CARY, N.C. – Stanford fell behind in the fourth minute and was unable to recover in a 2-0 NCAA men's soccer semifinal loss to Georgetown in a steady rain at WakeMed Soccer Park on Friday night.
When Georgetown sent in a cross from the left side, Stanford defender Keegan Tingey headed the ball out of the goalmouth, only for the Hoyas' Sean Zawadzki to meet the ball with a right-footed full volley that skimmed off goalkeeper Andrew Thomas' outstretched fingers and into the net from 25 yards at 3:11.
Stanford (14-3-5), back in the College Cup after winning three consecutive titles 2015-17, did well to advance as the seventh seed, twice winning on penalty kicks. However, third-seeded Georgetown (19-1-3) took advantage of its fast start and maintained control.
Stanford began to connect as the first half went on and threatened on two sequences.
On one, Logan Panchot sent a low shot across the goal that Zach Ryan tried to reach at the far post, but was just shy.
Moments later, freshman forward Ousseni Bouda pushed the ball to Panchot on the right side and met his return pass at the edge of the 6-yard box. The ball went off Bouda's leg and was narrowly wide left.
Stanford's first shot on goal came with 10 minutes elapsed in the second half when Jared Gilbey unloaded from outside the box and his knuckler was blocked at the upper right corner by Georgetown goalkeeper Giannis Nikopolidis.
Georgetown added to its lead in the 67th minute on a cross from the right side that glanced off the foot of a Stanford defender and evaded a diving Hoya. Panchot blocked the loose ball at the far post, but Georgetown's Foster McCune snuck in to head the ball over the line for the two-goal lead.
Making its seventh College Cup appearance, Stanford was outshot 9-2, and its all-time record at the College Cup is 6-4-2.
