Thirteen months removed from their semifinal run in the 2019 College Cup, Stanford men’s soccer is set to take the field once again. On Tuesday, the Pac-12 announced a 10-match, conference-only schedule, where the Cardinal will kick off its campaign against San Diego State on Feb. 27.
Pending Santa Clara County directives, Stanford will play each conference rival twice in its first regular spring season with an opportunity to schedule up to an additional five non-conference games. However, the schedule for these non-conference match-ups is yet to be finalized.
The Cardinal must complete a minimum of six matches to be considered for post-season competitions, a modification set forth by the NCAA to allow for more flexibility amid the ongoing pandemic.
Stanford is looking to reclaim the Pac-12 championship after Washington snapped a five-year streak due to the Cardinal’s loss against Bay Area rival California in their final regular-season game at Cagan Stadium. Stanford finished 6-2-2 in Pac-12 play and 14-3-5 overall during the 2019 season.
The Cardinal will return with one All-American in redshirt junior goalkeeper Andrew Thomas as well as the reigning Pac-12 Freshman of the Year forward Ousseni Bouda. Thomas and Bouda were also named to the All-Pac-12 first team last season.
The three seniors for this season’s roster include forward Charlie Wehan, forward Jack O’Brien and midfielder Marc Joshua. In his ninth season on The Farm, head coach Jeremy Gunn looks to lead the Cardinal to its fourth national championship and sixth Pac-12 championship.
Contact Jordan John Lee at jjslee22 ‘at’ stanford.edu.