The opening passage of play presented a relatively even contest, with both sides battling hard in the midfield but struggling to break through each other's final line of defence.
That pattern held until the 20th minute, when the young Reds made a charge down the right flank courtesy of James Scanlon. He drilled a low cross towards the six-yard box and the pace on the ball allowed Gabriele Biancheri to make minimal contact to guide it into the far corner.
With the lead established, Adam Lawrence's side wanted to make the period of pressure pay and did so almost immediately, when Scanlon seized possession just outside the penalty area minutes after his assist, and looked up before slotting a calm finish beyond Stoke goalkeeper Seb Jensen for the second goal.