Stanford men’s soccer team secured a 2-1 comeback victory against Santa Clara on Thursday evening, improving its season record to 3-0-0. The match, held in Santa Clara, saw the Cardinal overturn a halftime deficit with second-half goals from Will Cleary and Tomo Allen.
Head coach Jeremy Gunn commented on the team’s performance: “We weren’t playing our best in the first half, but we have such depth in this squad and I felt we did the right thing bringing people on that could make an impact on the game. The second half was so much better in every way, and I’m pleased with how we responded to a tough situation.”
Both teams struggled offensively during the opening minutes. Stanford’s Shane De Flores had an early chance in the 14th minute but missed over the crossbar. Santa Clara took the lead in the 25th minute when Tyler Tipton scored off a Pierce Dyal cross.
Stanford entered halftime trailing for the first time this season. In the second half, substitutions contributed to renewed energy for Stanford. Will Cleary equalized in the 57th minute by heading in an Alex Chow corner kick.
Shortly after, Tomo Allen scored his first collegiate goal by maneuvering past several defenders and finishing past Santa Clara’s goalkeeper, assisted by Takashi Sasaki.
“It was great to have Tomo back on the squad today,” Gunn said. “He made such an incredible impact in a short period of time. We’re really excited to have him back and hopefully that creates more competition.”
Santa Clara increased pressure late in the match, forcing Stanford goalkeeper Rowan Schnebly into two saves during the final ten minutes—his highest single-game total this season—but Stanford’s defense maintained their lead until full time.
By game’s end, Stanford led statistically with a 17-9 advantage in shots and six corner kicks compared to three for Santa Clara.
Reflecting on his team’s response, Gunn stated: “We’re never going to be perfect. I think the second half showed that we’re always capable of turning it on. The lesson to be learned is that no matter what we’ve done earlier in the game, we can still create chances and so that was exciting to see tonight.”
Stanford will next play UC Davis at Cagan Stadium on Sunday, August 31 at 7 p.m.
