Sept. 8, 2006
STANFORD, Calif.- Gavin Wenyon's strike from 25 yards out with eight seconds remaining in regulation lifted San Jose State to a 2-1 victory over Stanford in the opening round of the 2006 Stanford Nike Invitational on Friday night at Maloney Field.
The heartbreaking defeat drops Stanford to 1-3-1 on the year, while San Jose State evens its record at 2-2-0. The Cardinal, who were coming off a 2-1 road win over Army last week, fell just short against the Spartans as they attempted to pick up their first home win of the season.
Tied at 1-1 with overtime quickly approaching, Wenyon blasted a shot from outside the goal box that skipped past the outstretched arms of Stanford freshman goalkeeper Brent Stewart (Dallas, Texas) and into the net with eight seconds left. The Cardinal was unable to get off a shot in the final seven seconds of regulation.
Stanford held a 10-6 advantage in shot attempts, including a 4-0 edge in the first half. The Cardinal completely dominated the opening stanza, thanks to a stingy defense that bottled up the Spartans' attack.
Junior Evan Morgan (Littleton, Colo.) put Stanford up 1-0 at the 48:06 mark with his first goal of the year. Sophomore T.J. Novak (Fenton, Mo.) eluded two defenders in a run up the right sideline before crossing in a pass to Morgan, who tapped the ball past San Jose State goalie Richard Mann. Morgan led all players with three shots on the night, two of which were on goal.
The Cardinal defense continued to hold until the 85th minute, when reserve Colby Moore collected a loose ball in the box and found the net to knot the game at 1-1.
With time winding down in regulation, San Jose State regained possession near the Stanford goal in the final seconds. Wenyon responded with a deep ball that was just out of Stewart's reach, securing a 2-1 victory for the Spartans.
Both schools were whistled for a combined 37 fouls in what was an extremely physical contest. Stanford was called for 22 fouls, including 12 in the second half.
Stewart recorded two saves in goal while Mann notched three for the Spartans.
Stanford faces Cal State Fullerton on Sunday, Sept. 10, at 1 p.m. in the final game of the Stanford Nike Invitational. The Titans were defeated 1-0 by California on Friday night in the first contest.