Nov. 2, 2008
LOS ANGELES - Stanford found itself in the most unenvious of positions on Sunday afternoon - watching its opponent celebrate a championship.
UCLA's 2-0 victory at Drake Stadium clinched the Pacific-10 Conference men's soccer crown, at Stanford expense. The Bruins scored twice in the second half on counter-attacks by Maxwell Griffin, in the 52nd and 72nd minutes.
Stanford (3-10-2 overall, 1-5-1 in the Pac-10) suffered its fourth consecutive loss, while UCLA (8-4-6, 6-1-2) earned its sixth consecutive shutout since losing to the Cardinal 2-1 on Oct. 12.
"They've really gotten their game together since they played us the last time," Stanford coach Bret Simon said. "They've reorganized their defense. We had a lot of the possession at about 30 years, but they really solidified their defense inside the box and didn't give us any good opportunities."
Stanford was held to a season-low five shots, but still held much of the possession. The Cardinal attempted to assert itself more offensively in the second half and it ultimately cost them.
Griffin scored his eighth and ninth goals of the season. His second came when a Stanford corner kick was cleared into a Bruins' fastbreak.
Defender Ryan Thomas had two of Stanford's three shots on goal, and center midfielder Cameron Lamming gave the Cardinal a boost until suffering an injury in the final minute of the first half.
The loss ended Stanford's six-match unbeaten streak against the Bruins, dating back to 2005. It also extended a stretch of 11 matches in which the Cardinal has a single victory.
Stanford returns for its final homestand, taking on Washington on Friday (7 p.m.) and Oregon State on Sunday (12:30 p.m.), the team's senior day.
UCLA 2, Stanford 0
Stanford 0 0 - 0
UCLA 0 2 - 2
UCLA - Griffin (Estrada, Arreola), 52nd; Griffin (Arreola).
Records - Stanford 3-10-2, 1-5-1; UCLA 8-4-6, 6-1-2.