STANFORD, Calif. - No. 8 Stanford made its return to the win column on Tuesday evening, dispatching Bay Area foe Saint Mary's with a 3-1 victory.
The Cardinal (5-1-0) gave up the opening goal but responded with three unanswered goals to defeat the Gaels, who fall to 0-3-2 after the loss.
“Another great result and another great performance,” said Jeremy Gunn, Knowles Family Director of Men’s Soccer. “They scored against the run of play, which can be frustrating, but we stayed composed and continued to create fantastic chances. Obviously, the red card changed the game, but we were always on top, so no complaints on the night.”
Stanford came out with intensity in the opening stages to create a few early looks, but it was the visitor who found the scoreboard first on a Bastian Toelhoej strike in the 18th minute that snuck through the legs of a Cardinal defender and tucked inside the left post.
The Cardinal responded quickly, however, as Alfonso Tenconi-Gradillas converted a right-footed shot on a set-piece opportunity with assists from Joshua Partal and Will Cleary to draw even.
"He's been absolutely amazing all season," coach Gunn said about Tenconi-Gradillas. "He's playing incredibly well, he's doing everything right, and he's been an absolute rock for us. It was great to see him chip in on the scoring tonight."
The game shifted just moments later, as Saint Mary's Fynn Allmon was booked for a red card in the 31st minute, leaving the Gaels a man down for the remainder of the contest.
After a 1-1 tie at the halftime break, Stanford was overwhelming with its offensive pressure in the second half in search of the go-ahead goal.
The breakthrough came in the 68th minute when a Shane De Flores header found a striding Trevor Islam, who made a move on the Gaels' goalkeeper and scored on a wide-open cage for his team-leading third goal of the year.
Moments later, Tenconi-Gradillas buried his second of the night with a header off a Zach Bohane corner kick to give the Cardinal a decisive two-goal lead.
"The deliveries were really good today; it was a great performance from the servers," Tenconi-Gradillas said. "Super happy to get on the scoresheet and help the team."
The Cardinal kept its foot on the gas with 18 total shots in the second half, closing out the game in the attacking end of the field and securing its fourth victory at Cagan Stadium this season.
As the final horn sounded, Stanford finished the contest with a 25-6 advantage on shots, including eight attacks on frame. Stanford also held a 10-7 edge on corner kicks, while Saint Mary's goalkeeper Sam Bentley led the game with seven saves between the posts.
Stanford heads back to the East Coast this weekend to resume the ACC slate, taking on Syracuse on Saturday, September 13 at 4 p.m. PT.