STANFORD, Calif. – Stanford picked up in 2016 right where it left off in 2015 and the No. 1 Cardinal trounced Sacramento State in its first exhibition match of the season on Saturday night, 5-0.
Foster Langsdorf put each one of his four shots on frame, scored twice and assisted on another while fellow junior Corey Baird added a goal and assist of his own. Trevor Hyman tallied a goal, Drew Skundrich assisted on Langsdorf's first and freshman Derek Waldeck served one up for freshman Jared Gilbey to cap off an impressive opening night for the Cardinal.
"I thought everybody slotting in had great games," Stanford head coach Jeremy Gunn said of his squad, which must replace five starters from a year ago. "The team performance was excellent and the individual performances were solid all around. I think the players can come off the field feeling good about getting a game under their belts and hopefully excited to push on and work hard to improve."
The Cardinal train started rolling in the 15th minute when Skundrich intercepted an errant Hornet pass and chipped it ahead to Langsdorf. Sacramento State keeper Philip Bru came out, but Langsdorf coolly beat him 1-on-1.
In the 27th, Baird played it to Langsdorf on the right side of the box, Langsdorf cut it back to Hyman waiting at the top of the 18 and Stanford's senior midfielder slotted it past Bru to the right post. Three minutes later, Baird did it all himself, earning a penalty just outside the top of the box and then curling his free kick below the crossbar to put the Cardinal on top, 3-0.
Langsdorf was the beneficiary of another Sacramento State giveaway in the 33rd, this time by Bru. Stanford's leading returner scorer, the junior forward dribbled in and around Bru before notching his second of the night with his left foot in front of an empty goal.
The Cardinal tacked on another in the 73rd minute when a pair of freshmen connected, with Derek Waldeck finding Jared Gilbey on the left edge of the box and Gilbey beating Bru to the far post.
"The intensity level was great," Gunn added. "I thought we were very tough to play against tonight. We went at them, created great chances and were clinical in front of goal. We were sharp, our work rate was high and our passing was crisp. It was exciting to watch."
While the offense was clicking on all cylinders, the defense appeared in midseason form. A unit which ranked sixth in the country in goals against average in 2015 snuffed out Sacramento State, didn't allow a shot on goal in the first half and only surrendered three all game.
The Hornets had their one and only credible chance in the 78th minute when Cylus Sandoval drew a foul in the box. His penalty was stopped by Stanford keeper Nico Corti and his rebound was also for naught with Corti diving the opposite direction to make the save.
The Cardinal plays one more exhibition on the road at Cal Poly next Wednesday evening before matches count, beginning with its regular-season opener at home against Penn State on Friday, August 26 (5 p.m.). Fans can purchase season tickets, mini plans and single-game seats for the regular season by visiting gostanford.com/tickets or calling 800-STANFORD.