SATURDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2025
#3 STANFORD CARDINAL (9-1-1) vs. WAKE FOREST DEMON DEACONS (5-2-3)
Spry Stadium | Winston-Salem, N.C.
MATCH NOTES » Stanford and Wake Forest are set to meet for the first time as conference opponents, renewing a series that began in 1992. The Cardinal holds a 5-0-0 advantage in the all-time matchup, with this being the first meeting between the programs since 2017. The two sides share a rich postseason history, as Stanford eliminated the Demon Deacons in three straight years during its national championship three-peat from 2015–17. Both programs have established themselves among the nation’s elite once again in 2025, with each having spent time ranked No. 1 in the United Soccer Coaches poll this season.
LAST TIME OUT » A dominant showing on both sides of the ball led No. 6 Stanford to a 3-0 shutout victory over Boston College on Sunday evening at Cagan Stadium, pushing the Cardinal to second in the conference table after the victory. After a scoreless first 45 minutes in which Stanford recorded five shots on goal, the Cardinal overwhelmed Boston College with three second-half goals. Palmer Bank and Alex Chow each recorded their first goals of the season, while Trevor Islam buried a beautiful strike from outside the box for his team-leading fifth goal of the year. Stanford posted season-highs in shots (24) and shots on goal (12), while the Cardinal backline allowed just two attacks on frame in the match to help Rowan Schnebly secure his 13th career shutout between the posts.
WALK-OFF WINNER » The Cardinal found some late-game magic yet again last Wednesday night, scoring a walk-off goal in the 90th minute to complete a 3-2 comeback victory over Oregon State. Will Cleary got Stanford on the board first in the 33rd minute, but the Cardinal surrendered the next two scores to sit down a goal in the late stages of the second half. Shane De Flores pulled Stanford level with a 75th-minute equalizer, before setting up a Tomo Allen game-winner with just 36 seconds remaining to lead Stanford to victory over its former Pac-12 rival. The Cardinal held a 15-9 advantage on shots and a 7-2 edge on corner kicks, while netminder Rowan Schnebly tallied four saves in the winning effort.
COMEBACK CARDINAL » Wednesday’s 90th-minute game-winner from Tomo Allen over Oregon State was just the latest example of the Cardinal’s comeback mentality, as the Cardinal improved to 2-1-1 in games this season when trailing after the 80th minute. Stanford’s resilience has become a defining trait of this season’s squad, with late goals also earning results against San Jose State and Syracuse earlier in the year. The Cardinal is no stranger to late-game heroics, as Duncan Jarvie and Dylan Hooper each scored game-winners beyond the 80th minute last season.
DUAL THREATS » Stanford has seen a player record both a goal and an assist in each of its last three matches, with Zach Bohane, Shane De Flores, and Trevor Islam recording three-point performances in consecutive contests. Bohane has already accomplished the feat twice this season, as the ability to finish and facilitate has reintroduced a new dimension to the Cardinal offense in 2025. Last season, Stanford managed just two one-goal, one-assist outings, both from Fletcher Bank, compared to seven such games in 2023.
UNPRECEDENTED OFFENSE » Through 11 games, Stanford has posted its best offensive numbers of Knowles Family Director of Men’s Soccer Jeremy Gunn’s tenure, averaging 2.45 goals per game and 18.8 shots per game, both the highest marks of the Gunn era. That offensive success has translated to the national level, as Stanford leads the NCAA in total goals (27), good for the 13th-ranked scoring offense nationally.
THE POWER OF TWO » The Cardinal have been virtually unbeatable under Jeremy Gunn when scoring multiple goals in a game, holding a record of 124-2-16 (.930) under Gunn in such matches. This season, the Cardinal are 8-0-1 in games with multiple goals, with the lone non-victory a 2-2 draw at San Jose State. Stanford’s last loss while scoring at least twice came on April 10, 2021, a 2-3 road defeat at Oregon State.
SPREADING THE WEALTH » Through 11 matches this season, Stanford has had 11 different goal scorers with 14 total Cardinal contributing to the scoresheet. Trevor Islam leads the Cardinal with five goals, followed by Zach Bohane and Alfonso Tenconi-Gradillas with four scores each. Joshua Partal has been Stanford’s leading distributor with six assists, while Bohane and Shane De Flores have each tallied a trio of helpers. 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.
TEAM STATISTICAL SUCCESS » Stanford has outpaced its opponents in every statistical category so far this season, holding an advantage in goals (27-12), shots (207-78), shots on goal (76-32), shots per game (18.8-7.1), assists (20-10), and corner kicks (79-34). The Cardinal also held the statistical edge in each major offensive category throughout 2024.
CARD IN THE RANKINGS » Stanford comes in at No. 3 in both the United Soccer Coaches poll and sits second TopDrawerSoccer rankings after a pair of impressive wins over Oregon State and Boston College. Reaching as high as No. 1 in the national polls for the third consecutive year, the Cardinal returns a veteran core that finished 9-5-6 last season and has reached at least the third round of the NCAA Tournament in each of the last three seasons.
STORYBOOK SEASON » After joining the program as a walk-on last season, sophomore midfielder Trevor Islam has enjoyed a breakout campaign as the Cardinal’s leading scorer through 11 games. Islam’s latest highlight came on Sunday against Boston College, when he netted his fifth goal of the year with a 25-yard golazo to lift Stanford to a 3-0 victory. An ACC Co-Offensive Player of the Week earlier in the campaign, Islam is posting career highs in goals (5), points (11), and game-winning goals (2), while also recording his first career multi-goal game and his first one-goal, one-assist performance this season.
TEAM PLAYER » Alfonso Tenconi-Gradillas has embraced a new role this season, becoming a fixture of the Stanford backline after spending the first three years of his career as a striker. Starting each game at center back so far this season, Tenconi-Gradillas and the Cardinal defense have earned two clean sheets and limited opposing offenses to just 7.1 shots per game. The position shift has not limited Tenconi-Gradillas’ offensive production, as the senior sits third on the team in goals (4), recording a pair of braces against Saint Mary’s and San Jose State.
HELPING HAND » Freshman Joshua Partal has quickly established himself as a pivotal presence in the Cardinal midfield with a team-leading six assists so far this season, making an impact on the Stanford offense both from set pieces and in the run of play. Named to the TopDrawerSoccer National Team of the Week on Sept. 23, Partal’s six helpers through 11 games have already eclipsed Stanford’s assist leader from last season, Will Reilly.
ALL EYES ON BOHANE » The always reliable senior captain Zach Bohane has continued to be a leader in the Cardinal attack in 2025, holding a share of the team lead in points (11) with four goals and three assists on the year. Bohane leads Stanford in nearly every offensive category, pacing the Cardinal in shots (43), shots on goal (16) and game-winning goals (3). Bohane is no stranger to the national spotlight, being featured on the ACC Preseason Watch List and ranking No. 17 in TopDrawerSoccer’s Preseason Top-100 heading into the 2025 season. A former First Team All-ACC honoree and a United Soccer Coaches Second Team All-America selection, Bohane has been Stanford’s most prolific scoring threat throughout his career with 18 goals and 19 assists during his time on The Farm.
FRESH FACES » Stanford’s newcomer class as a whole has made a substantial impact on the Cardinal’s early success, with four freshmen already finding the scoresheet this season. Jack Pymm leads the group with three goals, while Tomo Allen and Jude Stone have each added one. Joshua Partal, meanwhile, paces the entire team with six assists. This marks the first time since 2022 that three freshmen have scored in the same season, when Fletcher Bank, Liam Doyle, and Zach Bohane all tallied. Allen, Partal, and Pymm also cracked the starting lineup in a 3-1 win over Saint Mary’s on Sept. 9, which was the first time three freshmen have started together since Bank, Doyle, and Will Cleary did so against the Gaels on Oct. 15, 2022.
HOME SWEET HOME » Cagan Stadium has proven to be one of the toughest places to play in the country for Cardinal opponents, as Stanford boasts a 323-128.74 (.684) record on The Farm dating back to the 1973 season, including a 100-23-28 record (.748) under Knowles Family Director of Men’s Soccer Jeremy Gunn. Sunday’s win over Boston College led to Coach Gunn becoming the first Stanford coach in program history to hit the century mark on home soil. Sitting at 7-0-0 at home, the Cardinal is enjoying its best start at Cagan Stadium since 2001. Last season, the Cardinal went 6-3-4 on home turf, outscoring opponents 24-13.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 167-53-53 (.706) in his 13 seasons on The Farm and he owns a career record of 354-114-84 (.716) in 26 seasons, a mark which makes him the tenth-winningest active coach at the Division I level (by percentage). Gunn’s 354 victories rank tied-11th 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.
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 Jeremy Gunn’s 13 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-straight year. Despite a string of draws and close losses to end 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, before falling 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 » Five ACC programs are ranked in the latest United Soccer Coaches poll, the most of any conference, including three programs ranked in the top ten. No. 2 NC State was this week’s highest-ranked team in the conference, followed by No. 3 Stanford, No. 9 Duke, No. 16 Virginia, and No. 23 Notre Dame. Clemson, North Carolina, and SMU are each receiving votes in this week’s poll.
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 in the NCAA to win three consecutive national championships (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 DEMON DEACONS » Making an NCAA quarterfinal appearance a season ago, Wake Forest enters Sunday’s contest with an up-and-down 5-2-3 record on the season. North Carolina transfer Tate Lorentz leads the Demon Deacons is scoring with 15 points on six goals and three assists, while Jonah Mednard leads Wake Forest in net with three shutouts, making 27 saves across ten appearances this season.
NOW AND LATER » Stanford hits the road for a conference visit against Wake Forest on Saturday, October 4. The game will be streamed on ACC Network Extra, with Ty Collins on the call. Stanford will then return home for its second three-game homestretch of the season, welcoming Pittsburgh, San Francisco, and SMU for its final regular season home matches throughout October.
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 Stanford currently sitting 3-0-0 against the group with victories over Denver, Pittsburgh, and UC Davis. Stanford has five matches left on the year, with feature matches against Wake Forest, Pittsburgh and SMU remaining.
UPCOMING PROMOTIONS » Come to Cagan Stadium on Saturday, October 11 for an Oktoberfest celebration against Pittsbrugh, where fans can stick around following the match for a free postgame autograph session with the whole team. Stanford returns to action on October 22 to highlight Breast Cancer Awareness for the annual Pink Game, before closing out the home slate with a Scarf giveaway in the regular season finale against SMU on October 26.