Nov. 11, 2011
BERKELEY, Calif. - Stanford finished its season with a big road win at California as the Cardinal knocked off its Bay Area rival, 3-0. The win moves Stanford to 6-10-2 (3-6-1 Pac-12) and earns its first win of the season on the road. California who was a NCAA quarterfinalist last year drops to 3-9-5 (0-7-3 Pac-12).
Stanford played perhaps its most complete game of the season, holding possession for the majority of the contest, while taking advantage of scoring chances and playing stingy defense.
"I think we have been getting better the second half of the season and it really showed today," said head coach Bret Simon. "I was really happy for our seniors to be able to end like this, all out on the field together, finishing off a shutout."
The win also ended a couple of streaks against Cal as Stanford earned its first win against the Golden Bears since the finale of the 2007 season and the first win in Berkeley since 2001.
The Cardinal jumped out to the early lead when Garrett Gunther scored in the 10th minute. Gunther got a long switch from Adam Jahn and cut the ball inside, dribbling towards the goal. He fired from distance, but Cal goalkeeper Kevin Peach made the save, although he could not hang onto it. This allowed a rebound that Gunther followed for a one-touch goal. The goal was the team-leading fifth of the season for Gunther.
Stanford continued to put the pressure on as it controlled play throughout the first half, outshooting the Golden Bears 11-2 in the frame. Jahn had a chance of his own, when Taylor Amman controlled a long ball in front of the keeper and played a drop to Jahn, but his shot was blocked.
The Cardinal broke through for the second goal late in the half after a flurry of chances from Bobby Edwards. Edwards had three shots with two on goal in under a minute, including one clanking off the crossbar. The eventual goal did not come off his own shot, however, instead he setup teammate Zach Batteer. Off a quick counterattack, Edwards played a perfect centering through ball and Batteer finished the first goal of his career.
Stanford went to the break with a two-goal lead after playing one of its best halves of the year. Drew Hutchins was perfect in net, making one save and clearing a couple dangerous crosses.
Jahn extended the lead in the 71st minute when he took a ball on the right side and cut towards the middle. Peach came out of his net, but Jahn dribbled around him, drawing a foul in front of the net. Jahn took the resulting penalty kick himself, finishing his fourth goal of the season to give Stanford the 3-0 lead.
The chances continued to come, but the game ended at 3-0. Ben Grafentin nearly made it four in the final seconds, but it was not to be. The Cardinal outshot Cal 19-11 for the game, including eight shots by Jahn. Hutchins earned his first career shutout in goal, making three saves.
Friday's big win completes Stanford's season. The senior class finishes with 30 wins, including two in the NCAA tournament back in 2009. The Cardinal will await the result of Oregon State's evening game to see its final Pac-12 finish. An Oregon State loss would move Stanford into a tie for fourth in the conference.