STANFORD, Calif. - No. 6 Stanford’s resilience was on full display once again Wednesday night, as the Cardinal scored a walk-off goal in the 90th minute to complete a 3-2 comeback victory over Oregon State.
The latest game-winner marked Stanford’s third go-ahead goal beyond the 80th minute this season, lifting the Cardinal to 8-1-1 on the year. Oregon State drops to a 4-3-0 record following the nonconference loss.
"The strength and the mentality of the team was absolutely monumental," said Jeremy Gunn, the Knowles Family Director of Men's Soccer. "We demand so much of our players and we've built such a strong mentality. Every game we play, we're creating the chances and pressuring our opponents because we're so strong, physically and mentally."
The opening stages of the match started slowly, with the first recorded shot not coming until the 17th minute, but Stanford found its groove as the half progressed. The Cardinal opened the scoring in the 33rd minute, as the senior captain Will Cleary collected his own rebound and buried the second chance in the top of the net for the one-goal lead.
Oregon State equalized in the 43rd minute on an Arnau Farnos attack from outside that snuck inside the right post, as both sides headed into halftime knotted at 1-1.
The Beavers forced a pair of saves to open the second half, but it was the Cardinal who appeared to pull ahead in the 61st minute on a Fletcher Bank goal off a Trevor Islam feed. However after a lengthy review, the officials determined Islam to be offside prior to the pass, wiping the goal off the board.
Moments later, Farnos ripped a shot that rattled the crossbar and fell to the feet of Tim Hoffman, who netted his first career goal to give the Beavers a 2-1 lead.
Now trailing by a goal, Stanford forced multiple opportunities until Shane De Flores broke through in the 75th minute, getting in the way of a Oregon State clearance attempt and firing a right-footed attack into the left side of the goal.
The Cardinal maintained its pressure after drawing level, recording three more shots in the next 15 minutes in search of the go-ahead goal. A Zach Bohane cross in the closing moments sparked one final flurry, as De Flores saw his initial shot blocked before poking the rebound through to Tomo Allen, who slotted home the game-winner with 36 seconds left.
Stanford finished the match with 15 shots to the Beavers' nine, while also holding a 7-2 edge on corner kicks. Rowan Schnebly recorded four saves in the winning effort.
'We're not claiming to be perfect, but we're claiming to be very, very tough," Gunn added. "In every game, we look like we can keep going while our opponents look finished, and that's very exciting."
Stanford returns to Cagan Stadium for its third consecutive home match as it hosts ACC foe Boston College on September 28. Tickets for Sunday's contest can be purchased here.