STANFORD, Calif. - A second-half penalty kick ended No. 2 seed Stanford's conference championship hopes on Sunday evening, as the Cardinal fell 1-0 to No. 7 seed SMU in the second round of the ACC Tournament at Cagan Stadium.
Stanford (13-3-2) held an 18-8 advantage in shots and forced 11 Mustang saves but couldn't push an attack across the goal line, as the Cardinal was left off the scoresheet for the third time in four matches.
"It's a mixture of pride and frustration tonight," said Knowles Family Director of Men's Soccer Jeremy Gunn. "This is why soccer is a cruel game. We were turning the screws, getting good chances, and then just one counter proved to be the difference for them. Proud of how the team played, and now we get our rest and get ready for the next one."
It was a slow-developing start to the match, with both sides measured in their early attacks. After a pair of routine saves by Cardinal netminder Rowan Schnebly near the halfway mark of the frame, the first threatening chance from Stanford came in the 29th minute when a Joshua Partal shot from 25 yards out was deflected on frame, forcing a diving stop from SMU goalkeeper Martin Dominguez.
Stanford stayed on the front foot with three shots in the next 15 minutes, but the biggest moment came on the defensive end with just seconds left in the half, when Schnebly made a diving save to his right off a Milton Lopez strike to keep the two sides level.
The Cardinal came out of the halftime break with a surging tempo, nearly finding the opener on multiple occasions in the opening minutes. Tomo Allen registered two good chances on frame, both times forcing saves from Dominguez.
Stanford had numbers in the 51st minute, creating a two-on-one opportunity after forcing a Mustang turnover, but Fletcher Bank's shot was gloved again by the keeper. Moments later, a low drive from Liam Doyle forced another save, and a second-chance look from Allen was parried away by the left foot of Dominguez.
The pivotal moment in the match came in the 60th minute when SMU's Mukisa Emmanuel was fouled while driving into the box in transition, putting the Mustangs on the penalty spot. Stepping up to take the kick was SMU's leading scorer Stephan Soghomonian, who slotted it home inside the left post to give the road side the lead.
The Cardinal recorded the final seven attacks of the contest, prodding a hunkered-down SMU defense in search of the equalizer, but couldn't find the back of the net and suffered its first loss of the 2025 campaign.
"We had plenty of good chances and we forced their keeper to make saves," Gunn added. "We just didn't quite finish a couple of the really good ones. This is what happens when you have two really good teams playing each other. Chances are hard to come by, so we have to make those chances count."
Stanford will have one week of rest before the 48-team NCAA Tournament bracket is announced on Monday, Nov. 17. The first round of the 2025 NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Championship begins on Thursday, November 20, followed by the second round on Sunday, November 23.