FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2026
STANFORD CARDINAL (8-3-3) vs. CALIFORNIA GOLDEN BEARS (5-5-4)
Stanford, Calif. | Cagan Stadium | ACC Network Extra | 6 p.m.
MATCH NOTES » Stanford ends the regular season at Cagan Stadium with the Big Clasico against California, the 68th all-time meeting in the rivalry series. The Cardinal holds a 39-16-12 series lead over the Golden Bears, with Knowles Family Director of Men’s Soccer Jeremy Gunn boasting a 17-5-4 record over the Bay Area foe during his tenure at The Farm. Formerly Pac-12 foes, this is just the third meeting between the two programs as ACC counterparts, with California securing 1-0 victories in each of the previous two matchups. The matchup serves as the final contest on the conference calendar, with the ACC Men’s Soccer Tournament bracket and seeds being announced at the conclusion of the match.Â
LAST TIME OUT » Jayden Fitzgerald Boes tallied his sixth goal of the season Saturday evening as Stanford battled to a 1-1 draw on the road against NC State. The Cardinal leaned on its defense to keep the Wolfpack at bay in the first half before building offensive momentum after the break, recording six consecutive shots before breaking through in the 71st minute. NC State equalized in the 77th minute, handing Stanford its second consecutive road draw. The Cardinal forced three saves from the NC State goalkeeper, while Stanford’s Aidan Reilly recorded a defensive save at the goal line. The Cardinal remains unbeaten on the road with a 2-0-3 record.
TOP-RANKED CLEAN SHEET » Stanford kept the nation’s most prolific offense off the scoreboard on Oct. 16, battling No. 1 SMU to a scoreless draw in a windy affair at Washburne Stadium. The Cardinal backline stymied an SMU attack that entered the contest with an NCAA-best 3.09 goals per game and a conference-leading 18.27 shots per game, limiting the Mustangs to just three shots on the evening. Five different Cardinal recorded a shot in the contest, with Yujin Kikuchi recording the best look of the contest with a goal-bound attack that was saved by an SMU defender. Goalkeeper Rowan Schnebly tallied a save in the 48th minute to help Stanford secure its fifth clean sheet of the season.
STANFORD IN THE RANKINGS » Stanford enters the week ranked No. 16 in the TopDrawerSoccer poll and received votes in the United Soccer Coaches 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 181-60-58 (.702) in his 15 seasons on The Farm and he owns a career record of 367-120-88 (.715) in 28 seasons, a mark which ranks him seventh among active D-I head coaches by win percentage. Gunn’s 367 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 14 matches, Stanford has had eight different players find the back of the net and 15 Cardinal players contributing to the scoresheet. Jack Pymm and Jayden Fitzgerald Boes lead the scoring with six goals each, followed by Logan Tsopanoglou with five scores and Alex Chow with three. Eric Frintu, Yujin Kikuchi, 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 major offensive category in 2026 thus far, holding an advantage in goals (25-17), shots (230-120), shots on goal (90-44), shots per game (17-8.1), assists (15-11) and corner kicks (77-41). 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 13 matches of the season, matching the most for the Cardinal since 2012. Aidan Reilly 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, sitting second in the conference and seventh nationally with 4.08 shots per game through the first 14 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. Ranked No. 11 in the TopDrawerSoccer Midseason Top 100, Pymm has recorded a career-best six goals, including five from the penalty spot, after establishing himself as a formidable scoring threat with four goals during his freshman campaign.
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, #5 Clemson, and NC State to hold a share of the team lead in goals (6) and points (13). His six goals are the most by a Stanford freshman since Shane De Flores buried eight goals in 2022
HAT TRICK HEROES » A remarkable series of events unfolded earlier this season 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 on Sept. 6. 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.
FRESHMAN FIREPOWER » Logan Tsopanoglou has wasted no time making his mark in his first season on The Farm, sitting third on the team 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 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.
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 12 of the first 14 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 14 matches, with five different freshmen earning starts: Yujin Kikuchi, Tim Fortier, Jayden Fitzgerald Boes, Logan Tsopanoglou and Hugo Berg. The group has accounted for 13 of Stanford’s 25 goals (52.0 percent) and 31 of the Cardinal’s 65 points (47.7 percent), with contributions coming from across the class. Five freshmen have combined for 13 goals and five 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 39-15-15 career record in net, ranking fifth in program history in shutouts (21) and sixth in career goals-against average (0.975). Schnebly has tallied 25 saves through 14 matches this season, recording clean sheets against No. 2 San Diego, San Jose State, Santa Clara, and No. 1 SMU, 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 five clean sheets, earning a spot on the MAC Hermann Midseason Watch List and ranked No. 55 in the TopDrawerSoccer Midseason Top 100.
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 Midseason Top 100 lists, announced last week. Jack Pymm (No. 11) and Dylan Groeneveld (No. 55) earned spots on the National Top 100, while Tim Fortier (No. 26), Jayden Fitzgerald Boes (No. 59), and Logan Tsopanoglou (No. 94) were recognized on the Freshman Top 100. The Cardinal also tied for the national lead with five players on the Preseason Top 100. Pymm led the way at No. 22, followed by Joshua Partal (No. 61), Groeneveld (No. 64), Alex Chow (No. 90), and TJ Kahoalii (No. 98).
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 27, including three in the top 10, tied with the Big Ten for the most in Division I soccer in both categories. SMU leads the conference as the top-ranked program in the country, followed by No. 3 Clemson, No. 10 Louisville, No. 15 North Carolina, No. 16 Wake Forest and No. 18 Pittsburgh. Stanford also received national recognition with five points 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 coming to a close on Friday night, Stanford has navigated a challenging portion of its schedule, posting a 4-3-3 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 ten matchups included wins over No. 21 Grand Canyon, Denver, No. 2 San Diego, and Duke, draws against North Carolina, No. 1 SMU, and NC State and losses to No. 20 Notre Dame, Virginia and No. 5 Clemson. The Cardinal currently ranks 17th in the RPI, closing the regular season against California before more opportunities to improve its postseason résumé await with the ACC Men’s Soccer Tournament.
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN BEARS » Cal enters Friday’s ACC contest at 5-5-4 overall and 1-4-2 in conference play under head coach Leonard Griffin. The Golden Bears have outscored opponents 22-17 through 14 matches, recording six shutouts. Callen Lewis leads Cal offensively with six goals for a team-high 12 points, while Lucca Guimaraes has added four goals. Noe Morales, Cesar Cordova, Junhwan Park, and Malcolm Zalayet have each contributed two goals, while Morales, Finley Reynolds, Brendan Bell, and Florentino Junior share the team lead with two assists apiece. In goal, Adam Salama has anchored the defense, recording five shutouts, while the Bears have received additional contributions from three other goalkeepers in their six clean sheets.
NOW AND LATER » The Big Clasico returns to Cagan Stadium on Friday, as Stanford welcomes Bay Area rival California to The Farm for the regular season finale. The match will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra with Sara Ach and Greg Wong on the call. Friday’s results will determine the final seeding for the ACC Men’s Soccer Tournament, which begins Wednesday, Nov. 4
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.