Sunday Showdown with Denver – Stanford Cardinal

SUNDAY, AUGUST 24, 2025

#13 STANFORD CARDINAL (1-0-0) vs. #4 DENVER PIONEERS (1-0-0)

Maloney Field at Laird Q. Cagan Stadium | Stanford, Calif.

MATCH NOTES » No. 13 Stanford hosts No. 4 Denver on Friday within the eighth all-time assembly between the packages, with the Cardinal holding a 5-1-1 benefit within the sequence. It marks the second straight season the 2 packages have met, after Denver claimed a 1-0 early-season victory. Both packages rank among the many nation’s high six in victories since 2015, with Stanford fifth in wins at 127, adopted by Denver’s 124. The Cardinal are 2-1-1 in opposition to the Pioneers underneath Knowles Family Director of Men’s Soccer Jeremy Gunn, however seems for his or her first victory over the non-conference foe since 2019.

LAST TIME OUT » Stanford delivered an emphatic victory to open the 2025 marketing campaign, as a brace from Trevor Islam highlighted a 5-1 rout of Sacramento State on Thursday afternoon. Fletcher Bank gave the Cardinal the lead 90 seconds in, whereas Zach Bohane added a aim and an help in a three-point effort. Jack Pymm rounded out the Cardinal scoring, discovering the again of the online for the primary time in his profession. Will Cleary, Eric Frintu, Joshua Partal, and Alfonso Tenconi Gradillas have been all credited with helpers within the successful effort. Stanford outshot the Hornets 25-6 and held a slight 6-5 edge in nook kicks to leap to 1-0-0 on the season. It was essentially the most targets in a season opener for Stanford since 2019, when it blanked Penn State 5-0. The victory marked the Cardinal’s fourth consecutive win in a regular-season opener.

BACK-TO-BACK BRACES » Trevor Islam’s second and third profession targets on Thursday marked the second straight multi-goal efficiency by a Stanford participant at Cagan Stadium. Last season, senior captain Noah Adnan scored twice within the NCAA Tournament second spherical in opposition to UC Santa Barbara, a match formally recorded as a 2-2 draw earlier than Stanford superior on penalty kicks.

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 throughout the three matches, with twenty-five Cardinal getting worthwhile minutes earlier than the common season will get underway. Shane De Flores led Stanford with three preseason targets, whereas Zach Bohane and freshman Jude Stone additionally discovered the again of the online.

HOME SWEET HOME » Stanford boasts a 318-128-74 (.683) file on The Farm courting again to the 1973 season, together with a 94-23-28 (.748) mark at Cagan Stadium underneath Knowles Family Director of Men’s Soccer Jeremy Gunn. Stanford opened up the 2025 marketing campaign with a dominant 5-1 victory over Sacramento State. Last season, the Cardinal went 6-3-4 on residence turf, outscoring opponents 24-13.

GREAT UNDER GUNN » One of 4 coaches to win NCAA titles in each Division I and Division II, head coach Jeremy Gunn has led Stanford to the College Cup closing 4 occasions since 2015. He and Virginia’s Bruce Arena (1991-94) are the one coaches to win three consecutive NCAA males’s soccer championships. His groups are 159-52-52 (.702) in his 13 seasons on The Farm and he owns a profession file of 346-113-83 (.714) in 26 seasons, a mark which makes him the tenth-winningest energetic coach on the Division I degree (by share). Gunn’s 346 victories rank twelfth amongst energetic D-I head coaches by win whole.

PRESEASON POLLS » Stanford begins the season ranked No. 13 within the United Soccer Coaches preseason ballot and No. 10 within the TopDrawerSoccer rankings. The Cardinal completed the season 9-5-6 in 2024 and returns a veteran core that has reached the third spherical of the NCAA Tournament in every of the final three seasons.

RETURNING CARDINAL » The Cardinal brings again eight veterans who made 15+ begins for this system final season, together with main scorers Zach Bohane and Shane De Flores, in addition to third-year netminder Rowan Schnebly. Other key returners embrace Fletcher Bank, Palmer Bank, Will Cleary, Dylan Groeneveld, and Dylan Hooper, whereas Alex Chow and Alfonso Tenconi-Gradillas are additionally anticipated to play main roles after making 19+ appearances a season in the past.

FUTURE OF THE FARM » Stanford’s loaded freshman class was lauded because the highest-ranked recruiting class within the ACC and the No. 2 rated recruiting class nationally by TopDrawerSoccer. The 2025 recruiting class consists of 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.

ALL EYES ON BOHANE » Zach Bohane was chosen to a pair of preseason watch lists forward of the 2025 marketing campaign, because the senior midfielder was featured on the ACC Preseason Watch List whereas additionally being named as a TopDrawerSoccer Midfielder to Watch. Bohane made 16 begins in his 17 appearances in 2024, main the Cardinal in targets (5), factors (13), pictures (49), pictures on aim (21), and game-winning targets (3). He went on to garner First Team All-ACC honors in addition to a United Soccer Coaches Second Team choice. A local of Monte Sereno, Calif., Bohane has been certainly one of Stanford’s most prolific scoring threats all through his profession, sitting second amongst energetic gamers in profession factors (42) with 13 targets and 16 assists throughout his three seasons on The Farm.

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 additionally listed at No. 17 within the TDS 2025 Preseason Men’s College Top 100 Players listing, becoming a member of goalkeeper Rowan Schnebly, who was ranked No. 77.

2024 REVISITED » Stanford remained among the many nation’s elite in 2024, ending 9-5-6 to safe this system’s twenty second all-time postseason look and the eleventh NCAA Tournament berth in Knowles Family Director of Men’s Soccer Jeremy Gunn’s 12 seasons on the helm. After a blazing 7-1 begin to the yr, the Cardinal climbed to a No. 1 nationwide rating for the second consecutive season. Despite a string of attracts and shut losses within the latter half of the common season, the staff’s defining second got here within the opening spherical of the ACC Tournament, when Dylan Hooper scored from past midfield to seal a dramatic 3-2, buzzer-beating win over Notre Dame. Earning the No. 16 general seed within the NCAA Tournament, Stanford prevailed over UC Santa Barbara with a 6-5 win in penalties to advance to the NCAA third spherical, however would fall sufferer to the opposite facet of penalty kicks in a scoreless draw at top-seeded Ohio State to finish the 2024 marketing campaign.

SHARING THE SCORING » 20 Stanford gamers registered a degree in the course of the 2024 season, three greater than the 2023 Cardinal marketing campaign. Zach Bohane paced the group with 13 factors, adopted by Shane De Flores (11), then Jackson Kiil (10). 14 of the 20 gamers tallied a number of factors.

TEAM STATISTICAL SUCCESS » Stanford outpaced its opponents in every statistical class in the course of the 2024 season, holding the sting in targets (31-20), pictures (267-190), pictures on aim (106-56), pictures per sport (13.4-9.5), assists (33-14), and nook kicks (121-83).

SOPHOMORE SEASON IN THE ACC » Stanford ranked tied for fifth within the 2025 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) preseason ballot, sitting behind Clemson, defending champion Wake Forest, Pittsburgh, and Duke. went 3-2-3 in convention play throughout its inaugural ACC season, choosing up three key street wins over No. 2 Clemson, No. 23 Notre Dame, and Virginia. Heading into 2025, the Cardinal eyes first-time convention matchups in opposition to Boston College, Louisville, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, and Virginia Tech.

ACC IN THE RANKINGS » Eight ACC packages are featured within the United Soccer Coaches preseason ballot, together with 4 groups inside the highest ten, each essentially the most of any convention. Ranked ACC packages embrace No. 5 SMU, No. 6 Wake Forest, No. 7 Pittsburgh, No. 9 Clemson, No. 13 Stanford, No. 14 NC State, No. 15 Duke, and No. 17 Virginia.

CONFERENCE DOMINANCE » The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) has confirmed to be the top of the game with eight ACC packages having gained an NCAA Men’s Soccer Championship, essentially the most of any convention. Virginia leads the league with seven nationwide titles, adopted by Clemson (4), Stanford (3), North Carolina (2), Duke (1), Notre Dame (1), Syracuse (1), and Wake Forest (1).  Six energetic ACC head coaches have gained D-I nationwide championships together with Jeremy Gunn, Mike Noonan (Clemson), Carlos Somoano (North Carolina), Jay Vidovich (Pittsburgh), Ian McIntyre (Syracuse), and George Gelnovatch (Virginia). NC State’s Marc Hubbard gained a Division II nationwide title in 2013.

CHAMPIONSHIP PEDIGREE » Stanford is certainly one of simply two packages to win three straight NCAA titles (2015-17). Virginia gained 4 in a row from 1991-94. It can also be certainly one of seven to win at the least three nationwide championships together with Saint Louis (10), Indiana (8), Virginia (7), San Francisco (4), UCLA (4) and Maryland (4). Stanford went 52-7-10 (.826) throughout its three-year championship run.

POSTSEASON REGULARS » Stanford’s 2024 NCAA event bid marked the Cardinal’s eleventh look within the NCAA event within the final 11 seasons and its twenty second NCAA event look general. The Cardinal has made seven College Cups, most just lately in 2019, together with 5 College Cup Finals and three NCAA Championships (2015-17).

HOME OF CHAMPIONS » Stanford is the all-time chief with 137 NCAA staff championships (70 males, 67 girls), and 173 nationwide championships general. The Cardinal owns essentially the most recognizable streak in school athletics, having gained at the least one NCAA staff

title throughout every of the final 49 seasons, courting again to the 1976-77 marketing campaign. The Cardinal has additionally produced 565 NCAA particular person champions and 658 general. Stanford has gained the Learfield Directors’ Cup in 26 of the attainable 31 seasons, together with a 25-year streak from 1995-2019.

SCOUTING THE PIONEERS » A perennial energy in school soccer, Denver heads into the 2025 season coming off a 15-3-5 season and a berth to the College Cup semifinals. The Pioneers have misplaced a good portion of their solid from a season in the past, together with their top-two main scorers Sam Bassett and Oje Ofunrein, however return 5 gamers with 15+ begins final season and 11 student-athletes that made at the least one begin in 2024. A program recognized for its stout protection, Denver opened the season with a 2-0 victory over Washington, limiting the Huskies to simply three pictures on body.

NOW AND LATER » Stanford continues its opening-weekend homestand with its first ranked opponent of 2025, welcoming No. 4 Denver to Cagan Stadium on Sunday. The match is slated for a 7 p.m. kickoff with Sara Ach and Greg Mescall on the decision on ACC Network Extra. Stanford hits the street for the primary time within the 2025 season on August 28, when it makes the quick journey to Santa Clara at 7:30 p.m., earlier than returning to The Farm to host UC Davis on August 31.

A LOOK AHEAD » The 16-game 2025 slate options six NCAA Tournament groups from 2024: Denver, Oregon State, Pittsburgh, SMU, UC Davis, and Wake Forest. Four of these groups (Denver, Pittsburgh, SMU, and Wake Forest) are ranked within the high seven within the United Soccer Coaches preseason ballot.

UPCOMING PROMOTIONS » Early arrivers to Sunday’s match in opposition to Denver have an opportunity to safe a free Stanford Men’s Soccer trucker hat, whereas provides final. Miss out on this weekend’s swag? Join us subsequent Sunday for our Camper Reunion night time in opposition to UC Davis and make some noise for the Cardinal with our noisemaker giveaway!