STANFORD, Calif. - In the first action ahead of the fall season, Stanford earned a strong 3-1 win over visiting Sacramento State on Sunday in Cagan Stadium. Alfonso Tenconi-Gradillas scored his first collegiate brace, tallying two goals in a span of 42 seconds in the second half to seal the victory for the Cardinal.
"It's always such an exciting time of year and we do so much training and getting ready, so getting to full competition is always a really exciting moment for the players," said The Knowles Family Director of Men's Soccer Jeremy Gunn. "It's great to be at it, it's great to be into the season, and as a preseason game, it was a really exciting match."
Sacramento State took the lead in early in the first half, scoring in the sixth minute of the match. After the opening goal, neither team was able to find the back of the net before the first half whistle blew.
"I think both teams were very sharp, it was very competitive, and it was played at a high tempo," added Gunn. "I think it'll be an incredible experience for both groups of players and certainly for us."
In the second half, the Cardinal were the stronger team, outshooting its opponents and applying significant pressure on the Sacramento State goal. Shane de Flores ultimately found the back of the net for Stanford, knotting the game at one apiece in the 54th minute.
20 minutes later, Alfonso Tenconi-Gradillas sent Stanford in front, finishing off a goal from a corner kick. Louis Weisdorf found Duncan Jarvie who set up Tenconi-Gradillas for the score. The redshirt freshman scored another header 42 seconds later, doubling his tally and the Cardinal advantage.
"There are so many positives," said Gunn. "Obviously in the first half, there's just a couple of errors that put us in a hole, but I was happy with our response."
The Cardinal went on to win the game, finishing at 3-1 over the visiting Hornets.
The overall play throughout the game was at a really high level," explained Gunn. "Lots of positives to work with, lots of great showing from people who are getting first college minutes or first college in-season minutes, so a really exciting time and now we move on."
Stanford returns to action on August 24 against Creighton for the season-opener. The game will take place in Cagan Stadium at 3 p.m.