Heartbreaker at Cagan: Men’s soccer falls in overtime

Sept. 28, 2021, 10:34 a.m.

Monday night, Stanford men’s soccer (3-4-1, 0-2-0 Pac-12) controlled most of the possession and had more attacking chances than their opponent, yet the team was not able to turn any of those opportunities into goals, ultimately losing in overtime to Saint Mary’s (7-3-0, 0-0-0 WCC) 1-0. Senior midfielder Philippe Van Der Lof scored the winner for the Gaels in the 106th minute.

The Cardinal’s starting lineup was left unchanged from its previous match, a 2-0 victory over UC Irvine on Sept. 23.

Stanford controlled the run of play in the first half, outshooting Saint Mary’s 8-3. Senior midfielder Will Richmond, redshirt senior forward Zach Ryan and junior forward Ousseni Bouda were responsible for many of the Cardinal’s positive plays, as has become the norm this season.

After the break, Stanford maintained its position as an offensive threat on the field. Gael fifth-year goalkeeper Nicholas Lapinid was forced into making three second-half saves. As time ticked on, Saint Mary’s offense started to pick up and create chances of its own. In the 78th minute, sophomore midfielder Cade Cowan found himself on a breakaway with only Stanford redshirt junior goalkeeper Matt Frank to beat. Frank stepped up in a big way for the Cardinal, however, making a save that kept the teams deadlocked at zero.

The match then went into sudden-death overtime. Both teams traded chances in the first overtime period, but ultimately nothing was doing for either team. After a quick break, the match continued into a second overtime period. This 10-minute period only lasted five.

Off a corner, Gael freshman defender Jayden Smileski found Van Der Lof, who slotted the ball past Frank for the smash and grab victory.

The Cardinal now have a losing record. They will stay on campus for a return to conference play against rival Cal on Oct. 3 at 5 p.m. PT. Big Clasico will be shown on the Pac-12 Network.

Ells Boone is the former managing editor for the sports section, serving for Volumes 262 and 263. He is a senior from Virginia Beach, Virginia, studying communication. You can usually find him chasing after rebounds in Maples Pavilion or recording a podcast with Jibriel Taha. Contact him at eboone24 'at' stanforddaily.com.

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