SEATTLE - No. 17 Stanford battled Washington to a 1-1 draw on Sunday afternoon, earning each team a point in the conference standings. The draw matched the 1-1 score of the previous Huskies and Cardinal contest earlier this season on The Farm.
Stanford moves to 7-2-4 on the season and 1-1-4 in Pac-12 play while Washington moves to 5-5-5 and 2-3-2 in conference matches.
"So incredibly proud of how the team played today," said the Knowles Family Director of Men's Soccer Jeremy Gunn. "We started magnificently. We created a great opening and hit the crossbar with a very early chance."
Mark Fisher had a phenomenal attempt at an opener, hitting the crossbar and bouncing out.
"We thought we had a guaranteed penalty decision turned down from another attack," explained Gunn. "And we thought we had scored a legitimate goal that had been called back from another attack, all of which happened early in the first half."
In a tight battle from the very beginning, it was the Cardinal who had the better chances throughout the 90 minutes. Stanford launched 13 shots, five of which were on target, whereas Washington tallied only six attempts during the match.
Washington was the first team on the board, however, recording the opening goal in the 44th minute just before halftime.
"I was very impressed with the attitude of the team and with how we got into the game," said Gunn. "Washington managed to weather the storm, and hit us with a goal against the run of play at that moment."
Stanford returned from the break with a commanding presence on the ball, taking the front foot offensively for the remainder of the match. Noah Adnan had a great chance midway through the second half in the 74th minute, firing a headed shot into the top corner of the goal, requiring a diving save from the Washington keeper.
"At halftime we were 1-0 down and extremely frustrated but we showed great composure, courage, and we continued to desperately push for the equalizing goal," added Gunn. "The goal came very late in the game which was a testament to how hard the team was willing to work and how they kept pushing."
Stanford piled on the pressure for the remainder of the match, but it wasn't until the 89th minute that the Cardinal found the breakthrough. Will Reilly sent a corner kick into the box, connecting with Mark Fisher whose headed shot hit the crossbar. Will Cleary was there to collect the rebound, sending Stanford level with 100 seconds left to play.
Both teams played with aggression throughout the game, totaling eight yellow cards, five for Stanford and three for Washington, and 23 fouls, 17 against the Huskies and six against the Cardinal.
"I'm very proud of the team today and we return home from a really tough Pac-12 Northwest trip with four points and continue to move forward in conference play," said Gunn. "Now we shift our attention to the California game away which should be another incredible soccer match."
Stanford returns to action on the road next Sunday, facing California in the first installment of the Big Clasico in Berkeley.