Stanford Rallies to Beat Boston College – Stanford Cardinal

STANFORD, Calif. – No. 2 seed Stanford scored 4 unanswered targets to beat its largest deficit of the season, climbing again for a 4-2 victory over No. 15 seed Boston College within the first spherical of the ACC Men’s Soccer Championship on Wednesday night.

The win advances Stanford (13-2-2) to the second spherical of the bracket, the place they’ll host No. 7 seed SMU in a regular-season rematch on Nov. 9 at 5 p.m. PT. 

“Being 2-0 down is a big hole, but our players stayed composed and kept believing in what we needed to do,” mentioned Jeremy Gunn, the Knowles Family Director of Men’s Soccer. “I’m pleased that the team continued to keep their nerve, and in the end I think we were definitely the deserved winners.”

An offensive affair from the onset, each groups have been in a position to generate possibilities within the early going, with all sides recording a save within the opening ten minutes.

In the thirteenth minute, Boston College struck first on the counterattack. After a fast one-two with Ask Ekelend, Marci Kileen punched a via ball forward to Michael Asare, who buried the possibility on the left submit for the early lead.

Halfway via the body, Asare slotted residence his second of the evening, catching a Cardinal defender off stability and firing a right-footed strike into the highest nook to place Stanford in a surprising two-goal deficit after the opening 25 minutes.

Unwavered, the Cardinal saved urgent and located a vital aim within the thirty ninth minute to chop the lead in half. After a Shane De Flores cross was headed out of the field by the Boston College backline, Will Cleary collected the clearance and fired a shot on the close to submit, which deflected off the Eagles’ goalkeeper and dribbled throughout the aim line. 

Stanford’s urgency endured on the opposite aspect of the halftime break, discovering the equalizer simply 48 seconds into the second body after Jack Pymm drove a unfastened ball strike into the again of the online from simply contained in the 18. 

Nine minutes later, Stanford flipped the scoreline as Will Cleary completed a header on the receiving finish of a Fletcher Bank cross for the Cardinal’s first lead of the evening. The aim was Cleary’s second rating of the sport, the primary brace of the senior captain’s profession. 

Boston College spent the subsequent quarter-hour on the assault in search of the reply, however Rowan Schnebly shined with three consecutive saves, together with a diving cease on the again submit off a Sixtieth-minute set piece to maintain the Cardinal up one. 

Stanford weathered the storm because the clock trickled down, earlier than a Tomo Allen header put the sport to mattress within the 88th minute off one other Bank help to double the lead late. 

The Cardinal posted a season-high 28 pictures to Boston College’s 14 assaults. and held a lopsided 12-2 benefit on nook kicks within the contest. Schnebly was rock stable between the posts for Stanford down the stretch, matching his season-best with 5 saves.

The win units up the rematch with SMU from simply two weeks in the past, when the 2 sides battled to a scoreless draw after 90 minutes.

“[SMU] is a very good team,” mentioned Gunn. “There are a few things that we could have done just a fraction better in the last game and I think both teams feel there’s unfinished business, so it’s a perfect matchup.”

Tickets to Sunday’s second spherical match at Cagan Stadium could be bought right here.