STANFORD, Calif. – Zach Batteer scored for the third consecutive match, Andrew Epstein made a career-high six saves and the No. 13 Stanford men's soccer team peppered No. 18 California with 35 shots, including 14 on frame, as the two sides battled to a 1-1 draw in an entertaining derby at Cagan Stadium on Monday night.
The result moves Stanford to 8-2-2 overall and 2-1-2 in Pac-12 action. The Cardinal also kept up its undefeated run at home, moving to 6-0-2 on The Farm this season and 7-0-4 in its last 11 as hosts. Stanford has also now gone 11 games without an overtime loss and is 5-0-6 over that span. Lastly, the Cardinal has not lost a home affair to its rival since 2010 and is 4-1-2 in its last seven games against Cal.
"Tonight was truly an exciting game and the players from both sides can be really proud of the way they performed," Stanford head coach Jeremy Gunn said. "I thought our guys were magnificent. It's a tie game against another great team – Pac-12 soccer at the moment – and we move forward again."
Kevin Grimes of @CalMensSoccer and Jeremy Gunn of @StanfordMSoccer agree: teams deserved 1-1 tie in well-played, high-drama Pac-12 showdown.
— Elliott Almond (@ElliottAlmond) October 21, 2014
It didn't look good for Stanford early, as the Golden Bears (8-3-1, 2-2-1 Pac-12) scored on their first attempt in the seventh minute, a far post finish from Jose Carerra-Garcia. Connor Hallisey started the combination by serving the ball across the goal in front of Andrew Epstein. Max Oldham laid it off with his head to Carerra-Garcia, who put home his second of the season.
Cal would be on the offensive for much of the remainder of the first half. Nick Lima had a pair of opportunities in the 20th and 27th minutes saved by Epstein and Stanford's sophomore keeper also stoned Stefano Bonomo in the 23rd. All told, Epstein made a career high six saves on the night and was rewarded for his work coming out of intermission, when a dominant Stanford effort knocked the Golden Bears on their heels.
"I was upset we let in the first goal because that obviously gives them the impetus and we're having to fight back into a game that we shouldn't have to," Gunn said. "That gives them confidence when they know they're coming in to a tough environment. Throughout the game we dodged a couple of bullets and they dodged even more. There were great chances at both ends … maybe enough to last five games of soccer a lot of times."
Jordan Morris nearly found the equalizer in the 49th minute, but one of his five shot attempts was slightly blocked by Cal's Josh Morton. A minute later, an Eric Verso header off an Austin Meyer corner hit the crossbar. Brian Nana-Sinkam was in place to hammer home the deflection, but his chance hit a wall of Bears in front of goal.
In the 68th minute Foster Langsdorf forced Cal's Justin Taillole to make a monster save with a blast from close range and as chance after chance came and went for Stanford, it was Batteer who was finally able to capitalize.
Another Cardinal corner, this one from Bobby Edwards, led to a scramble in front of Taillole. As the loose ball bounced around in a dangerous spot, Cal's defenders attempted to clear, but Batteer made himself big, blocked the ball with his chest and through to the back of the net for the equalizer.
"In the second half I thought we were the better team," Gunn said. "We were really getting after them and it looked like once we scored the goal that we were going to be good for another because we kept creating great chances. We had them on their heels."
Just into the 78th minute Slater Meehan cracked a blast from distance that Taillole tipped just over the bar. The crossbar got involved yet again in the first overtime when Edwards let it fly in the 98th and hammered the top of the goal.
Fit to be tied: @CalMensSoccer hangs on for a 1-1 tie at @StanfordMSoccer. Entertaining soccer from both sides. #theBigFootie
— Robert Jonas (@robertjonas) October 21, 2014
Stanford, which fired off four shots in the first overtime and held Cal without an opportunity, almost sent the crowd of 1,022 home happy in the 99th minute. Another Cardinal corner led to Batteer being given some room near the top of the six-yard box, but his diving header went over the bar.
"It's not as if they were all speculative," Gunn added of his team's shots. "We had a lot of good chances and we had a lot of scrambles. There were a few of those moments where you were trying to figure out how it didn't go in, but we just couldn't quite smash the ball home."
Cal nearly stole the victory in the 105th minute, but Seth Casiple's shot went into the side netting. In the 107th, Morris had the game's last great chance, but his shot from inside the 18 went high.
Stanford outshot Cal 35-16 and has now outdone its opponents in that category 84-30 in its last three matches.
Cal's Justin Taillole faced a bevy of shots from Stanford and made a career-high 12 saves.
The Cardinal has a brief break in Pac-12 action on Friday, when it travels to San Francisco to take on the Dons at 7 p.m. Stanford resumes conference play on Thursday, Oct. 30 in Westwood against UCLA at 8 p.m.