STANFORD, Calif. - No. 8 Stanford got back to winning ways with a thumping 4-0 victory over Saint Mary's on Friday night at Cagan Stadium. The Cardinal moves to 5-1-1 while the Gaels drop to 5-2-2.
The crowd on Friday night was Stanford Men's Soccer's largest crowd since the 2019 season and the sixth-largest ever in a Cagan Stadium match at 2,247.
"We were in an irresistible mood tonight," said The Knowles Family Director of Men's Soccer Jeremy Gunn. "Saint Mary's has been having a really good season, so it was a game that was an exciting prospect and our players were in the mood tonight."
The Cardinal jumped on the front foot immediately, launching the first three shots of the match within six minutes of the opening whistle. In the 14th minute, Zach Bohane netted the opener, slotting home a pass from Will Reilly, his first of three assists on the night.
"We were just too much on the night for our opponent," said Gunn. "We passed and moved the ball so well, creating good chances, and I was really impressed with the attitude and the execution tonight. From the very beginning, we were unstoppable."
Stanford poured on the pressure throughout the match to the tune of 17 shots, 10 of which were on goal, and 10 corners. The second goal of the game came right before the halftime whistle as Mark Fisher headed home a Will Reilly corner to put the Cardinal up two.
Out of the break, it was straight back to business for the home team. Will Cleary was the beneficiary of a Reilly corner this time, putting the Cardinal up 3-0 in the 44th minute.
It was Cleary's first career goal and Reilly's third assist of the game, putting him at five on the year, the second-best mark in the Pac-12.
"Last Sunday, I thought we were good, but we were lacking five percent. The opposing team was there for the taking, and we were doing well, but we weren't clinical and aggressive," added Gunn. "Whereas tonight, we went at them from the beginning, and it was too much for our opponent."
The final blow came in the 76th minute, courtesy of yet another corner, this time delivered by Zach Bohane. Noah Adnan connected on it, finding the back of the net and making it Stanford's second-highest offensive output of the season.
Stanford's defense was dominant all night long, successfully stifling a Saint Mary's program that had only suffered one defeat so far on the season. Rowan Schnebly and Jack Morris combined for the clean sheet, with Schnebly making three saves and earning the start in goal.
The Cardinal defense allowed only six shots from the visitors while giving away only a single corner in the match.
Stanford will look to bring this momentum into Pac-12 play next week as Stanford heads to face UCLA in Los Angeles on Thursday night.