Nov. 15, 2003
Stanford, Calif. - The Stanford men's soccer team closed out the 2003 season with a 1-0 loss to the California Golden Bears at Maloney Field. The Cardinal conclude the season with a 3-15-2 overall record and a 0-10-0 mark in Pac-10 competition. With the win, Cal improves to 10-8-2 overall and 5-4-1 in conference play. The Bears will have to wait to see if its record is good enough to get them into the NCAA Tournament.
The Bears scored the only goal of the game in the 33rd minute when Cal's Carl Acosta aimed a perfectly placed shot into the upper right hand corner, just past the outstretched hands of Stanford goalkeeper Robby Fulton.
"I think that both teams gave a great effort today. Cal played a little bit better than us especially in the later part of the first half." said Stanford Head Coach Bret Simon. "I felt like we gave away some balls and they really took advantage of those chances and were able to put one away. You have to give credit to Acosta. That was a shot that no goalie could have gotten to. I think that was the only real difference between the two teams."
The game versus Cal also marked the last in a Cardinal uniform for seniors Abe Geiger and Mike Wilson. During their tenure on The Farm, Geiger and Wilson have been integral players to the Stanford program. In their four seasons of play, the duo helped the Cardinal to a 58-25-6 record (.685), a Pac-10 Championship and two College Cup appearances (2001, 2002).
"I'm sadden to end an on the field relationship with both of them." said Simon. "They are both ideal captains, and wonderful people. They are hardworking and I think that any type of success that we have in the next couple of years will be directly attributed to their efforts."
The Cardinal finished with four shots on the evening compared to 11 by the Bears. Matt Janusz and Marcus Ryan both tallied shot attempts for the Cardinal. Fulton, who had sat out the previous three games due to injury, made three saves on the night.