STANFORD, Calif. — Jack Pymm, Eric Frintu and Yujin Kikuchi each found the back of the net as No. 9 Stanford tallied a 3-1 victory over CSU Bakersfield in Saturday's preseason opener at Cagan Stadium.Â
"Really excited to get out there on the pitch for the first time," said Jeremy Gunn, the Knowles Family Director of Men's Soccer. "It's such a quick turnaround to get playing as a team straight away, so there's always a ton to work on. We weren't quite assertive enough early on, but I was really pleased with the attitude change at halftime and we were able to create more chances as a result."
Pymm got Stanford on the board early, converting a set piece chance inside the right post in the 5th minute to give the Cardinal the 1-0 advantage. CSU Bakersfield answered minutes later on a Justin Knighton goal, and the rest of the half went quietly as two sides entered the locker rooms deadlocked.
Frintu put the Cardinal back in front in the 55th minute, finishing a chance assisted by Logan Tsopanoglou and Joshua Partal. Kikuchi then added an insurance goal in the 76th minute to push Stanford's lead to 3-1 until the match went final.
Stanford utilized 21 players in the victory, including each of its four goalkeepers. Rowan Schnebly played the opening 45 minutes between the posts, before Jordan Victor, Brayden Montague and Bennett Ewing shared the net in the second half.
The Cardinal held the advantage in both shots and corner kicks, holding the Roadrunners to just five attacks in the contest.
The preseason resumes on Wednesday as the Cardinal hosts Sacramento State at Cagan Stadium at 4 p.m.