STANFORD, Calif. — UC Davis struck just 25 seconds into Sunday night's match and held the lead well into the second half before unanimous No. 1 Stanford rallied for a 2-1 victory at Laird Q. Cagan Stadium.
Rafael Matiello finished a feed from
Jake Hobbs to give the Aggies (0-2-2) the early advantage, scoring his first goal of the season with a left-footed strike into the upper-left corner. The goal was the third-fastest to start a match in UC Davis' history and the program's fastest since 2010.
The Aggies protected that advantage for 65 minutes and 49 seconds against a Stanford side that entered the night 3-0-0, was the unanimous No. 1 team in the latest United Soccer Coaches poll and had defeated No. 2 San Diego three nights earlier.
UC Davis nearly doubled its lead less than two minutes after the opener.
Luke Castagnola put an attempt on target at 2:07, forcing Stanford goalkeeper Rowan Schnebly into a save. At the other end,
Talin Morgan denied Dylan Groeneveld in the fifth minute on the Cardinal's only shot on goal of the opening half.
The Aggies carried their 1-0 lead into halftime after limiting Stanford to five shots through the first 45 minutes.
Stanford (4-0-0) increased the pressure after the break, but Morgan kept the Cardinal off the board with saves on Trevor Islam in the 53rd minute and Alex Chow in the 60th. Jack Pymm struck the crossbar at 58:14 before converting a penalty kick at 66:14 to level the match.
In a response, Matiello forced another save from Schnebly at 79:03, then generated two more attempts over the ensuing 38 seconds as the Aggies searched for a second goal to reclaim the lead.
Logan Tsopanoglou for Stanford however, supplied the deciding strike at 83:01, finishing a sequence assisted by Eric Frintu and Chow to put the Cardinal ahead for the first time. Matiello produced one final attempt for UC Davis in the 86th minute, while Morgan made his fifth save of the night at 88:13 to keep the Aggies within one through the final whistle.
Matiello led all players with six shots and placed two on target, accounting for all five UC Davis attempts after halftime. Morgan recorded four of his five saves in the second half. Hobbs' assist was his second of the season and extended his run to two consecutive matches with an assist.
Stanford finished with a 17-9 advantage in shots, a 7-3 edge in shots on goal and an 8-2 margin in corner kicks.
UC Davis continues its road trip Thursday, Sept. 3, with a 7 p.m. match at Seattle University. The Aggies then face reigning national champion Washington at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 5.
GAME NOTES
- Matiello's goal at 0:25 was the third-fastest goal to start a match in UC Davis' Division I era and the fastest since Lance Patterson scored 10 seconds into a Sept. 10, 2010, match against Sacramento State.
- The goal was UC Davis' first against Stanford since a 1-0 Aggie victory on Sept. 4, 2005, and ended the Cardinal's three-match shutout streak in the series.
- Matiello scored his first goal since 2024 after missing the entire 2025 season.
- UC Davis led the nation's unanimous No. 1 team for 65 minutes and 49 seconds.
- Morgan finished with five saves, including four after halftime.
- Hobbs recorded an assist for the second consecutive match.
- UC Davis held Stanford to five shots and one shot on goal in the first half.
