WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2025
#3 STANFORD CARDINAL (6-1-0) vs. SAN JOSE STATE SPARTANS (4-1-1)
Spartan Soccer Complex | San Jose, Calif.
MATCH NOTES » Stanford and San Jose State will meet for the 49th all-time matchup between the two programs, with the Cardinal owning a 28-13-7 series advantage in records that date back to 1973. Knowles Family Director of Men’s Soccer Jeremy Gunn remains undefeated (9-0-2) against the Spartans during his time on The Farm, with all but one of those matches coming against former mentor and San Jose State head coach Simon Tobin. Tobin coached Gunn at CSU Bakersfield from 1989-1993 before coaching alongside each other for the first seven years of Gunn’s career, leading the Roadrunners to a 1997 NCAA Division II National Championship. Both men rank among the nation’s elite head coaches, with Tobin ranking seventh in active head coach wins with 384, followed by Gunn’s 351 victories in twelfth.
LAST TIME OUT » No. 8 Stanford scored twice in the final ten minutes to erase a late deficit and earn a resilient 3-2 victory over Syracuse on Saturday evening. After surrendering a goal in the 76th minute to go down 2-1, Fletcher Bank battled through a pair of Orange defenders and slotted home a shot inside the right post to draw even. Five minutes later, Trevor Islam played the rebound off his own blocked shot and converted on the second-chance opportunity for his second game-winning goal in as many games. The victory marked the first time Stanford has won after trailing in the 80th minute since October 20, 2022, when Jackson Kiil and Ryan Dunn each scored in the final seven minutes to lift the Cardinal to a 3-2 road win over San Diego State.
GETTING PAST THE GAELS » Earlier in the week, Stanford got back in the win column by dispatching Bay Area foe Saint Mary’s with a 3-1 victory. The Cardinal gave up the opening goal but responded with three unanswered goals to remain undefeated in nonconference play. Stanford was the aggressor from wire to wire, recording a season-high 25 shots against the Gaels, including eight attacks on frame throughout the contest. Alfonso Tenconi-Gradillas led the scoring for the Cardinal with a pair of set piece goals, marking the first multi-goal performance of the senior’s career. Trevor Islam also buried his team-leading third goal of the campaign, while Zach Bohane, Will Cleary, Shane De Flores, and Joshua Partal all recorded assists in the winning effort.
ISLAM CONTINUES TO IMPRESS » After recording both game-winning goals in a two-win week for Stanford, sophomore midfielder Trevor Islam was named ACC Co-Offensive Player of the Week on Tuesday afternoon. The conference accolade is the first of Islam’s career, who leads the Cardinal in goals (4), points (8), and game-winning goals (2). The Mill Valley, Calif., native is enjoying a breakout campaign after joining the team as a walk-on last season, posting career-highs in goals, points, game-winning goals, shots (12), and shots on goal (7). Prior to netting the game-winners against Saint Mary’s and Syracuse this week, Islam recorded his first career brace to lead Stanford to a 5-1 win in the regular season opener against Sacramento State.
FRESH FACES MAKING AN IMPACT » Tomo Allen, Joshua Partal, and Jack Pymm each cracked the starting lineup for the Cardinal in last Tuesday’s win over Saint Mary’s, marking another milestone for the impressive freshman class. The last time three true freshmen started in the same game for Stanford was also against the Gaels, when Fletcher Bank, Will Cleary, and Liam Doyle were first to the pitch in a 2-0 victory on Oct. 15, 2022. Through six games this season, four freshman have already found the scoresheet for the Cardinal. Allen, Pymm, and Jude Stone have each found the back of the net in the early going, while Partal leads the newcomers with a pair of assists. The 2022 season was also the first time at least three true freshmen have recorded goals in the same year, with Bank, Doyle and Zach Bohane all scoring that season.
MEETING A MENTOR » Wednesday’s matchup against San Jose State will be the 11th career meeting between Knowles Family Director of Men’s Soccer Jeremy Gunn and San Jose State’s 12th-year head coach Simon Tobin. Tobin coached Gunn from 1989-1993, before Gunn joined Tobin’s staff as an assistant for the Roadrunner men’s and women’s programs for seven seasons. The two led the Roadrunners to an NCAA Division-II title in 1997, along with a 1995 NCAA Final Four appearance. During his time at Bakersfield, Gunn was also named the 1997 CCAA Women’s Coach of the Year after leading the Roadrunner women’s program to a conference title and a national ranking in just the team’s second season while serving as acting head coach.
CARD IN THE RANKINGS » Stanford climbed to No. 3 in the latest United Soccer Coaches poll and No. 4 in the TopDrawerSoccer rankings after enjoying a 2-0 week. Reaching the top of the national polls for the third-straight year just two weeks ago, the Cardinal returns a veteran core that finished 9-5-6 last season and reached the third round of the NCAA Tournament.
TEAM STATISTICAL SUCCESS » Stanford has outpaced its opponents in every statistical category approaching the halfway mark of the season, holding an advantage in goals (16-7), shots (132-53), shots on goal (45-18), shots per game (18.9-7.6), assists (12-6), and corner kicks (44-26). The Cardinal also held the statistical edge in each major offensive category throughout 2024.
SPREADING THE WEALTH » Through seven matches, Stanford has already had eight players find the back of the net with 13 total Cardinal contributing to the scoresheet. Trevor Islam leads the Cardinal with four goals, while Fletcher Bank, Zach Bohane, Jack Pymm and Alfonso Tenconi-Gradillas also have multiple tallies. Stanford 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 164-53-52 (.707) in his 13 seasons on The Farm and he owns a career record of 351-114-83 (.717) in 26 seasons, a mark which makes him the tenth-winningest active coach at the Division I level (by percentage). Gunn’s 351 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 320-128-74 (.684) record on The Farm dating back to the 1973 season, including a 97-23-28 (.748) mark at Cagan Stadium under Knowles Family Director of Men’s Soccer Jeremy Gunn. Stanford opened up the 2025 campaign with four consecutive home victories over Sacramento State, No. 4 Denver, UC Davis, and Saint Mary’s. 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. Stanford 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 » Six ACC programs are ranked in the latest United Soccer Coaches poll, the most of any conference, including each of the top-three ranked teams. No. 1 Wake Forest is this week’s highest-ranked team in the conference, followed by No. 2 NC State, No. 3 Stanford, No. 12 Louisville, No. 14 Clemson, and No. 19 Duke. Notre Dame, Virginia Tech, Virginia, and North Carolina are each receiving votes.
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 12 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 SPARTANS » San Jose State is enjoying a strong start to the season thanks to a stingy defensive effort through six matches, already recording four shutouts with just four goals allowed so far this season. Second-year transfer Edgar Guerra has been strong between the sticks with 14 saves and a 0.67 goals against average, while sophomore forward Arnold Matshazi leads the Spartans in scoring with three goals.
NOW AND LATER » Stanford wraps up the two-game road stint with a quick trip down the road to play San Jose State on Thursday, September 17. The match will be streamed live on WAC International at 7 p.m. PT. The Cardinal will then prepare for a three-game homestand, welcoming Virginia Tech to Cagan Stadium for its first home ACC match of the year on September 21, followed by contests against Oregon State (September 24) and Boston College (September 28).
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. With a 1-0-0 record against ranked opponents this season after a 2-1 win over No. 4 Denver, Stanford awaits three more opponents currently receiving votes in the United Soccer Coaches poll, including No. 1 Wake Forest, Virginia Tech, and San Francisco.
UPCOMING PROMOTIONS » Mark your calendars as we welcome students back to campus with a free T-Shirt giveaway on September 21. Fans can also stick around after the action for our first postgame autograph session of the season. Miss out on the fun? Return to Cagan Stadium on September 28 and snag a free beanie courtesy of Stanford Athletics.