STANFORD, Calif. - No. 1 Stanford battled to a hard-fought 1-1 draw with conference rival Washington to open Pac-12 play on Thursday night. The two teams each earned a point in the first conference game of the campaign.
Stanford remains undefeated on the season, moving to 4-0-1 while Washington moves to 2-1-3.
"I thought we started the game well and I was really pleased with how we played in the first part of the first half," said The Knowles Family Director of Men's Soccer Jeremy Gunn. "I thought we were crisp in a game that was always going to be very tough. I was happy that we were on top and the better team during that period."
Stanford came out of the gates firing, registering the first four shots of the match during the opening 20 minutes of play. The first half also saw the Cardinal earn four corner kicks, including one that resulted in the first goal of the match.
Will Reilly served in a ball from the corner and found Noah Adnan on the other end who sent a towering header into the Huskies' net, securing the lead for Stanford in the 38th minute.
"We were in good positions but didn't quite have the quality, but we got a goal," added Gunn. "Then I felt we let them back into the game a bit. Suddenly we're doing a bit more defending and we give away a free kick that becomes a goal that we shouldn't be giving away."
Minutes after the opening strike, Washington equalized from a free kick, knotting the game at one heading into the halftime break.
"I was so happy with how we played, but I was frustrated that we'd given up the lead in a game I'd known was going to be tight," said Gunn. "In the second half, I thought it was a complete scrap. The late challenges that happened in the first half continued to happen, there were lots of fouls, lots of restarts, it's scrappy and chippy, and so it was tough going."
While Stanford had the offensive edge during the first 45 minutes, recording seven shots to Washington's four, the second half was more evenly balanced. The Huskies fired five attempts against the Cardinal's four.
"I felt that UW were happier in that scrappy game and they were playing a bit better than us in the second half. So in the end, I think a tie is a fair result," said Gunn. "We were the slightly better team in the first half and they were the slightly better team in the second half in two very different ways."
Over the final 45 minutes, neither team could find the winning goal and the match ended in a draw after the final whistle.
"Overall, I am pleased with how we went about it, but very frustrated with how the game got reffed and how the game continued to drop," explained Gunn. "But at the same time, it's a day where we weren't quite as crisp with our finishing movements and we've tied a really tough team, so we'll take the first point in conference and get ready for Sunday."
The Cardinal returns to action on Sunday, facing Oregon State in the second Pac-12 contest of the weekend. The game kicks off at 1 p.m. in Cagan Stadium.
