Tensions ran high at Cagan Stadium on Sunday evening as No.1 Stanford men’s soccer (12-1-2, 5-1-1 ACC) faced off against the SMU Mustangs (7-3-4, 3-1-3 ACC). In the second ACC meetup and 12th overall matchup between the two programs, both teams fought hard to drive offensive pushes, but were ultimately unable to score, resulting in a tight 0-0 draw.
The match itself was both physical and competitive, with time wasting accusations, 16 total amassed fouls and two Cardinal yellow cards adding to the charged atmosphere.
“When you play high caliber teams like this, it’s going to be tight, it’s going to be cagey,” said head coach Jeremy Gunn. “I don’t think it was dirty, though.”
Although there was relatively equal possession (51% Stanford versus 49% SMU), the Cardinal had more goal-scoring opportunities, with 18 total shots compared to SMU’s 13. Still, they struggled to get much on frame. Six minutes into the game, senior midfielder Will Cleary sent the ball over the cross bar, and 17 minutes later his teammate, senior midfielder Fletcher Bank, met a similar fate when his shot drifted wide left.
“We had some good chances in the first half, but we were just a step off a couple of things,” said Gunn.
In the second half, the Cardinal offense returned with renewed energy, recording four shots within the first 10 minutes of the period, two of which were deflected, one high, and the other punched away by SMU senior goalkeeper Martin Dominguez. As the game progressed, they continued to seek chances. On a corner in the 65th minute, redshirt junior defender Alfonso Tenconi-Gradillas headed the ball straight toward the net, only to have his attempt parried over the goal by Dominguez. Another Cardinal corner in the 81st minute saw junior midfielder Dylan Groeneveld’s shot blocked by the SMU defense.
“I thought in the second half we came out and we played really, really well,” said Gunn. “It looked like we were going to push for the game winner, but they held strong. We’re a little frustrated we couldn’t get the win, but they had chances to go for the win as well.”
Indeed, the Cardinal defense, led by Tenconi-Gradillas and redshirt junior goalkeeper Rowan Schnebly, rendered SMU equally unable to score, limiting the Mustangs to just one shot on target by SMU sophomore forward Stephen Soghomonian. Sunday’s game marks an impressive five consecutive clean sheets for Stanford men’s soccer, the program’s longest shutout streak since 2017.
“[The backline] has been so tough to play against,” said Gunn. “As we talk about working for them, it’s resting up and then just sharpening the sword for Friday.”
This Friday will see the Cardinal take on the UC Berkeley Golden Bears (5-7-2, 1-5-1 ACC). If Stanford wins against Berkeley, they will secure the No.1 seed in the ACC Tournament and have a first-round bye when the tournament starts on Nov. 5.
“There’s a lot on the line,” said senior captain midfielder Zach Bohane. “They play tough soccer, similar to us. We’ll be up for it, and I’m sure they’ll be up for it, so it’ll be a fun game.”
Gunn added that the team has “has done all of this hard work this season to put [them] in a great situation for the last regular season game.” Now, they will put in some more work to figure out Cal’s defense.
“It’s just always working to make sure we’re rock solid and tight at the back, and then constantly figuring out how we can unlock a [Cal] defense that’s sometimes quite stubborn,” said Gunn.
Stanford men’s soccer will kick off against Berkeley at 2 p.m. at Edwards Stadium on Friday.