THURSDAY, AUGUST 28, 2025
#4 STANFORD CARDINAL (2-0-0) vs. SANTA CLARA (0-0-2)
Stevens Stadium | Santa Clara, Calif.
MATCH NOTES » No. 4 Stanford heads to Santa Clara for its first road test of the season, renewing a series the Broncos lead 21-19-7 all-time. The Cardinal has found success in recent matchups, recording a 5-3-2 mark over the last 10 meetings, with Knowles Family Director of Men’s Soccer Jeremy Gunn owning a 3-1-1 record against the Bay Area rival. The matchup also features two prolific head coaches. Gunn’s 347 career victories rank 12th among active Division I coaches, while Santa Clara’s Cam Rast, the winningest coach in the WCC, has led the Broncos to eight NCAA Tournament berths.
LAST TIME OUT » No. 13 Stanford earned a statement win at Cagan Stadium on Sunday night, tallying a 2-1 victory over No. 4 Denver in the early-season heavyweight bout. The Cardinal applied pressure from the start, firing eight shots in the opening 20 minutes before freshman Jack Pymm collected a failed Denver clearance and ripped a low shot off the left post and in for a 1-0 lead. Denver pulled even in the 51st minute, but Stanford regained the advantage in the 74th when Zach Bohane buried a feed from Shane De Flores. Just five minutes later, the Pioneers earned a penalty kick for a second chance to equalize, but goalkeeper Rowan Schnebly made a diving save to seal the Stanford victory.
SEASON-OPENING STATEMENT » Stanford delivered an emphatic victory to open the 2025 campaign, as a brace from Trevor Islam highlighted a 5-1 rout of Sacramento State on Thursday afternoon. Fletcher Bank gave the Cardinal the lead 90 seconds in, while Zach Bohane added a goal and an assist in a three-point effort. Jack Pymm rounded out the Cardinal scoring, finding the back of the net for the first time in his career. Will Cleary, Eric Frintu, Joshua Partal, and Alfonso Tenconi Gradillas were all credited with helpers in the winning effort. Stanford outshot the Hornets 25-6 and held a slight 5-4 edge in corner kicks to jump to 1-0-0 on the season. It was the most goals in a season opener for Stanford since 2019, when it blanked Penn State 5-0. The victory marked the Cardinal’s fourth consecutive win in a regular-season opener.
PYMM IS HIM » True freshman Jack Pymm has made an immediate impact since his arrival on The Farm, making a pair of starts in the Cardinal midfield and recording goals in each of Stanford’s victories over Sacramento State and Denver last week. With his two goals, Pymm became the first Stanford freshman since at least 1995 to record a goal in each of his first two career games.
SCHNEBLY’S GAME-SEALING SAVE » With the game on the line and Denver forward Kyle McGowan on the penalty spot, goalkeeper Rowan Schnebly delivered an incredible diving stop with his right glove to preserve Stanford’s 2-1 lead and secure the victory over a top-five foe. “He’s actually a buddy of mine. We played growing up together but it’s been a long time since I’ve faced him,” Schnebly said. “I just went with my gut. There’s not much you can do at the end of the day. I guessed the right way and thankfully made the save.” It marked another clutch moment between the posts for Schnebly, who also came up big in the NCAA Tournament last season, making a pair of penalty-kick saves to lift Stanford past UC Santa Barbara in the second round.
BACK-TO-BACK BRACES » Trevor Islam’s second and third career goals on last Thursday’s season opener marked the second straight multi-goal performance by a Stanford player at Cagan Stadium. Last season, senior captain Noah Adnan scored twice in the NCAA Tournament second round against UC Santa Barbara, a match officially recorded as a 2-2 draw before Stanford advanced on penalty kicks.
CARD IN THE RANKINGS » After an impressive start to the 2025 season, Stanford jumped nine spots to No. 4 in this week’s United Soccer Coaches poll, as well as a six-spot leap to No. 3 in the TopDrawerSoccer rankings. Stanford’s 2025 squad returns a veteran core that finished 9-5-6 last season and has reached the third round of the NCAA Tournament each of the last three years.
TEAM OF THE WEEK » Following a five-point opening week to the 2025 season, Stanford senior midfielder Zach Bohane was named to TopDrawerSoccer’s Team of the Week on August 26. Bohane recorded a goal and an assist in the regular-season opener against Sacramento State before scoring the game-winner on Sunday in the Cardinal’s ranked victory over Denver. His two game-winning goals lead the NCAA, while he also ranks second nationally in shots per game at 6.50.
TEAM STATISTICAL SUCCESS » Stanford has outpaced its opponents in every statistical category through the opening week of the season, holding an advantage in goals (7-2), shots (48-13), shots on goal (16-5), shots per game (24-6.5), assists (6-1), and corner kicks (10-6). The Cardinal also held the statistical edge in each major offensive category throughout 2024.
SPREADING THE WEALTH » Through just two matches, Stanford has already seen nine different players contribute to the scoresheet. Zach Bohane, Trevor Islam, and Jack Pymm have each tallied multiple goals, while Fletcher Bank has also found the back of the net. For comparison, the Cardinal finished the 2024 season with 20 players recording at least one point, including seven who scored multiple goals. Bohane paced last year’s group with 13 points, followed by Shane De Flores (11) and Jackson Kiil (10). Fourteen of the 20 players finished with multiple points.
A PERFECT PRESEASON » The Cardinal kicked off 2025 with an undefeated preseason, posting exhibition wins over San Francisco, Cal State Bakersfield, and Cal Poly at Cagan Stadium. Stanford outscored its opponents 5-1 across the three matches, with 25 Cardinal getting valuable minutes before the regular season gets underway. Shane De Flores led Stanford with three preseason goals, while Zach Bohane and freshman Jude Stone also found the back of the net.
GREAT UNDER GUNN » One of four coaches to win NCAA titles in both Division I and Division II, head coach Jeremy Gunn has led Stanford to the College Cup final four times since 2015. He and Virginia’s Bruce Arena (1991-94) are the only coaches to win three consecutive NCAA men’s soccer championships. His teams are 160-52-52 (.702) in his 13 seasons on The Farm and he owns a career record of 347-113-83 (.714) in 26 seasons, a mark which makes him the tenth-winningest active coach at the Division I level (by percentage). Gunn’s 347 victories rank 12th among active D-I head coaches by win total.
NEW CARDINAL COACHES » Two new members of the Cardinal coaching staff enter the fold for 2025, as Drew Hutchins and Woo Jeon join the sideline this upcoming season. Hutchins, a 2014 Stanford graduate, arrives on The Farm after spending one season as an assistant coach for NC State. During his time in Raleigh, Hutchins helped guide the Wolfpack to a 10-5-5 record and an NCAA Sweet Sixteen appearance. Hutchins makes his return to Stanford after a four-year playing career from 2010-2013, where he started every game his final two seasons. Jeon is set to serve as assistant coach for the Cardinal after a two-year stint with Cal Poly. Most recently serving as associate head coach for the Mustangs, Cal Poly made two Big West championship appearances and earned the program’s first Big West regular season title in 2024 during Jeon’s two years in San Luis Obispo.
RETURNING CARDINAL » The Cardinal brings back eight veterans who made 15+ starts for the program last season, including leading scorers Zach Bohane and Shane De Flores, as well as third-year netminder Rowan Schnebly. Other key returners include Fletcher Bank, Palmer Bank, Will Cleary, Dylan Groeneveld, and Dylan Hooper, while Alex Chow and Alfonso Tenconi-Gradillas are also expected to play major roles after making 19+ appearances a season ago.
HOME SWEET HOME » Stanford boasts a 319-128-74 (.684) record on The Farm dating back to the 1973 season, including a 95-23-28 (.748) mark at Cagan Stadium under Knowles Family Director of Men’s Soccer Jeremy Gunn. Stanford opened up the 2025 campaign with a dominant 5-1 victory over Sacramento State, before knocking off No. 4 Denver 2-1 on Sunday. Last season, the Cardinal went 6-3-4 on home turf, outscoring opponents 24-13.
FUTURE OF THE FARM » Stanford’s loaded freshman class was lauded as the highest-ranked recruiting class in the ACC and the No. 2 rated recruiting class nationally by TopDrawerSoccer. The 2025 recruiting class includes No. 36 Victor Fung (D), No. 48 Tomo Allen (F), No. 52 Jack Pymm (M), No. 123 Jude Stone (M), No. 162 Brayden Montague (GK), Brad Bennett (M), Dillon Logan (F), Joshua Partal (M), and Aidan Reilly (D). The group represents the Cardinal’s highest-ranked recruiting class since 2019.
ALL EYES ON BOHANE » Zach Bohane was selected to a pair of preseason watch lists ahead of the 2025 campaign, as the senior midfielder was featured on the ACC Preseason Watch List while also being named as a TopDrawerSoccer Midfielder to Watch. Bohane made 16 starts in his 17 appearances in 2024, leading the Cardinal in goals (5), points (13), shots (49), shots on goal (21), and game-winning goals (3). He went on to garner First Team All-ACC honors as well as a United Soccer Coaches Second Team selection. A native of Monte Sereno, Calif., Bohane has been one of Stanford’s most prolific scoring threats throughout his career, sitting second among active players in career points (42) with 13 goals and 16 assists during his three seasons on The Farm.
TOPDRAWERSOCCER PRESEASON BEST XI » TopDrawerSoccer named Zach Bohane to the Preseason Best XI Second Team, giving the midfielder his second consecutive preseason nod by the outlet. Bohane was also listed at No. 17 in the TDS 2025 Preseason Men’s College Top 100 Players list, joining goalkeeper Rowan Schnebly, who was ranked No. 77.
2024 REVISITED » Stanford remained among the nation’s elite in 2024, finishing 9-5-6 to secure the program’s 22nd all-time postseason appearance and the 11th NCAA Tournament berth in Knowles Family Director of Men’s Soccer Jeremy Gunn’s 12 seasons at the helm. After a blazing 7-1 start to the year, the Cardinal climbed to a No. 1 national ranking for the second consecutive season. Despite a string of draws and close losses in the latter half of the regular season, the team’s defining moment came in the opening round of the ACC Tournament, when Dylan Hooper scored from beyond midfield to seal a dramatic 3-2, buzzer-beating win over Notre Dame. Earning the No. 16 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, Stanford prevailed over UC Santa Barbara with a 6-5 win in penalties to advance to the NCAA third round, but would fall victim to the other side of penalty kicks in a scoreless draw at top-seeded Ohio State to end the 2024 campaign.
ACADEMIC WEAPONS » Stanford got it done both on the pitch and in the classroom in 2024, honored by the United Soccer Coaches with the 2024-25 College Team Academic Award. The Cardinal boasted a 3.74 grade point average, the highest GPA among Division-I award winners. Additionally, 15 student-athletes were named All-ACC Academic Team selections in 2024, with Noah Adnan, Fletcher Bank, Palmer Bank, Zach Bohane, Alex Chow, Liam Doyle, Dylan Groeneveld, Dylan Hooper, Dylan Jarvie, Jackson Kiil, Kwabena Kwakwa, Will Reilly, Rowan Schnebly, Alfonso Tenconi Gradillas, and Nik White all recognized by the conference.
SOPHOMORE SEASON IN THE ACC » Stanford ranked tied for fifth in the 2025 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) preseason poll, sitting behind Clemson, defending champion Wake Forest, Pittsburgh, and Duke. went 3-2-3 in conference play during its inaugural ACC season, picking up three key road wins over No. 2 Clemson, No. 23 Notre Dame, and Virginia. Heading into 2025, the Cardinal eyes first-time conference matchups against Boston College, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, and Virginia Tech.
ACC IN THE RANKINGS » Ten ACC programs are featured in the latest United Soccer Coaches poll, including nine in the top-15, both the most by any conference. Ranked ACC programs include No. 3 Pittsburgh, No. 4 Stanford, No. 5 Wake Forest, No. 6 Clemson, No. 8 NC State, No. 9 Duke, No. 11 Virginia Tech, No. 15 North Carolina, and No. 17 California.
CONFERENCE DOMINANCE » The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) has proven to be the pinnacle of the sport with eight ACC programs having won an NCAA Men’s Soccer Championship, the most of any conference. Virginia leads the league with seven national titles, followed by Clemson (4), Stanford (3), North Carolina (2), Duke (1), Notre Dame (1), Syracuse (1), and Wake Forest (1). Six active ACC head coaches have won D-I national championships including Jeremy Gunn, Mike Noonan (Clemson), Carlos Somoano (North Carolina), Jay Vidovich (Pittsburgh), Ian McIntyre (Syracuse), and George Gelnovatch (Virginia). NC State’s Marc Hubbard won a Division II national title in 2013.
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.
POSTSEASON REGULARS » Stanford’s 2024 NCAA tournament bid marked the Cardinal’s 11th appearance in the NCAA tournament in the last 11 seasons and its 22nd 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).
HOME OF CHAMPIONS » Stanford is the all-time leader with 137 NCAA team championships (70 men, 67 women), and 173 national championships overall. The Cardinal owns the most recognizable streak in college athletics, having won at least one NCAA team
title during each of the last 49 seasons, dating back to the 1976-77 campaign. The Cardinal has also produced 565 NCAA individual champions and 658 overall. Stanford has won the Learfield Directors’ Cup in 26 of the possible 31 seasons, including a 25-year streak from 1995-2019.
SCOUTING THE BRONCOS » Santa Clara is looking for a bounce-back 2025 campaign after a 5-8-3 record last season. This season’s roster features 19 returners, including All-WCC selections Naji Elder and Will Wiersdorf, both of whom earned second team honors. The Broncos also return 69.2% of its offensive production from a season ago, while Jackson Ozburn will return in net after posting a 2-3 record and a 1.60 goals against average in 2024. Santa Clara opened the new year with a pair of 1-1 draws against Cleveland State and UC Davis.
NOW AND LATER » Stanford hits the road for the first time in 2025, squaring off against Bay Area foe Santa Clara on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. The match will be broadcast live on ESPN+ with Anthony Passarelli on the call. The Cardinal will return to The Farm on Sunday, August 31 to host UC Davis at 7 p.m. before kicking off the conference slate on September 5 with an early-morning road contest against Louisville.
A LOOK AHEAD » The 16-game 2025 slate features six NCAA Tournament teams from 2024: Denver, Oregon State, Pittsburgh, SMU, UC Davis, and Wake Forest. After already earning a ranked win over Denver, Stanford awaits four more opponents currently featured in the United Soccer coaches poll, including Wake Forest, Virginia Tech, Oregon State, and California.
UPCOMING PROMOTIONS » Reunite with campers this Sunday for our annual Camper Reunion and make some noise for the Cardinal with our noisemaker giveaway. Stanford’s next giveaway takes place on September 21 as the Cardinal welcomes students back to campus with a T-shirt giveaway, while fans can also stick around after the action for postgame autographs.