By Ethan Ndachi (@EthanNdachi) – Content Editor | SJSU men’s soccer celebrates versus Saint Mary’s College of California on Aug. 30 (Photo by Cesar Maya – Spear photographer)
The Spartan Soccer Complex once again hosts the Bay Area battle between San Jose State men’s soccer (1-3) and No. 1-ranked Stanford University (4-0) on Friday.
SJSU looks to win its first game against Stanford in a decade, with its last victory dating to a 2-1 win on Sept. 8, 2006, at Maloney Field in Stanford, Calif.
The Spartans nearly clinched the victory in last season’s matchup, but a dagger of a late goal by the Cardinal ended the contest 2-2.
The SJSU team that takes on Stanford is much different from the one in 2025. It’s a young team that is still developing, and interim head coach Jesus “Chuy” Sanchez believes anything less than a flawless performance won’t get the job done against a fellow Simon Tobin disciple in Cardinal head coach Jeremy Gunn.
“I think the challenge would be the opposition, especially on the defensive side, is really going to challenge us to be almost perfect,” Sanchez said. “We have to be as clean as possible in our offensive phase, because they are a very strong defensive team and they thrive from those moments in transition as well.”
SJSU showed offensive promise in its last game against Saint Mary’s College of California on Aug. 30, and will look to build on the performance again at the Complex.
Since moving out wide, sophomore forward Amir Anwary doubled his goal and assist numbers from last season in only three games. His performance against Saint Mary’s earned him Player of the Week on Aug. 31.
“We’re all really excited because we know we have a chance and we’re definitely really confident that we can pull an upset,” Anwary said. “We got close last year and I definitely think that we can do it this year.”
Team captain senior midfielder Angel Fernandez agrees with Sanchez on the improvements defensively that are needed, but knows the team can rise to the occasion, ride the momentum of their last home win, and welcome the No. 1 team in the nation.
“Last year we came up short at the last second, but with this team we’ve been working hard and with everything going on, I think we’ll give a good challenge,” Fernandez said.
The Spartans have struggled defensively in their first three matches of the season, something that the Cardinal will look to exploit given an opportunity.
Stanford is undefeated in its soccer season so far, as are the rest of its fall 2026 sports. The Cardinal opened their season with a 2-1 win over No. 21-ranked Western Athletic Conference champions Grand Canyon University on Aug. 20.
They followed up with victories over the University of Denver, No. 2-ranked University of San Diego and UC Davis.
Leading the line is freshman forward Logan Tsopanoglou, who has 3 goals after starting all four games. Sophomore midfielder Jack Pymm follows close behind with 2 goals, and junior midfielder Alex Chow has 2 assists and 1 goal to start the season.
The Spartans will need to keep focus on the opposition’s key players when losing possession high up the pitch.
“They’re not number one in the country for no reason,” junior defender Cameron Cook said. “They’ve obviously got good quality…so hopefully with the work we’ve been doing to prepare, we can find ways to unlock them and hopefully win one.”
Returning to the sideline is former assistant, now associate head coach Jamie Reid. He comes back after a brief stint at San Diego State University and is ready to lead with his new responsibility as he kicks off his promotion with a rivalry game.
“We believe we can win,” Reid said. “This year, different team, but different weapons on the field. So we compose a different threat and a different challenge.”
As one of the biggest games of the season, the Spartan Soccer Complex will look to be filled past its record of 2,489, which was set in the last Stanford fixture on Sept. 17, 2025.
The Spartans and the Cardinal will face off at 7 p.m. Friday at the Spartan Soccer Complex in San Jose, Calif.
