No. 5 Stanford (9-2-5, 3-2-4 Pac-12) tied No. 1 Washington (13-0-3, 5-0-2) 3-3 on Sunday afternoon, bringing home a well-earned point against the top team in the country.
Stanford honored its four seniors, midfielder Cam Cilley, goalkeeper Matt Frank, defender Keegan Hughes and defender Keegan Tingey before the game, and the ceremony seemed to motivate the Cardinal early. Stanford struck first in the 21st minute when redshirt freshman midfielder Shane de Flores scored his third goal in the last four games. After redshirt junior forward Carlo Agostinelli’s shot on goal was pushed away by the Washington goalkeeper, de Flores pounced to give the Cardinal a 1-0 lead.
Washington immediately equalized, though, as Stanford gave up a penalty two minutes later, which Husky Gio Miglietti put away calmly. Undeterred, however, the Cardinal barged ahead and snatched back the lead in the 26th minute. Cilley fed the ball to redshirt sophomore Connor Evans in the box, and Evans neatly struck the ball past the goalkeeper for his first career Stanford goal.
The Cardinal managed to control the game for the next 10 minutes, but the Huskies would strike back once again in the 35th minute, catching both Stanford’s goalie and defenders off guard with a free-kick at the back post that bounced in. The two sides reached the break tied at 2-2.
After an action-packed first half, the second period began more serenely. Both defenses began tightening up, making play more physical and not allowing either side’s attackers to hold the ball for long. The best chances for both sides came from free kicks near the box, but both teams’ keepers were active, making sure the crosses never reached an attacker’s head.
Once again, however, poor set-piece defense was Stanford’s downfall, as a Washington free-kick found Miglietti wide open at the back post for his second goal of the game to give the Huskies the lead, 3-2.
It looked like the game was wrapped up, as neither side was able to make too much happen in the next few minutes, but the Cardinal found their equalizer from a corner kick in the 79th minute. Agostinelli was crucial once again, delivering an inch-perfect ball to the back post, where Hughes broke free and deflected the ball in with his shoulder.
Stanford looked to take the initiative from there, but wasn’t able to find the winning goal as the match ended 3-3, a fair result for both teams. The game was action-packed, with both sides playing aggressively and moving the ball forward quickly. Neither side was afraid to shoot, with Stanford taking nine shots (five on goal) and Washington taking seven (five on goal).
The Cardinal were able to find their attacking form after struggling to score in their last two games, but unfortunately they were matched in most aspects of the game by a Washington team with one of the most talented rosters in the country.
Up next, Stanford hosts Pacific (3-9-2, 2-2-1 WCC) at Cagan Stadium next Monday at 5:30 pm PT.