FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2026
#25 STANFORD CARDINAL (8-3-1) vs. #1 SMU MUSTANGS (10-0-1)
Dallas, Texas | Washburne Stadium | 3 p.m. PT | ACC Network Extra
MATCH NOTES » No. 25 Stanford heads to Dallas on Friday for a conference clash with the top-ranked program in the country, the SMU Mustangs. Stanford and SMU met twice at Cagan Stadium last season, battling to a 0-0 draw in the regular season before a Stephen Soghomonian penalty kick goal in the 60th minute lifted the Mustangs to victory in the second round of the ACC Tournament. The two sides will square off for the 14th meeting in a series the Cardinal leads 6-4-3, including a 3-2-2 record under Knowles Family Director of Men’s Soccer Jeremy Gunn. Both programs have been staples of the collegiate soccer landscape, with both Stanford and SMU earning a bid to the NCAA Tournament in each of the last four seasons.
LAST TIME OUT » Despite No. 13 Stanford holding the lead twice in the second half, a pair of goals in 78 seconds were enough for No. 5 Clemson to defeat the Cardinal on Sunday evening. Alex Chow gave the Cardinal the early advantage from the penalty spot in the 31st minute, while Jayden Fitzgerald Boes added his fifth goal of the season in the 76th minute to lift Stanford to a 2-1 lead. Clemson flipped the script in the final ten minutes, scoring two goals in a span of 78 seconds to steal a victory between two top-15 programs. Both sides put four attacks on target, with Clemson holding a slight 12-11 advantage on total shots. Stanford earned three corner kicks to the Tigers’ five and Rowan Schnebly made two saves in goal.
COMEBACK CARDINAL » Three second-half scores powered No. 14 Stanford to a 3-2 road win at Duke on Oct. 2, the Cardinal’s first ACC victory of the season. Trailing by two in the second half, Jack Pymm and Alex Chow delivered goals in a span of 37 seconds in the 58th minute to knot up the match. The winner was an own goal off a Stanford corner kick in the 77th minute. Pymm’s inswinger to Aidan Reilly was deflected off the back of a Blue Devil defender and into the back of the net. Save the two goals allowed, it was a dominant performance for the Cardinal. Stanford had 21 shots to Duke’s four, nine of them on goal, and nine corner kicks to the Blue Devils’ one.
STANFORD IN THE RANKINGS » Stanford enters the week ranked No. 25 in the United Soccer Coaches poll and No. 10 in the TopDrawerSoccer rankings. The Cardinal spent four weeks as the top-ranked program in the country earlier this season, marking the fourth consecutive year that Stanford has climbed to the top of the national polls. Stanford held the top spot for an NCAA-leading five weeks in 2025, finishing 14-4-2 last season and advancing to the third round of the NCAA Tournament for the fourth consecutive year.
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 180-60-56 (.703) in his 15 seasons on The Farm and he owns a career record of 366-120-86 (.715) in 28 seasons, a mark which ranks him seventh among active D-I head coaches by win percentage. Gunn’s 366 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 335-135-76 (.683) record on The Farm since the 1973 season, including a 111-29-30 (.741) 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 a 6-3-0 record at Cagan Stadium, following up on an unbeaten 9-0-1 home mark last season in which the Cardinal rattled off a program-record nine consecutive home wins to start the year.
SPREADING THE WEALTH » Through 12 matches, Stanford has had eight different players find the back of the net and 13 Cardinal players contributing to the scoresheet. Jack Pymm leads the scoring with six goals, followed by Jayden Fitzgerald Boes and Logan Tsopanoglou with five scores each and Alex Chow with three. Eric Frintu, Yujin Kikcuhi, Joshua Partal and Calder Zirn have also found the back of the net. 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 Partal dished out a team-leading six assists.
TEAM STATISTICAL SUCCESS » Stanford has outpaced its opponents in every statistical category in 2026 thus far, holding an advantage in goals (24-16), shots (216-102), shots on goal (85-42), shots per game (18-8.5), assists (13-9) and corner kicks (70-29). The Cardinal also held the statistical edge in each major offensive category in both of the last two seasons.
DEPTH ON DISPLAY » Stanford has showcased its depth throughout the 2026 campaign, with 18 different players making at least one start through the first 12 matches of the season, the most for the Cardinal since 2019. Aidan Reilly, Joe Moyer and Rowan Schnebly have started every match for Stanford this season while 11 different Stanford players have made their first career starts this season.
VOLUME SHOOTER » Jack Pymm has had eyes for the net to start the 2026 campaign, leading the conference with 4.64 shots per game through the first 12 matches. Pymm recorded 13 shots, an NCAA single-game high this season, and six shots on goal against Denver on Aug. 23. 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 career-best five goals, including four from the penalty spot, after establishing himself as a formidable scoring threat with four goals during his freshman campaign.
FRESHMAN FIREPOWER » Logan Tsopanoglou has wasted no time making his mark in his first season on The Farm, tied for second on the team lead in goals (5) and points (11). Tsopanoglou has netted three game-winners this season and recorded a brace in just his second career match against Denver on Aug. 23, the earliest multi-goal performance by a freshman since Jim Talluto’s second career game in 1989. His five goals are the most by a Stanford freshman since Shane De Flores buried eight goals in 2022, while his early-season brace marked the second straight season a freshman has scored two goals through two games, after Jack Pymm scored in each of his first two matches.
FITZ THE BILL » Cardinal freshman Jayden Fitzgerald Boes delivered a performance for the record books in a 4–0 victory over CSUN on Sept. 7, scoring three goals in the 11th, 19th, and 61st minutes. The hat trick was just the 16th three-goal performance in program history and Stanford’s first since 2012, when Adam Jahn scored three times in a 6–1 rout of California. Fitzgerald Boes is also the first Cardinal freshman to accomplish the feat since Matt Janusz scored all three goals in a 3–1 NCAA Tournament third-round victory over Santa Clara on Nov. 25, 2001. The hat trick earned Fitzgerald Boes ACC Offensive Player of the Week honors, and he has since followed up that performance with goals against Santa Clara and #5 Clemson to hold a share of second on the team in goals (5) and points (11).
HAT TRICK HEROES » A remarkable series of events unfolded last weekend across the Stanford soccer programs, as Jayden Fitzgerald Boes and Cardinal women’s soccer’s Jaden Thomas each recorded a hat trick within 24 hours of one another. Thomas tallied three goals and an assist in Stanford’s 4-0 victory over Santa Clara. The duo became the first Cardinal man and woman to record a hat trick in the same season since Jamie Clark and Tracye Lawyer both accomplished the feat on October 27, 1996. Clark tallied all three goals in a 3-1 victory over UC Santa Barbara, while Lawyer lifted the Cardinal to a 3-1 win over Washington in the second game of a doubleheader at Maloney Field.
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. Fortier has started ten of the first 12 matches of his career, tallying assists against Santa Clara and Virginia so far this season.
IMMEDIATE IMPACT » Stanford’s freshman class has made an immediate impact through 12 matches, with five different freshmen earning starts: Yujin Kikuchi, Tim Fortier, Jayden Fitzgerald Boes, Logan Tsopanoglou and Hugo Berg. The group has accounted for 11 of Stanford’s 24 goals (45.8 percent) and 28 of the Cardinal’s 56 points (50.0 percent), with contributions coming from across the class. Five freshmen have combined for 11 goals and three assists, giving the Cardinal one of its most productive freshman classes in recent memory.
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 39-15-13 career record in net, ranking fifth in program history in shutouts (20) and sixth in career goals-against average (0.99). Schnebly has tallied 24 saves through 12 matches this season, recording clean sheets against No. 2 San Diego, San Jose State and Santa Clara, as well as 71 minutes of shutout action in a 4-0 victory over CSUN.
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 previous 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 played full time in seven matches this season and has led the Cardinal to four clean sheets, earning a spot on the MAC Hermann Midseason Watch List.
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 (Sept. 23) and an All-ACC Freshman Team selection at the end of the season. Partal opened his 2026 account with an assist at San Jose State and scored his first career goal against CSUN.
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 1976-77 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 celebrated college soccer’s most recent dynasty on Sept. 25 vs. Virginia, 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 titles.
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 went 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 » Six ACC programs were ranked in the latest United Soccer Coaches poll on October 13, including four in the top 10, leading all Division I conferences in both categories. SMU leads the conference as the top-ranked program in the country, followed by No. 4 Clemson, No. 7 Pittsburgh, No. 8 Louisville, No. 23 Wake Forest, and No. 25 Stanford. North Carolina also received national recognition with a pair of votes in the coaches poll.
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).
A CHALLENGING SLATE » With the 2026 season reaching its midpoint, Stanford has already navigated a challenging portion of its schedule, posting a 3-3-1 record against teams that qualified for last season’s NCAA Tournament. The Cardinal’s 2026 slate features matchups against 10 NCAA Tournament teams, tied with Duke for the most among ACC programs. Stanford’s six matchups to date include wins over No. 21 Grand Canyon, Denver and No. 2 San Diego, a 2-2 draw against North Carolina, and losses to No. 20 Notre Dame, Virginia and No. 5 Clemson. With seven matches behind them, Stanford still awaits No. 1 SMU and NC State on the schedule, with both remaining matchups against NCAA Tournament teams coming on the road as the Cardinal continues to build its résumé against one of the nation’s most challenging schedules.
SCOUTING THE MUSTANGS » SMU enters Friday’s ACC contest at 10-0-1 overall and 5-0 in conference play under head coach Kevin Hudson. The Mustangs have been dominant on both ends of the pitch, outscoring opponents 34-3 through 11 matches while recording eight shutouts. Stephan Soghomonian leads SMU offensively with seven goals and three assists for a team-high 17 points, while Mukisa Emmanuel has added six goals and Milton Lopez has contributed five goals and two assists. The Mustangs have also received four goals from Landon Hickam, while Ryan Clanton-Pimentel leads the team with seven assists. In goal, Jonathan Evans has anchored the defense, allowing just three goals and recording eight shutouts with a 0.27 goals-against average.
NOW AND LATER » Stanford continues its regular-season stretch with a pair of challenging road tests against No. 1 SMU (Oct. 16) and NC State (Oct. 24), making its first visit to Raleigh next week. The match against the Mustangs will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra at 3 p.m. PT, followed by a 3 p.m. PT kickoff against the Wolfpack on Oct. 24. The Cardinal returns to Cagan Stadium to close the regular season against California in the Big Clasico on Oct. 30 at 6 p.m. PT, celebrating Senior Night against its Bay Area rival.
UPCOMING PROMOTIONS » Stanford will host its final regular-season home match on October 30, welcoming California to Cagan Stadium for the Big Clasico. Join us for Senior Night as we celebrate our seniors and spend your Friday on The Farm for a rivalry showdown as the Cardinal looks to beat the Bears. Can’t come out for the regular season finale? Stay tuned for updates regarding postseason competition returning to Cagan Stadium.