Stanford men’s soccer defeats Santa Clara in spring opener

The energy matched the high temperatures Saturday afternoon as Stanford men’s soccer kicked off its spring season against Santa Clara. With fans watching raptly on the sidelines of Ueland Field, the Cardinal battled it out in a competitive matchup, ultimately emerging victorious, 1-0. 

Stanford last saw Santa Clara in August of the 2025 season, when they beat the Broncos 2-1 away. Now at home, they emerged eager to continue the winning streak.

The match was tight, with both teams creating several goal-scoring opportunities. On the first play of the first half, Santa Clara sent a long ball soaring over the Stanford defense, forcing redshirt junior goalkeeper Rowan Schnebly to come out of his box and clear it. Soon after, the Broncos received another chance from a free kick outside of the 18-yard box, which resulted in a header that was ruled offside. Santa Clara later sent a cross into the box that was deflected by freshman defender Aidan Reilley.

Stanford responded with offensive pushes of its own. After an unsuccessful corner kick, followed by a shot by redshirt freshman Eric Frintu that sailed over the goal, the Cardinal finally caught a break when redshirt sophomore midfielder Trevor Islam drove down the left side of the field and slotted the ball into the lower right corner of the net.

Leading 1-0 and with the momentum on their side, the Cardinal continued to look for openings but struggled to convert.

Islam’s chip shot was caught by Bronco goalkeeper Jackson Ozburn, and freshman midfielder Tim Logan’s shot near post was likewise saved by Ozburn, who pushed it wide for a corner. Redshirt junior defender Palmer Bank and freshman midfielder Jack Pymm’s attempts both went over, and Frintu’s header tragically bounced off the goal post. 

Still, the Broncos were equally unable to score against Stanford’s defense, which was led by Reilly, junior midfielder Dylan Groeneveld, and freshman midfielder Brad Bennett. At half, the Cardinal remained ahead, 1-0.

Santa Clara came out fighting in the second half, with a shot by junior midfielder Will Wiersdorf that was caught by Schnebly. Minutes later, Schnebly similarly shut down Wiersdorf on a breakaway, diving to push the ball away in an impressive quick reaction save. 

In the 65th minute, Schnebly was replaced by redshirt freshman goalkeeper Jordan Victor. Victor saw a little action when sophomore Bronco midfielder Ezana Alemayehu’s shot ricocheted off of a Cardinal defender and he dove to keep it in bounds, refusing to give up a corner kick.

The ball, however, generally stayed in Santa Clara’s half. Logan, who recently arrived at The Farm from Georgetown University, gained a breakaway, only to have his shot blocked by a Bronco defender. In that same play, Bronco freshman defender Alejandro Arenas received a red card for pulling Logan’s jersey, granting the Cardinal a free kick directly outside of the 18-yard box. Pymm sent the free kick spiraling toward the goal, but Santa Clara’s Ozburn parried it away. Frintu, who was positioned near post, was there for the rebound, but the ball struck the goal post and was cleared away. 

With nine minutes left, redshirt junior Cardinal goalkeeper Laslzo Bollyky subbed in for Victor. Two minutes later, he caught a Santa Clara cross. That would be the last Bronco offensive chance of the game. The ball got caught in the middle of the field as the clock winded down and pressure rose. Ultimately, Stanford maintained its composure and its lead, finishing out the match with a win.

The Cardinal’s victory sets a decisive tone as they head into a series of spring games. Up next, they will play San Jose State, who they previously tied 2-2 in September 2025. Stanford will face off against the Spartans at the Steuber Rugby Stadium this Saturday at 6:30 p.m.

The post Stanford men’s soccer defeats Santa Clara in spring opener appeared first on The Stanford Daily.