Stanford men’s soccer is set to conclude a two-game road stretch with a matchup against San Jose State on Thursday, September 17, at the Spartan Soccer Complex in San Jose. The game marks the 49th meeting between the programs, with Stanford holding a 28-13-7 record in the series dating back to 1973.
Knowles Family Director of Men’s Soccer Jeremy Gunn remains undefeated against San Jose State since joining Stanford, posting a 9-0-2 record in matchups with the Spartans. Most of those games have come against Simon Tobin, current head coach of San Jose State and former mentor to Gunn. Both coaches are among the most successful active head coaches nationally; Tobin has recorded 384 career wins, ranking seventh among active coaches, while Gunn’s 351 victories place him twelfth.
Stanford comes into this match following two recent wins. Last Saturday, No. 8 Stanford came from behind to defeat Syracuse 3-2 after scoring twice in the final ten minutes. Fletcher Bank tied the game before Trevor Islam netted his second consecutive game-winning goal for the Cardinal. Earlier in the week, Stanford secured a 3-1 victory over Saint Mary’s, coming back from an early deficit and registering a season-high 25 shots.
Sophomore midfielder Trevor Islam was named ACC Co-Offensive Player of the Week after scoring both game-winning goals last week and now leads Stanford in goals (4), points (8), and game-winners (2). Islam joined as a walk-on last season and has posted career highs across all offensive categories so far this year.
Stanford’s freshman class has also made early contributions. Tomo Allen, Joshua Partal, and Jack Pymm started together against Saint Mary’s—the first time three true freshmen started since October 2022. Four freshmen have already registered points this season.
The upcoming contest will be the eleventh meeting between Jeremy Gunn and Simon Tobin as head coaches. Their history dates back to Gunn’s playing days under Tobin at CSU Bakersfield from 1989-1993 and later coaching together for seven seasons, including leading Bakersfield to an NCAA Division II national title in 1997.
In national rankings, Stanford climbed to No. 3 in the United Soccer Coaches poll and No. 4 by TopDrawerSoccer after last week’s results. The team currently holds statistical advantages over opponents across all major categories including goals scored (16-7) and shots taken (132-53).
Through seven matches this season, eight different Cardinal players have scored at least one goal and thirteen have contributed offensively. Last year saw twenty players register at least one point.
Stanford opened its preseason undefeated with exhibition wins over San Francisco, Cal State Bakersfield, and Cal Poly at Cagan Stadium.
Head coach Jeremy Gunn has led Stanford to four College Cup appearances since taking over in 2015—including three straight NCAA titles from 2015–17—and owns a career record of 351-114-83 over twenty-six seasons.
The Cardinal staff welcomes new assistant coaches Drew Hutchins—a former Stanford goalkeeper who returns after coaching stints elsewhere—and Woo Jeon from Cal Poly.
Eight starters return for Stanford this season including top scorers Zach Bohane and Shane De Flores along with goalkeeper Rowan Schnebly.
At home under Gunn’s leadership since his arrival in Palo Alto, Stanford boasts a strong record at Cagan Stadium as well as overall on-campus performance since records began in 1973.
This year’s freshman class is rated as one of the best nationally by TopDrawerSoccer—ranked second overall—with multiple high-profile recruits joining the squad.
Senior midfielder Zach Bohane appears on several preseason watch lists after leading Stanford offensively last year with five goals and thirteen points; he also earned All-ACC First Team honors for his play during that campaign.
Last season saw Stanford finish with a record of nine wins, five losses, and six draws en route to an NCAA Tournament appearance—its eleventh postseason berth under Jeremy Gunn—which ended after advancing past UC Santa Barbara but falling on penalties against Ohio State in round three.
Academically, fifteen student-athletes were named All-ACC Academic Team selections last year as part of a group recognized by United Soccer Coaches for their classroom achievements—the team recorded a cumulative GPA of 3.74 during that period.
Stanford is ranked fifth in this year’s ACC preseason poll after going unbeaten through much of conference play last year—including key road wins over Clemson, Notre Dame, and Virginia—and looks ahead to first-time conference matchups against Boston College and others later this fall.
Six ACC teams are ranked among the nation’s top twenty according to United Soccer Coaches’ latest poll—the most from any single conference—with Wake Forest holding the top spot followed closely by NC State and then Stanford itself.
The ACC continues its dominance historically with more NCAA men’s soccer championships than any other conference—eight member schools have won titles—with Virginia leading at seven championships overall.
Stanford remains one of only two programs ever to win three consecutive NCAA men’s soccer championships (2015–17) alongside Virginia (1991–94), contributing to its standing among college soccer’s most successful programs.
San Jose State enters Thursday’s match having allowed just four goals through six games thanks largely to transfer goalkeeper Edgar Guerra; sophomore Arnold Matshazi leads their attack with three goals scored.
After facing San Jose State on Thursday evening—broadcast live via WAC International—Stanford will return home for matches against Virginia Tech (September 21), Oregon State (September 24), and Boston College (September 28).
The remainder of Stanford’s schedule includes meetings with several teams that reached last year’s NCAA Tournament such as Denver and Wake Forest; they are currently unbeaten versus ranked opposition following an early-season win over Denver.
Upcoming promotions include student giveaways at Cagan Stadium throughout September as part of efforts by Stanford Athletics.
