Stanford scored in the fifth minute of overtime to beat UCSB, 2-1, before the biggest college soccer crowd of the season on Friday night.
A crowd of 7,750 turned out at Harder Stadium.
Many of them sent tortillas flying when Gaucho senior defender Peter Schmetz scored his first goal since his sophomore year to tie the match at 1-1.
The Gauchos controlled play in the second half but they couldn’t come up with that second goal.
The game-winning goal came from Stanford freshman forward Jordan Morris. With numbers in the box, Stanford (5-1-1) midfielder Aaron Kovar attempted to play a ball off the outside of his foot into the box, but his pass deflected off UCSB (4-4-0) freshman Drew Murphy. The carom came right to Morris, who one-touched a shot from 25 yards out into the right side of the net to extend the Cardinal’s win streak to five games.
Morris scored the opening goal of the game as well, linking up with Kovar once again. After winning a free kick deep in Gauchos territory in the 31st minute, Kovar stepped up to take a free kick to UCSB keeper Josh McNeely’s left. He whipped a ball into the box that found Morris, who headed to the near post to put Stanford up 1-0.
The Gauchos rebounded strongly in the second half, outshooting Stanford 7-3 for the period with four shots on goal and another three corner kicks.
A result of the Gauchos’ improved play in the second half, their only goal of the game came in the 53rd minute. Sophomore forward Charlie Miller started the action by playing a long ball into the box. Waiting for the pass was freshman midfielder Paul Ehmann, who lightly volleyed the ball off his right foot to Schmetz, who one-timed it past the keeper with a left footed strike.
UCSB continued to produce dangerous chances in the second half, including an Ehmann shot that deflected and hit the left post. However, Stanford was able to weather the storm via a trio of saves from keeper Drew Hutchins and take the match into overtime.
UCSB got the first chance of the extra period when Achille Campion got his head on a cross, but Hutchins had little trouble stopping the attempt.
Just moments later in the 95th minute, Stanford produced the golden goal.
