Carlo Agostinelli began Stanford’s tournament run in style, with a pair of goals and a pair of assists in the first half of the Cardinal’s 6-2 win over High Point on Sunday night.
The visitors from High Point, North Carolina had earned a trip to the west coast by defeating the North Carolina Tar Heels 2-0 on Thursday, the program’s first ever NCAA tournament win.
But the 5th-seeded Cardinal established themselves as the better team from the opening whistle, with Agostinelli heading home a pair of goals in the first 17 minutes of the match.
The first came at the 2:45 mark and was set up by Shane de Flores’s cross from the left side. Agostinelli headed the ball downward and into the net from point blank range, in spite of an acrobatic save attempt by goalkeeper Holden Trent.
The second was set up by Connor Evans dribbling the ball over midfield, then dishing it to Keegan Tingey for the cross from beyond the penalty area. Agostinelli’s soft header threaded the needle between Trent and a High Point defender.
A series of short passes set up de Flores for the third goal in the 23rd minute. Jackson Kiil nudged the ball over to Agostinelli, who found de Flores in the penalty arc. Trent rushed out to make a sliding tackle, but de Flores’ shot scooted underneath him.
The fourth goal came in the 36th minute, when Keegan Hughes headed home a free kick from Agostinelli.
More Goals in the Second Half
The Panthers had a glimmer of hope when Sebastian Chalbaud scored five minutes into the second half, leaping to get his head on a cross from Jefferson Amaya. The shot deflected off of a Cardinal defender’s foot on the goal line, giving goalkeeper Matt Frank no chance.
But the Cardinal added a pair of goals to erase any doubts. Liam Doyle scored their fifth goal on a free kick in 72nd minute from just outside the box.
Zach Bohane added a sixth in the 81st minute, picking up a loose ball in the box, shifting the ball to his left foot and blasting a shot that skidded along the ground and ended up just inside the far post.
And with 20 seconds left on the clock, High Point’s Chalbaud scored a brace of his own in the final match of his collegiate career. Nick Herb’s cross was deflected straight up in the air by a Stanford defender and Chalbaud nodded it into the net.
What’s Next
The Cardinal host 12th seeded UNC Greensboro on Sunday at 5 p.m.
