The UC Davis men's soccer squad opened its road trip with a gritty 2‑1 victory over No. 1 Stanford at Laird Q. Cagan Stadium, a result that sent shockwaves through the United Soccer Coaches poll.
Early Surge
Rafael Matiello ignited the scoring within the first 25 seconds, striking with his left foot to claim his first goal of the season and the third‑fastest strike in program history.
Stanford, unbeaten at 3‑0‑0 and the unanimous top seed, answered with a flurry of chances, but Talin Morgan turned away five attempts, including a crucial save on Dylan Groeneveld in the fifth minute.
Penalty Equalizer
Jack Pymm converted a penalty in the 66th minute to level the match at 1‑1, forcing Stanford to shift tactics.
The decisive moment arrived in the 83rd minute when Logan Tsopanoglou, assisted by Alex Chow and Eric Frintu, slipped the ball past Rowan Schnebly to give Stanford the lead.
Goalkeeper Heroics
Talin Morgan finished with four saves in the second half, totaling five stops for the night, while Jake Hobbs contributed two assists in back‑to‑back matches.
UC Davis will continue its journey, heading next to Seattle University on September 3 before confronting the reigning national champion Washington on September 5.
The win marks the Aggies' first goal against Stanford since a 1‑0 triumph in 2005 and ends the Cardinal's three‑match shutout streak in the series.