PALO ALTO, Calif. – The Aztec men's soccer team (4-3-1, 0-1-0) had their four-match win streak snapped Thursday evening after falling 3-0 at Stanford. The Cardinal (4-1-3, 1-0-0), who have won the last three national championships, scored all three of their goals in an 11 minute span in the second half to secure the win in the Pac-12 opener.
The Aztecs had 12 shots to Stanford's 10, but put just two on goal.
"We played Stanford very well tonight," Head Coach Lev Kirshner said after the match. "In fact, I'm not sure the last time we outshot them, but true to their program, they made us pay for the times we lost our focus and it cost us the match. This is a good team and we will bounce back for Cal on Sunday."
SDSU played well in the first half and neutralized the Cardinal attack by clogging their passing lanes. At the break, both teams had one shot on goal.
"I thought we came out strong and battled well for the first 45 minutes," Laukoa Santos said. "We had several chances to capitalize. I believe the final score doesn't show how the game truly went."
Stanford, who is receiving votes in the latest United Soccer Coaches Poll, took a two goal lead in a blink of an eye early in the second half. In the 55th minute, Stanford scored on a set-play on a throw in. After a short throw, they sent a cross in to the box where Logan Panchot headed it inside the far post.
Just 83 seconds later, the Cardinal struck again when Zach Ryan scored after a long run down the left wing.
Stanford's final goal came in the 66th minute when Amir Bashti slotted a shot in the top right corner from 18 yards out.
The Aztecs' best opportunity came in the 58th minute when Damian German had a shot ricochet off the crossbar.
The three goals allowed were the most goalkeeper Cameron Hogg (4-3-1) and the Aztecs have allowed this season. Stanford's keeper Andrew Thomas (4-1-3), who entered the match with the third best goals allowed average in the nation, registered his fifth shutout of the season.
UP NEXT
The Aztecs continue their Bay Area road trip on Sunday when they play at Cal at noon. The match will be shown on Pac-12 Bay Area (subscription required).
MAN OF THE MATCH
Laukoa Santos
STAT OF THE MATCH
The Aztecs attempted just one corner kick. They entered the match first in the Pac-12 and 17th in the nation in corner kicks attempted per game.
THE NOTE
This was only the second time the Aztecs have been shutout this season and the first time since their season opener at Santa Clara on August 24th.
QUOTE OF THE MATCH
"We came out in the first half strong and executed our game play perfectly. We made a few mistakes in the second half which costed us some goals but still kept on fighting. The result was not what we wanted, but the game is over and done with. We are ready to play Cal this Sunday, and the whole team is motivated and ready to get a result Sunday afternoon." AJ Valenzuela
Aztecs Shutout 3-0 at Stanford
