OMAHA, Neb. - Stanford battled Creighton to a 1-1 draw in its first road match of the season on Friday night. The Cardinal moves to 4-0-1 on the season while the Bluejays moves to 2-1-2.
"It was an unbelievable game of soccer," said The Knowles Family Director of Men's Soccer Jeremy Gunn. "The huge capacity crowd was certainly a treat to an unbelievably exciting game."
It took virtually no time for Stanford to jump out to a lead as Carlo Agostinelli fired in a rebound of Jackson Kiil's shot for the opener only 41 seconds into the match. It marked Agostinelli's third goal of the season as he leads Stanford in total points with eight along with 20 shots.
"We started so well and so sharp and managed to create a great opening goal, and then throughout the first half we cut Creighton open a few times for some fantastic chances," added Gunn. "They had their keeper to thank for making some unbelievable saves."
Stanford had a handful of chances that nearly doubled the lead, but the Creighton stopper was able to keep the Cardinal at bay. Fletcher Bank and Jackson Kiil each fired dangerous shots but were stopped.
Stanford was well matched statistically with the Bluejays throughout the match, tallying 13 shots to the hosts' 11. The Cardinal edged Creighton in shots on goal, having two more, but fell behind in corner kicks with three to the Bluejays' eight.
"In the second half, Creighton started out on top," explained Gunn. "For a 20 minute spell they were really peppering us. Matt Frank made some great saves, our defense made some great blocks, but eventually Creighton found a way through."
Matt Frank and the Cardinal defense worked hard to maintain the one goal advantage including two spectacular saves in the span of a minute. But in the 74th minute, Creighton scored an equalizer.
"Then at 1-1, with the crowd excited and their team buzzing, we could have been in a really difficult spot," said Gunn. "But we got our foot back in the game and went from end to end and at the end of the game, either team could have won it."
The Cardinal rallied after allowing the goal to keep the Bluejays from scoring a second while providing multiple outlets the other direction. Stanford continued to press forward in the waning moments of the match in search of a winner, but ultimately was unable to add a second goal.
"It was a really exciting game, a very tough road test," added Gunn. "I was very proud of the way the team worked, the great composure they showed, and of the wonderful soccer they played tonight."
The Cardinal returns to action in Cagan Stadium on Thursday as it opens Pac-12 play against UCLA.