STANFORD, Calif. - A dominant defensive showing and two second-half goals from Palmer Bank and Trevor Islam pushed the top-ranked Cardinal to a 2-0 victory over Pittsburgh on Saturday evening.
Stanford (11-1-1, 5-1-0 ACC) has now won each of its eight matches at Cagan Stadium this season, marking the best home start to a season in program history. The Cardinal also extended its win streak to a season-long five games, jumping to a three-point lead atop the ACC standings.
A nearly flawless performance from the back line, Stanford held Pittsburgh to just one attack and kept the Panthers away from the corner flag through 90 minutes. It was the first time the Cardinal had held an opponent to just one shot since Feb. 15, 2021, in a 5-0 win over San Francisco. The home side of the scoresheet showed 14 shots for Stanford, including seven on frame, and nine corner kicks.
"Great performance and a great result against a fantastic soccer team," said Jeremy Gunn, the Knowles Family Director of Men's Soccer. "A little bit of frustration in the first, but we continued to turn the screws and show our strength mentally and physically. By the second half, we were much more composed on both sides of the ball and started to put together a complete game."
The Cardinal controlled the offensive possession from the opening whistle, but couldn't find the breakthrough in the opening 45 minutes. Zach Bohane had the best look for the Cardinal in the 24th minute, forcing a diving save to the keeper's left after weaving through the Panthers' defense.
Stanford's offensive pressure in the first half, however, presented more opportunities in the second half, as Bank broke the deadlock in the 55th minute by burying a right-footed attack on first touch from an Islam cross to give the Cardinal a one-goal advantage.
Fifteen minutes later, Islam added his sixth goal of the year to double the Stanford lead. Shane De Flores started the sequence by threading a pass to Islam, who connected with Fletcher Bank on a quick one-two before tapping in his team-leading sixth goal of the season.
"We like to win the ball, push forward and score," Islam said. "We have a great team and we've been creating a ton of chances. All the credit to the other guys. They made great plays around me and made it an easy tap-in."
It is the fifth consecutive match that a Cardinal player has recorded both a goal and an assist, with Islam accounting for two of such performances during that stretch.
The Panthers were booked with a red card in the 80th minute for a violent-behavior infraction, putting the game out of reach for the visitors as Stanford sealed its third consecutive clean sheet.
"I think we're playing a really exciting brand of soccer this year and the players love to do it in front of the home crowd," Gunn added. "Another great atmosphere tonight and we're excited to keep going."
Stanford will enjoy an 11-day hiatus before returning to action on Wednesday, Oct. 22 at 6 p.m. against San Francisco. Tickets to the remaining matches at Cagan Stadium can be purchased here.