STANFORD, Calif. - No. 2 seed Stanford scored four unanswered goals to overcome its largest deficit of the season, climbing back for a 4-2 victory over No. 15 seed Boston College in the first round of the ACC Men's Soccer Championship on Wednesday evening.
The win advances Stanford (13-2-2) to the second round of the bracket, where they will host No. 7 seed SMU in a regular-season rematch on Nov. 9 at 5 p.m. PT.
"Being 2-0 down is a big hole, but our players stayed composed and kept believing in what we needed to do," said Jeremy Gunn, the Knowles Family Director of Men's Soccer. "I'm pleased that the team continued to keep their nerve, and in the end I think we were definitely the deserved winners."
An offensive affair from the onset, both teams were able to generate chances in the early going, with each side recording a save in the opening ten minutes.
In the 13th minute, Boston College struck first on the counterattack. After a quick one-two with Ask Ekelend, Marci Kileen punched a through ball ahead to Michael Asare, who buried the chance at the left post for the early lead.
Halfway through the frame, Asare slotted home his second of the night, catching a Cardinal defender off balance and firing a right-footed strike into the top corner to put Stanford in a stunning two-goal deficit after the opening 25 minutes.
Unwavered, the Cardinal kept pressing and found a crucial goal in the 39th minute to cut the lead in half. After a Shane De Flores cross was headed out of the box by the Boston College backline, Will Cleary collected the clearance and fired a shot at the near post, which deflected off the Eagles' goalkeeper and dribbled across the goal line.
Stanford's urgency persisted on the other side of the halftime break, finding the equalizer just 48 seconds into the second frame after Jack Pymm drove a loose ball strike into the back of the net from just inside the 18.
Nine minutes later, Stanford flipped the scoreline as Will Cleary finished a header on the receiving end of a Fletcher Bank cross for the Cardinal's first lead of the night. The goal was Cleary's second score of the game, the first brace of the senior captain's career.
Boston College spent the next 15 minutes on the attack looking for the answer, but Rowan Schnebly shined with three consecutive saves, including a diving stop at the back post off a 60th-minute set piece to keep the Cardinal up one.
Stanford weathered the storm as the clock trickled down, before a Tomo Allen header put the game to bed in the 88th minute off another Bank assist to double the lead late.
The Cardinal posted a season-high 28 shots to Boston College's 14 attacks. and held a lopsided 12-2 advantage on corner kicks in the contest. Schnebly was rock solid between the posts for Stanford down the stretch, matching his season-best with five saves.
The win sets up the rematch with SMU from just two weeks ago, when the two sides battled to a scoreless draw after 90 minutes.
"[SMU] is a very good team," said Gunn. "There are a few things that we could have done just a fraction better in the last game and I think both teams feel there's unfinished business, so it's a perfect matchup."
Tickets to Sunday's second round match at Cagan Stadium can be purchased here.