STANFORD, Calif. – The Cardinal earned an emphatic victory over SMU on Sunday night, defeating the Mustangs 3-1 thanks to three first half goals. Stanford improves to 2-0 on the season while SMU drops to 1-1.
“An incredible performance and a fantastic result,” said The Knowles Family Director of Men’s Soccer Jeremy Gunn. “SMU showed quality; they’re a fantastic soccer playing team and when they pass and move, they’re very impressive and exciting. So that’s a game tonight that was won by our players being ruthless and clinical.”
Like against Villanova, Stanford piled on the pressure early, winning possession and challenging the SMU defense. The Cardinal were looking to attack right from the first whistle and tallied the first three shots of the match within the opening seven minutes of play.
Carlo Agostinelli found the opener in the 16th minute after he stole possession from an SMU defender and placed a shot precisely in the bottom corner of the net.
“In the early stages, it was clear that these were two really good teams, and both teams when they attack are very dangerous,” explained Gunn. “So for us to get first blood was fantastic and a wonderful solo effort from Carlo coming from hard work.”
The Cardinal didn’t let up after gaining the lead. Constant attacking pressure led to the second goal where Agostinelli delivered a perfect cross to freshman Fletcher Bank at the far post. Bank nailed his header…
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