tick left on the clock to give Stanford a stunning 3-2 victory.

"It was a crazy game of soccer," Knowles Family Director of Men's Soccer Jeremy Gunn said. "I've seen a lot and have been in a lot of games, but I don't think I have ever seen anything like that at the end of the game." When asked where the finish ranked among the soccer finishes he's been a part of, Hooper replied, "Probably number one."

The win advanced Stanford to the ACC quarterfinals, where they battled but ultimately fell 1-0 to Clemson on the road.

POSTSEASON PENALTIES
Earning the No. 16 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, Stanford was matched with in-state foe UC Santa Barbara in the second round. Senior captain Noah Adnan led Stanford with his first career brace in a 2-2 draw through 110 minutes.

With the match heading to penalties, goalkeeper Rowan Schnebly came up huge with two critical saves in the shootout. That allowed Duncan Jarvie to step up in the seventh round and bury the game-winner, sealing a 6-5 shootout victory for the Cardinal.

Stanford’s postseason run came to an end in the third round, falling victim to the other side of penalty kicks in a scoreless draw at top-seeded Ohio State. The Buckeyes advanced 4-2 in the shootout, ending the Cardinal's 2024 campaign in Columbus. 

RECEIVING RECOGNITION
Following the 2024 season, United Soccer Coaches tabbed both Noah Adnan and Zach Bohane as 2024 All-Region selections. Bohane made 14 starts in 15 appearances for the Cardinal to garner second team honors, leading the Cardinal in goals (5), points (13), and shots on goal (21) en route to his second career All-Region selection.

Adnan started all 20 Stanford matches on the year, leading to this second All-Region third team selection in as many seasons. The senior captain tallied four goals and three assists on the season and led the Cardinal backline to seven clean sheets on the year. 

Bohane also earned recognition at the conference level, earning All-ACC first team honorees as voted on by the league’s 15 head coaches. The honor was Bohane’s second all-conference recognition after previously being named to the All Pac-12 First Team in 2023. 

On the academic front, 15 Cardinal student-athletes were recognized by the conference as All-ACC Academic Team selections. Noah Adnan highlighted the list as a four-time conference All-Academic recipient, along with three-time honorees Jackson Kiil, Kwabena Kwakwa, and Will Reilly. Fletcher Bank, Palmer Bank, Zach Bohane, Dylan Hooper, Rowan Schnebly, Alfonso Tenconi-Gradillas, and Nik White became two-time academic all-conference selections, while Alex Chow, Liam Doyle, Dylan Groeneveld, and Duncan Jarvie earned their first accolade of their careers.

STANFORD SIGNS NINE
In April, Knowles Family Director of Men’s Soccer Jeremy Gunn has announced the addition of nine new signees ahead of the 2025 season. The set of incoming freshman was recognized as a top-five recruiting class in the nation by TopDrawerSoccer.

“The nine players making up our 2025 class are a diverse group of talented individuals from across the country. Most importantly, their character embodies the identity and the recruiting philosophy of our program,” coach Gunn said. “Each player’s incredible work ethic, competitive mentality, and growth mindset have been evident throughout the recruiting process. We are very excited to see how impactful this class can be immediately and then into the future. We clearly see the development pathway for each player and can’t wait to get to work with them.”

The group of Tomo Allen, Brad Bennett, Victor Fung, Dillon Logan, Brayden Montague, Joshua Partal, Jack Pymm, Aidan Reilly, and Jude Stone will arrive on The Farm in the fall. 

CARDINAL BOLSTERS COACHING STAFF
The 2025 season will also feature a new-look coaching staff for the Cardinal, as Gunn announced the hires of Drew Hutchins and Woo Jeon in the offseason. 

Hutchins joined the staff as associate head coach of the Cardinal program after spending one season as an assistant coach for NC State. During his time in Raleigh, Hutchins helped lead the Wolfpack to a 10-5-5 season and an NCAA Sweet Sixteen appearance. Under his guidance, NC State had three All-ACC honorees in 2024. He made his return to The Farm after playing at Stanford from 2010-2013, where he made 43 starts in 46 appearances between the posts for Stanford and earned an All-Pac 12 selection in 2013. Hutchins started every game in his final two seasons with a 1.17 goals against advantage, leading Stanford to an NCAA Sweet Sixteen appearance his senior year.

Jeon, set to serve as assistant coach for the Cardinal, arrived  on The Farm after a two-year tenure with the Cal Poly men’s soccer program, most recently serving as associate head coach in 2024. During his time in San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly made two Big West Championship appearances and earned the program’s first Big West regular season title in 2024. Primarily working with the defenders, Jeon guided the Mustangs to the nation's second-best goals-against average (0.676) and the fewest goals conceded in program history (13) in 2024. Under Jeon’s guidance, the Mustangs had six All-Big West honorees in each of the last two seasons, including 2024 Big West Defender of the Year Parker Owens.

AWARDS AND ACCOLADES

Name Honors
Noah Adnan

United Soccer Coaches All-South Region third team
TopDrawerSoccer Preseason Top 100 - No. 35
TopDrawerSoccer Midseason Top 100 - No. 14
TopDrawerSoccer Postseason Top 100 - No. 59
TopDrawerSoccer National Team of the Week (Sept. 16)
TopDrawerSoccer National Team of the Week Honorable Mention (Nov. 25, Dec. 2)
ACC All-Academic Team

Fletcher Bank

TopDrawerSoccer Midseason Top 100 - No. 39
ACC Offensive Player of the Week (Sept. 24)
TopDrawerSoccer National Team of the Week Honorable Mention (Sept. 2)
ACC All-Academic Team

Palmer Bank

ACC All-Academic Team

Zach Bohane All-ACC First Team
United Soccer Coaches All-South Region Second Team
ACC Preseason Watch List
TopDrawerSoccer Preseason Best XI
TopDrawer Soccer Preseason Top 100 - No. 1
TopDrawerSoccer Midseason Top 100 - No. 9
TopDrawerSoccer Postseason Top 100 - No. 45
ACC All-Academic Team
Alex Chow

TopDrawerSoccer Midseason Top 100 - No. 18
TopDrawerSoccer Postseason Top 100 - No. 100
ACC All-Academic Team

Shane De Flores

TopDrawerSoccer Preseason Top 100 - No. 35
ACC Offensive Player of the Week (Sept. 10)
All-ACC Academic Team

Liam Doyle

ACC All-Academic Team

Dylan Groeneveld

ACC All-Academic Team

Dylan Hooper

TopDrawerSoccer Preseason Top 100 - No. 84
TopDrawerSoccer Midseason Top 100 - No. 56
ACC All-Academic Team

Duncan Jarvie ACC All-Academic Team
Jackson Kiil ACC All-Academic Team
Kwabena Kwakwa

ACC All-Academic Team

Will Reilly ACC All-Academic Team
Rowan Schnebly

TopDrawerSoccer Preseason Top 100 - No. 47
TopDrawerScooer Midseason Top 100 - No. 30
ACC All-Academic Team

Alfonso Tenconi-Gradillas

ACC All-Academic Team

Nik White

ACC All-Academic Team