The No. 17 Stanford Cardinal came to Paul Lorenz Field Thursday night looking to avenge their 2-1 loss to the Beavers from earlier in the campaign, and now leave Corvallis handing OSU its worst loss since 2017.
The onslaught of goals came right from the jump as a first-minute Cardinal shot led to an early set-piece opportunity that Stanford wasted no time converting.
The ball was whipped into the box with great pace and a near post connection by redshirt sophomore midfielder Shane de Flores pushed the ball past the scrambling hands of OSU goalkeeper Luis Castillio for the Cardinal’s first goal of the night.
Only two minutes into the match the Beavers looked to gain rhythm in possession attempting to play the ball around the backfield. It was to no avail, as Stanford’s high press stopped the Beaver offense in their tracks.
Unable to possess the ball with an ease of consistency the game began to slow down and the harsh reality of trying to unlock the Stanford defensive press began to set in.
The Beavers held on for only 18 minutes longer as the Cardinal tallied their second goal in the 20th minute when sophomore midfielder Fletcher Bank teased a left-footed ball through the box finding Shane de Flores who netted the ball with a right-foot strike from 12 yards out.
Determined to right the ship, The Beavers huddled at the top of their own 18-yard box.
As play began again, OSU showed glimmers of what their fluid attack has been capable of all season. Finding solutions through the middle of the relentless high press of Stanford, senior defender Javier Armas took a more deep-lying defensive role creating good passing options for the struggling Beavers.
It was clear that Stanford would not concede easily, and their toughness would have to be matched if the Beavers were going to get anything out of the match.
Stanford’s ability to completely dominate the pace of play with aggression led to the game getting physical as both teams fought tooth and nail to be first to every aerial ball and ground duel.
Both teams continued to grind one set piece at a time. Stanford was all too pleased to let the clock run, taking their time getting the ball back in play.
Stanford redshirt freshman goalkeeper Rowan Schnebly was assessed a yellow card in the 39th minute for time-wasting antics, joining two other Cardinal players who would see first-half yellow cards for hard fouls.
The Beavers looked to take the field in the second half and turn the tide with the help of the Beaver faithful sitting in the stands, little would change for the better for the Beavers.
Stanford recorded their third goal after a Beaver turnover deep in midfield sparked a quick transition moment for the Cardinal.
In the 80th minute, the Cardinal added a finishing touch, as redshirt freshman Alfonso Tenconi-Gradillas rose over the top of a Beaver defender flicking in a header propelling the visitors to their first conference win of the season.
The Beavers still remain at the top of the Pac-12 Standing with nine points in six games played.
OSU looks to get back in the win column when they host the University of California Golden Bears on Sunday at 1 p.m.
