The Farm Report: September 1

(AP) — Micah Ford scored his third touchdown on a 2-yard run with 1:41 to play and Stanford rallied after nearly blowing a 16-point lead in the fourth quarter to beat Hawaii 37-27 on Saturday in the first game under new coach Tavita Pritchard.

“It’s been a theme throughout our entire early goings together through the offseason, in the spring, up until training camp is how we finished,” Pritchard said. “We finished tonight.”

Davis Warren threw for 310 yards and one touchdown in his debut for the Cardinal and engineered the game-winning drive after Hawaii had scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter to turn a 23-7 deficit into a 27-23 lead.

But instead of the biggest fourth-quarter comeback in school history, the Rainbow Warriors fell just short of beating the Cardinal for the second straight year in the season opener with the final attempt at a comeback ending when Micah Alejado fumbled and Tevarua Tafiti returned it 31 yards for the game-sealing touchdown.

Calder Zirn scored the deciding goal with 90 seconds remaining, getting in front of a clearance attempt and watching the deflection roll into the back of the net to lift top-ranked Stanford to a 1-0 victory over No. 2 San Diego on Thursday evening.

Zirn’s late-game score broke a scoreless battle between the nation’s top two programs, as the Cardinal (3-0-0) held off the second-ranked Toreros (2-1-0) in a match highlighted by stout defensive performances from both sides.

The two programs combined for just three shots on goal, with neither side able to generate much offensively until the deciding moment with less than two minutes to play. The clean sheet improved Stanford to 8-1-1 all-time against San Diego.

"It was a really, really tough game," said Jeremy Gunn, the Knowles Family Director of Men's Soccer. "San Diego was brilliant today, but we defended fantastically against a very good attack. I thought it was an unbelievable performance by everybody who played in the back four, and it was a phenomenal result after a gritty performance."

Led by senior Jordyn Harvey, No. 5 Stanford opened the season with a 15-25, 28-26, 25-20, 25-14 win over No. 6 Wisconsin in the second match of the Opening Spike Classic, Friday, at the Petersen Events Center.

Stanford (1-0) out hit Wisconsin (1-2), .258 to .164, and totaled seven aces, nine blocks and 71 digs. Kevin Hambly, the Montag Family Director of Women’s Volleyball, improved to 9-1 in season openers during his time on The Farm.

No. 5 Stanford defeated No. 15 Kansas, 27-25, 25-22, 14-25, 25-21, in the final match of the Opening Spike Classic, Sunday, at the Petersen Events Center.

Stanford (2-0) hit .239 as a team, while holding Kansas (0-2) to a .164 clip. Sunday marked the first meeting between Stanford and Kansas in women’s volleyball.

Seven different players contributed goals, and No. 1 Stanford scored five times in the second half, en route to defeating Cal State Fullerton 7-0 on Sunday afternoon from Cagan Stadium.

With the victory, the Cardinal improved to 5-0-0 on the season, while the loss dropped the Titans to 1-2-2 on the year.

Stanford proved especially effective on corner kick opportunities, converting three of its 13 chances from the flag. With the Cardinal already leading 1-0 following a Milly Bray strike in the 24th minute, freshman Sadie Leal-Schuman scored an Olimpico in the 30th minute to make it 2-0.

Stanford poured it on in the final 10 minutes, scoring a trio of goals to complete the runaway victory.

Stanford field hockey continued its strong start to the 2026 campaign as two, opening-minute goals and a second-half defensive stand culminated in a 3-1 win over the American University Eagles on Sunday. With the win, Stanford moves to 2-0 for the first time since the 2024 campaign. 

Bea Varley led the Cardinal with her first collegiate goal and first multi-point game, assisting on Kate Nemec’s game-winning goal. Caroline Richard earned her first collegiate goal that pushed Stanford ahead early while junior goalkeeper Anya Jackson recorded five saves. 

“I liked our composure and connection around the ball today,” said Susan Ewing York Director of Women’s Field Hockey Roz Ellis. “That confidence always builds into more attacking waves and moments and we had those today.”

Having failed to score in the first half of the season opener on Friday, Stanford (2-0, 0-0 ACC) stormed out of the gates on Sunday, tallying the opening goal inside the game’s first minute. Having the early spell of possession, Mia Clark rifled a ball from the halfway line that found Caroline Richard just outside the Eagles’ scoring circle. Having the angle on her defender, the sophomore transfer outwaited the pressure and rifled a backswinging shot that went through the traffic in front and into the cage to put Stanford ahead 1-0 just 53 seconds into the game. 

Earned it! 😤#GoStanford x #MYM pic.twitter.com/U0sPTpp2bO

— Stanford Field Hockey (@StanfordFH) August 29, 2026

Stanford opened up the 2026 men’s water polo campaign this weekend with a pair of dominant road wins. The Cardinal opened the day with a 22-12 ranked win over No. 13 UC Irvine in the morning, then capped the day with a 16-4 win over Cal State Fullerton.

The Card jumped out to the early lead in the opening bout, scoring the first four goals of the game against the Anteaters. By the end of the quarter, Stanford was ahead 6-2 thanks to two goals from Botond Balogh as well as a goal and two assists from Ben Forer.

In the second game, the Card again flew out of the gate and took an early lead. Stanford led 6-0 after the first quarter, scoring the game’s first eight goals. The Card led 11-1 at halftime, and held on in the second half for a 16-4 final.

The two wins push Stanford’s winning streak against non-conference opponents to 44 games across parts of the last four seasons.

Next up for the Cardinal is a bout with Pepperdine in Malibu on Sept. 5.