STANFORD, Calif. – No. 1 Stanford earned a 2-2 draw with Duke on Sunday night, coming back from a two goal deficit to earn a point in ACC play. The Cardinal moves to 7-1-1 on the season and stays undefeated in the ACC at 2-0-1 while Duke moves to 3-2-2 on the season and 1-1-1 in conference play.
The game was the first ever ACC game held on The Farm and the crowd came out in emphatic fashion. The attendance of 2,268 fans was the highest-attended men’s soccer game at Stanford since 2019.
“It was a fantastic game of soccer and the huge crowd we had were treated to an awesome game, packed with action and obviously excitement from start to finish,” said the Knowles Family Director of Men’s Soccer Jeremy Gunn. “We were frustrated because it was a pretty even game; we’d created chances and they’d created chances, but they were able to pick us off twice.”
The two teams showcased some of the best soccer the ACC has to offer, with each team earning offensive opportunities early on. The teams battled for supremacy across the first 45 minutes, but it was Duke who took the lead late in the first half, scoring with only 1:11 left in the first period.
Coming out of the break, the intensity from each side resumed, but Duke again scored, improving the advantage to 2-0.
“It was a game where we were going back and forth, and we found ourselves 2-0 down and it was devastating because it didn’t feel like we were getting outplayed or out-chanced, and they just beautifully picked us off twice,” explained Gunn. “That was really frustrating and we were in a huge hole, but it was a magnificent response by the team.”
Stanford continued to battle even at a two goal disadvantage, putting more and more pressure on the Blue Devils. Finally, in the 75th minute, Stanford was rewarded with a goal.
Fletcher Bank used a glancing header off a Will Cleary cross to bring the deficit back to one.
“In the first half, we were almost there, there were so many ‘almost’ moments and ‘not quite good enough’ moments,” said Gunn. “And we said, ‘let’s keep doing what we’re doing’ and we kept turning the screw, and in the end, we really put them under incredible pressure.”
Now only a goal down, Stanford continued to force the issue against its ACC foe. The Cardinal found more shots, corners, and opportunities to attack the goal until the equalizer came.
This time, a streaking Fletcher Bank provided the ball into the box where Zach Bohane was able to…
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