FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2026
#1 STANFORD CARDINAL (4-0-0) vs. SAN JOSE STATE SPARTANS (1-2-0)
Spartan Soccer Complex | San Jose, Calif. | 7 p.m. PT | Mountain West+
MATCH NOTES » Stanford and San José State will meet for the 50th time Friday evening, with the Cardinal boasting a 28-13-8 all-time record in a series that dates back to 1973. Knowles Family Director of Men’s Soccer Jeremy Gunn is unbeaten against the Spartans during his tenure on The Farm (9-0-3), with all but one of those matchups coming against his mentor and former CSU Bakersfield head coach, Simon Tobin, who retired on Aug. 21. Now, Stanford heads to San José for its first road test of the season, facing a new-look Spartans side while seeking its best start since 2020, when the Cardinal won each of its first six matches.
LAST TIME OUT » No. 1 Stanford stormed back with a pair of second-half goals from Jack Pymm and Logan Tsopanoglou to earn a 2-1 victory over UC Davis on Sunday evening. Stanford had to overcome an early deficit for the second time this season, but a commanding second half tilted the match in the Cardinal’s favor as they finished with a 17-9 edge on shots and an 8-2 advantage on corner kicks. The win extends a regular season unbeaten streak at home to 14 matches, as Stanford (4-0-0) sweeps the season-opening homestand with four consecutive victories.
HEAVYWEIGHT BOUT » Calder Zirn scored with 90 seconds left to lift top-ranked Stanford over No. 2 San Diego in a defensive showdown that featured just three shots on goal combined. The clean sheet improved Stanford to 8-1-1 all-time against San Diego and marked the program’s highest-ranked victory at Cagan Stadium since 2019, when another dramatic finish saw Zach Ryan score the game-winning header with 70 seconds remaining to defeat No. 3 Akron. Prior to last Thursday, it had been nearly 30 years since Stanford played in a matchup between the nation’s top two programs, when the Cardinal faced No. 1 Indiana in San Francisco at the 1997 Cal-Adidas Legacy Classic.
NATIONAL NUMBER ONE » With an undefeated start to the 2026 season, Stanford was voted the No. 1 team in the nation in both the United Soccer Coaches and TopDrawerSoccer polls. It marks the fourth straight season the Cardinal has climbed to the top of the polls after holding the No. 1 spot for an NCAA-leading five weeks in 2025. Stanford finished 14-4-2 a season ago and earned a fourth consecutive trip to the third round of the NCAA tournament.
THE CAPITAL OF COLLEGE SOCCER » For the third consecutive year, both Stanford men’s and women’s programs are the top-ranked teams in their respective United Soccer Coaches polls. Both programs are a combined 9-0 to start the year with a 3.00 goals per game average. In addition to the men’s undefeated start to the year, the Cardinal women have been dominant, starting the year with five consecutive clean sheets, outscoring opponents 19-0 during that span.
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 177-57-55 (.708) in his 15 seasons on The Farm and he owns a career record of 363-117-85 (.718) in 28 seasons, a mark which ranks him seventh among active D-I head coaches by win percentage. Gunn’s 363 victories rank 10th among active D-I head coaches by win total.
HOME SWEET HOME » The Cardinal has developed one of the strongest home-field advantages in the country at Cagan Stadium, holding a 333-132-76 (.686) record on The Farm since the 1973 season, including a 109-26-30 (.752) record under Knowles Family Director of Men’s Soccer Jeremy Gunn. Gunn is the first head coach in program history to reach 100 victories at Cagan Stadium. Stanford has started the 2026 campaign with four-straight wins at Cagan Stadium, following up on an unbeaten 9-0-1 home record last season in which the Cardinal rattled off a program-record nine consecutive home wins to start the year.
THE POWER OF TWO » The Cardinal has been virtually unbeatable under Jeremy Gunn when scoring multiple goals in a game, holding a record of 130-2-16 (.932) under Gunn in such matches. The Cardinal is already 3-0 this season when scoring at least twice, adding to last season’s 11-0-1 record in games with multiple goals. The lone non-victory in 2025 was a 2-2 draw at San Jose State. Stanford’s last loss while scoring two goals came on April 10, 2021, a 3-2 road defeat at Oregon State.
TEAM STATISTICAL SUCCESS » Stanford has outpaced its opponents in every statistical category in 2026 thus far, holding an advantage in goals (8-3), shots (75-36), shots on goal (27-12), shots per game (18.75-9), assists (5-2) and corner kicks (22-8). The Cardinal also held the statistical edge in each major offensive category in both of the last two seasons.
SPREADING THE WEALTH » Through three matches, Stanford has already had five different players find the back of the net and seven Cardinal contributing to the scoresheet. Logan Tsopanoglou (3) and Jack Pymm (2) lead the Stanford scoring, while Alex Chow, Eric Frintu, and Calder Zirn have also scored a goal. Stanford had 11 different goal scorers in 2025, with 14 players recording at least one point. Trevor Islam paced last year’s group with six goals, while Joshua Partal dished out a team-leading six assists.
GAME OF OPPORTUNITIES » Stanford has looked strong on both ends early in the 2026 campaign. Offensively, the Cardinal has generated 18.75 shots per match through four games, ranking second in the ACC and 10th nationally. On defense, the Cardinal has limited scoring opportunities by allowing only 12 shots on goal this season, matching its fewest through four matches since 2023, when Stanford surrendered just nine shots on frame over its first four contests.
FAST START FOR THE FRESHMAN » Logan Tsopanoglou has wasted no time making his mark this season, recording a brace in just his second career match against Denver before tallying the game-winner against UC Davis on Sunday. His two-goal performance against Denver was the earliest by a Stanford freshman since Jim Talluto in 1989. It also marked the second straight season a Cardinal freshman has scored two goals through the first two games after Jack Pymm found the back of the net in each of the first two games in 2025, something that hadn’t been done previously since Talluto’s 1989 freshman campaign.
VOLUME SHOOTER » Jack Pymm has had eyes for the net to start the 2026 campaign, leading the conference with 4.25 shots per game through the first four matches. Pymm recorded 13 shots and six shots on goal, both single-game highs in the NCAA season. Pymm’s 13-shot performance is the most on record in Stanford history and the highest single-game total by a Division I men’s player since James Madison’s Manuel Ferriol recorded 14 shots in 2019. His six shots on frame are also a Stanford single-game high, dating back to at least the 2001 season. A TopDrawerSoccer Preseason Best XI Second Team selection, Pymm has recorded a pair of goals from the penalty spot this season after establishing himself as a formidable scoring threat with four goals during his freshman campaign.
CAREER PACE » Alex Chow is already out to a career-best start through four matches, adding an assist against UC Davis to give him the most points in a season of his career (4). Arriving on The Farm as a San Jose Earthquakes academy product, Chow has carved out a prominent role in the Cardinal lineup throughout his career. After making eight starts as a freshman, Chow started every match last season and recorded a career-best 25 shots, scoring his first collegiate goal against Boston College.
EXPERIENCE BETWEEN THE POSTS » Rowan Schnebly enters his final collegiate season as one of the program’s top goalkeepers in recent memory, coming off a 2025 season in which he set career highs in saves (42) and save percentage (.712). Now a four-year starter in Stanford’s net, Schnebly owns a 35-12-12 career record in net, ranking fifth in program history in shutouts (18) and sixth in career goals-against average (0.90). Schnebly has tallied eight saves through four matches this season, recording his first shutout of the season last Thursday against No. 2 San Diego.
ALL EYES ON GROENEVELD » Entering his senior season, Dylan Groeneveld has emerged as a fixture on the Cardinal back line, starting all 35 of his appearances over the last two seasons. The Coronado, Calif., native’s steady veteran presence helped anchor a defense that posted seven clean sheets last year, earning him a spot on the ACC Preseason Watch List ahead of his final season on The Farm. Groeneveld is the only Cardinal to have played full time in each of the first four matches this season, leading the Cardinal backline to its first clean sheet of the year against the second-ranked Toreros last week.
INTERNATIONAL FORTIER » Incoming freshman Tim Fortier brings significant international experience to The Farm, recently representing Team Canada in the CONCACAF U20 Championship. Fortier, who has represented the Canadian National Team at three different age levels, tallied an assist in a victory over the U.S. Virgin Islands in the group stage. Canada went on to reach the semifinals before ultimately falling to host nation and eventual champion, Mexico. A TopDrawerSoccer Preseason Best XI Freshman Team selection prior to the season, Fortier made two starts in the first four matches of his career.
STORYBOOK SEASON » After joining the program as a walk-on in 2024, Trevor Islam enjoyed a breakout campaign last season, emerging as the Cardinal’s leading scorer. It was a season of firsts for Islam, who recorded his first career brace (Aug. 21 vs. Sacramento State) and his first one-goal, one-assist performance (Oct. 11 vs. Pittsburgh). The Mill Valley, Calif., native finished the season with career highs in goals (6), points (15), game-winning goals (2), shots (30), and shots on goal (19).
HELPING HAND » Joshua Partal emerged as a dynamic presence in the Cardinal midfield during his freshman campaign, starting all 20 matches with a team-leading six assists in 2025. A consistent creative threat both from set pieces and in the run of play, Partal earned TopDrawerSoccer National Team of the Week honors on Sept. 23 and was named to the All-ACC Freshman Team at the conclusion of the season. He returns for his sophomore campaign as Stanford’s top facilitator in an experienced midfield.
TOP PLAYERS PLAY ON THE FARM » Stanford boasts five players on TopDrawerSoccer’s Preseason Top 100 players list, tied with Portland for the most in the nation. Jack Pymm led the Cardinal as the No. 22 player in the country, followed by No. 61 Joshua Partal, No. 64 Dylan Groeneveld, No. 90 Alex Chow, and No. 98 TJ Kahoalii. Pymm was also named to TopDrawerSoccer’s Preseason Best XI Second Team, while Tim Fortier garnered Preseason Best XI Freshman Team honors.
CARDINAL IN THE PROS » Success on The Farm has translated to the professional level, with nine former Cardinal competing in Major League Soccer this season: Corey Baird, Tanner Beason, Ousseni Bouda, Will Cleary, Keegan Hughes, Jordan Morris, Will Reilly, Gabe Segal, and Andrew Thomas. Stanford is also well represented across other professional leagues, with Tomo Allen, Fletcher Bank, Palmer Bank, Zach Bohane, and Shane De Flores competing in MLS NEXT Pro, while Noah Adnan, Mark Fisher, Jackson Kiil, and Keegan Tingey play in the United Soccer League.
HOME OF CHAMPIONS » Stanford is the all-time leader with 139 NCAA team championships (71 men, 68 women), and 173 national championships overall. The Cardinal owns the most recognizable streak in college athletics, capturing at least one NCAA team championship for 50 consecutive seasons in a streak that dates back to the 1976-1977 season. The Cardinal has also produced 576 NCAA national champions and 658 individual champions overall. Stanford has won the Learfield Directors’ Cup in 26 of the possible 32 seasons, including a 25-year streak from 1995-2019.
CELEBRATING THE DYNASTY » The Cardinal will celebrate college soccer’s most recent dynasty this season, commemorating its historic run of three consecutive NCAA Championships from 2015-17. Just the second three-peat in NCAA men’s soccer history, Stanford defeated Clemson (4-0), Wake Forest (0-0, 5-4 PKs), and Indiana (1-0, 2OT) in the College Cup finals. The Cardinal went 13-0-2 during its title runs, outscoring opponents 24-3 with 12 consecutive shutouts in NCAA Tournament play. 2015-17 marked the most dominant stretch in program history, with Stanford recording a 52-7-10 overall record with three Pac-12 conference championships.
2025 REVISITED » Stanford remained at the forefront of the college soccer landscape during the 2025 season, leading the country with five weeks at No. 1 in the national polls and advancing to the third round of the NCAA Tournament for the fourth consecutive year. A stout defensive unit and a balanced attack told the story of the season, as the Cardinal relied on a mix of veteran leadership and emerging young talent. Stanford finished 14-4-2 overall, finishing second in the ACC regular-season standings before advancing to the postseason for the 12th time in the last 13 seasons. The Cardinal went 1-1 in its 23rd NCAA Tournament appearance, defeating Kansas City 1-0 in the NCAA second round before ultimately falling in the Round of 16.
ACADEMIC WEAPONS » Stanford got it done both on the pitch and in the classroom in 2025, being honored by the United Soccer Coaches with the 2025-26 College Team Academic Award. The Cardinal boasted a 3.65 grade point average, tied with Louisville for the highest GPA in the ACC. Additionally, 11 student-athletes earned All-ACC Academic Team selections, while Fletcher Bank, Zach Bohane, and Will Cleary earned Academic All-America recognition from College Sports Communicators.
YEAR THREE IN THE ACC » Stanford outperformed expectations after being picked fifth in the 2025 ACC preseason poll, compiling a 5-2-1 record to finish second in the regular-season conference table. Following first-time conference matchups against Boston College, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, and Virginia Tech, the Cardinal has now played each of its 14 league opponents, compiling an 8-4-4 conference record through its first two seasons in the ACC. Now entering its third year in the ACC, there is still room for some firsts between Stanford and its league opponents, as Clemson and Virginia make their first appearances at Cagan Stadium while the Cardinal makes its first visits to Duke, North Carolina, and NC State.
CONFERENCE DOMINANCE » The 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 D-II national title in 2013.
ACC IN THE RANKINGS » Four ACC programs were ranked in the latest United Soccer Coaches poll on September 1, with two of the nation’s top-three programs being housed in the conference. Stanford once again sits atop the national ranks this week, followed by No. 3 SMU, No. 16 Clemson, and No. 22 Louisville. Boston College is also receiving votes in the United Soccer Coaches poll, while Duke and North Carolina earned recognition in the TopDrawerSoccer rankings.
ACC IN THE TOURNAMENT » Nine ACC programs earned berths to the 2025 NCAA Men’s Soccer Championship, including four among the 16 national seeds. No. 2 Virginia, No. 5 SMU, No. 12 Stanford, and No. 15 NC State each received first-round byes, while Clemson, Duke, North Carolina, Notre Dame, and Syracuse also secured bids. The ACC’s nine tournament teams were the most of any league and tied for the second-most in tournament history. NC State led the conference with a College Cup final appearance, while Stanford and Duke reached the Round of 16. The ACC has won the men’s soccer national championship 20 times, with at least one program reaching the College Cup in 23 of the last 25 seasons.
POSTSEASON REGULARS » Stanford’s 2025 NCAA tournament bid marked the Cardinal’s 12th appearance in the NCAA tournament in the last 13 seasons and its 23rd 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).
OPPORTUNITY AWAITS » Stanford opened the 2026 season with victories over No. 21 Grand Canyon, Denver, and No. 2 San Diego, starting off a challenging schedule on the right foot. The Cardinal’s slate features matchups against 10 teams that qualified for last season’s NCAA Tournament, tied with Duke for the most among ACC programs. With the first three victories behind them, Stanford still awaits North Carolina, Notre Dame, Virginia, No. 19 Duke, No. 16 Clemson, No. 5 SMU, and No. 20 NC State, with five of those programs ranked in the latest United Soccer Coaches poll. Three of the remaining seven NCAA tournament opponents on the schedule will visit Cagan Stadium this season, as the Cardinal looks to continue building an impressive résumé as the season progresses into the postseason.
SCOUTING THE SPARTANS » San Jose State starts a new era in the 2026 season under first-year interim head coach Jesus Sanchez, marking the first time in twelve seasons that Simon Tobin has not been at the helm. Tobin retired in August with 393 victories after 40 years as a head coach between his stops at CSU Bakersfield and San Jose State. The Spartans were picked as the preseason co-favorites ahead of its first season in the Mountain West with Ruben Flores-Thomas, Ronin Axelson and Angel Fernandez were named to the Mountain West Watch List. Amir Anwary has led the scoring for San Jose State with two goals and two assists through four matches, earning Mountain West Offensive Player of the Week honors last week.
NOW AND LATER » No. 1 Stanford sees its first road test of the 2026 campaign on Friday, looking to continue its undefeated start to the season against Bay Area foe San Jose State at 7 p.m. PT on Mountain West+. The Cardinal returns to The Farm on Monday, hosting a Labor Day contest against CSUN on Sept. 7 at 4 p.m. PT, before kicking off ACC play against North Carolina on Sept. 11 at 4 p.m. PT.
UPCOMING PROMOTIONS » Make Cardinal soccer part of your Labor Day plans and be back on The Farm on Sept. 7 at 4 p.m. The first fans through the gates will receive a free Stanford Men’s Soccer dad hat. Don’t forget to stick around after the match for autographs with the team. Can’t make it on Monday? The Cardinal returns to Cagan Stadium on Sept. 15 against Santa Clara before welcoming students back to campus on Sept. 20 against Notre Dame.