Bangor’s Josh Partal said Stanford University in California was always his “dream school.”
He wanted a chance to play soccer for the Cardinal’s storied program. And now he has it.
Partal, a midfielder, will soon make his debut for the Cardinal after spending three years at Milton Academy in Massachusetts and three and a half years playing for the nearby New England Revolution’s Academy teams.
In fact, Partal played in three games for the Major League Soccer team’s No. 2 squad.
He compared the No. 2 team to an NBA G League team.
“That was a step up for me,” Partal said last week from Palo Alto, California, where he is working youth camps and then participating in captain’s practices with his Stanford teammates. “I was playing with and against guys with 10 years of experience.”
Partal said he held his own and gained some confidence in the process.
The 6-foot-2, 175-pound Partal is coming off a 2024 high school season which saw him named the Massachusetts High School Gatorade Player of the Year.
He scored seven goals and assisted on eight others to lead the 18-2-2 Mustangs to a berth in the New England Prep School Athletic Council Class A Tournament championship game.
“That was very exciting,” said Partal, who noted that it was even more enjoyable because he was the third Milton player in a row to win it after Alfred Debah and Kaan Inanoglu.
He was also the Independent School League Player of the Year and was a high school All-American who played in the high school All-American game in December.
Partal, the only freshman chosen to the Maine All-State soccer team when he scored 12 goals in his only season at Bangor High, was ranked as the No. 56 recruit in the class of 2025 by PrepSoccer.com.
Joe Campbell, one of the opposing coaches who faced Partal in Massachusetts, said
he “controls the game from minute one to minute 90. He never plays a bad pass and is silky smooth on the ball. His game awareness is uncanny for such a young player.”
Attending the Revolution’s Academy was a great experience and prepared him well for Stanford, Partal said. There was a great support system in place and he learned a lot.
He also enjoyed his three years at Milton Academy.
The son of Amy and George Partal said he intends to compete for a starting spot right away. He isn’t just going to await his turn.
He said if you deserve to start, you should start even if you are a newcomer.
Stanford coach Jeremy Gunn said Partal is the type of player who “excels wherever he goes” when announcing new recruits this spring.
“Calm on the ball and determined off it, Josh can dictate the game typically from the center of midfield,” Gunn said. “Josh backs up his skill on the ball with a mature composed attitude on the pitch that makes us excited to add to our midfield.”
Partal expressed the need to “keep improving” and is focusing on becoming a “two-foot player” by developing his weaker left foot.
“I also need to get stronger,” said Partal, noting that the college game is more physical than high school soccer.
Even though he played only one season at Bangor High, he said growing up playing youth soccer in Bangor with his best friends is “where I developed my love of soccer.”
Stanford reached the third round of the NCAA Tournament a year ago, losing to Ohio State 4-2 in penalty kicks in Columbus, Ohio. The teams were tied 0-0 after regulation time and extra time.
Stanford has gone 32-11-17 over the past three seasons. It became just the second school in Division I men’s soccer history dating back to 1959 to win three consecutive national championships when it did so from 2015-17.
Virginia won four in a row from 1991-94 under Bruce Arena, who would go on to coach the U.S. men’s national team.
