LOOKING AHEAD: One of the most anticipated Stanford men’s soccer (0-0-0 overall, 0-0-0 Pac-12) seasons in more than a decade begins on the road Friday night with a 7:30 p.m. match at UC Santa Barbara (0-0-0 overall, 0-0-0 Big West). From there, the No. 8 Cardinal will head east for its first meeting with No. 18 Louisville (0-0-0 overall, 0-0-0 ACC) on Monday, August 31 at 4:30 p.m. PT.
VS. UC SANTA BARBARA: The game against UC Santa Barbara will be the 22nd all-time meeting between the two schools, with the Cardinal owning a 14-5-2 edge in records dating back to 1973. Stanford had its best offensive performance in last year’s match on The Farm, scoring a season-high four goals in a 4-1 victory on September 9. In what was the team’s first televised outing of 2014, Stanford used an early flurry of tallies to put away the Gauchos, scoring three times in the game’s first 11 minutes. Tomas Hilliard-Arce (7’), Bobby Edwards (10’), Slater Meehan (12’) and Brandon Vincent (48’) were responsible for the Cardinal’s highest goal output since finishing the 2012 season with a 6-1 victory at California. In Stanford’s last visit to Harder Stadium, Jordan Morris’ brace and 95th-minute winner carried Stanford to a 2-1 road victory on September 27, 2013. The Cardinal has won three straight in the series. UCSB’s last win came on November 6, 2004 (1-0).
CARDINAL VS. CARDINALS: Stanford and Louisville will be meeting for the first time on Monday and the Cardinal will be making the program’s first trip to the state of Kentucky. Stanford is 2-0 all-time against schools from the state, beating Western Kentucky in Fresno, California, 6-0, on September 3, 2000 and Kentucky at home, 3-1, on September 9, 2011. Last year’s Cardinals squad went 11-8-3, advanced to the ACC Championship title match and reached the NCAA Sweet 16 for the fourth time in five seasons.
WHAT HAPPENED IN 2014: Stanford had a historic season in 2014, including the program’s first league title since 2001, a No. 1 NSCAA ranking, its most wins (13) since 2002 and its best winning percentage (.763) since 2001. The team went 13-3-3 overall and 6-1-3 in conference to advance to its second consecutive NCAA Tournament. Stanford has posted back-to-back seasons of double-digit wins for the first time since 2001-02.
CHECKING THE POLLS: Stanford opens up the 2015 season ranked eighth in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Preseason Top 25. The Cardinal’s No. 8 preseason ranking is its highest in 12 years. Coming off a run to the NCAA College Cup Final in 2002, Stanford began its 2003 season at No. 3 in the nation. Other preseason rankings since came in 2010 (No. 13) and 2014 (No. 20). Stanford also received two first-place votes. No. 1 UCLA (seven first-place votes) and No. 2 Virginia (15 first-place votes) are the only other institutions to earn multiple nods as the nation’s top team.
NOT JUST JORDAN: While the Cardinal roster boasts the most recognizable name in college soccer in that of junior Jordan Morris, the forward isn’t the only player involved with U.S. Soccer. In early August, sophomores Corey Baird and Tomas Hilliard-Arce and senior co-captain Brandon Vincent were called by U.S. Under-23 Men’s National Team head coach Andi Herzog to Carson, California for the first College Identification training camp at the U.S. National Training Center. The camp, which was comprised of 28 collegians, allowed the United States coaching staff to scout a new crop of players as the team continues preparations ahead of October qualifying for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Baird assisted on the first and Vincent scored the United States’ third goal in its 3-1 win over Club Tijuana’s Segunda Premier Team, a result which wrapped up the camp on August 7. Stanford’s three selections to the camp tied with Maryland for the most in college soccer.
AND NOW AMIR: Freshman Amir Bashti, a San Jose Earthquakes Academy product, is also a veteran of the U.S. Soccer system. The 5-foot-9 midfielder has been in camp three times with the U.S. Under-18 Men’s National Team. He was part of a 20-player roster that traveled to Medugorje, Bosnia & Herzegovina, for training camp April 22-May 1, 2015 and in December 2014 participated in the U-18 MNT’s camp in Marbella, Spain, which included two matches against Germany’s U-18s. Bashti took part in his first U-18 camp in late October 2014 in Carson, Calif.
STANFORD’S HUMBLE STAR: Jordan Morris made headlines in January when the U.S. Men’s National Team forward announced his decision to return to school for his junior year citing the fact that his “teammates, coaches, professors and peers make Stanford a special place [where he is] provided the unique opportunity to both play the game [he loves] and learn at one of the world’s great universities.” The Mercer Island, Washington native has earned five caps for the U.S. Men’s National Team in the past year. In November 2014 he became the first active collegian since 1995 to appear for the USMNT when he came on in the 76th minute in a friendly against Ireland in Dublin. On April 15, 2015 in San Antonio, Texas, Morris started and scored for the United States against Mexico, becoming the first college player to score for the USA since September 1992. He is the third Cardinal to appear for the USMNT. Todd Dunivant capped twice in 2006 and three-time MLS Defender of the Year Chad Marshall did so 11 times from 2005-10.
RETURNING ALL-AMERICANS: Stanford is the only team in the country welcoming back multiple NSCAA/Continental Tire First Team All-Americans in Morris and Brandon Vincent. Vincent returns to The Farm for his senior campaign after co-captaining the Cardinal to its best season in a decade in 2014. In addition to receiving first team All-America honors, he was also the Pac-12’s Defensive Player of the Year, an All-Pac-12 first team selection and earned his second consecutive Pac-12 All-Academic honorable mention nod. Precipitated by a move to left back prior to the season, Vincent exploded offensively while championing Stanford’s stout defense. He led the team and was tied for 13th in the conference with six goals after entering 2014 with just one goal in his first 38 career matches.
HERMANN TROPHY WATCH: Both Morris and Vincent were also tabbed as potential contenders for the 2015 Missouri Athletic Club’s (MAC) Hermann Trophy. Thirty men and 28 women from NCAA Division I schools made the watch lists. Along with Jane Campbell and Andi Sullivan on the women’s side, Stanford is the only institution in the country with multiple players named to both lists.
PRESEASON ALL-PAC-12: Tomas Hilliard-Arce, Jordan Morris and Brandon Vincent were named to the 2015 Preseason Men’s Soccer All-Pac-12 Team and Stanford was picked to finish second in the conference following a vote of the league’s coaches. Hilliard-Arce was one of the nation’s best freshmen and best defenders in 2014. A NSCAA/Continental Tire All-Far West Region third team honoree, the 6-foot-1 Hilliard-Arce was also an All-Pac-12 second team selection, a Top Drawer Soccer Best XI Freshman first team member and made the Soccer America Men’s All-Freshman second team. He started all 19 matches on Stanford’s back line while adding a pair of goals.
TOP DRAWER SOCCER: Stanford was honored with two selections among the TopDrawerSoccer.com Preseason Best XI, with junior Jordan Morris and senior Brandon Vincent landing on the first team. Four Cardinal were also picked as part of Top Drawer Soccer’s preseason list of the top 100 men’s college players. Jordan Morris checked in at No. 1 and was joined by teammates Brandon Vincent (No. 10), Tomas Hilliard-Arce (No. 36) and Corey Baird (No. 52).
SPEAKING OF BAIRD: Corey Baird appeared in all 19 games a season ago, making 14 starts in the midfield. He finished tied for third on the team with four goals to go along with four assists and was responsible for Stanford’s only multi-goal game of the year, putting home both for the Cardinal in its 2-2 draw at UCLA on October 30. He also assisted Austin Meyer’s overtime winner in the 103rd minute at California on November 16, which clinched Stanford’s first Pac-12 Championship since 2001. Baird tallied eight points on three goals and two assists in the Cardinal’s last five regular-season matches to close with three straight weekly awards. He was named Pac-12 Player of the Week on November 3 and November 10 and earned a spot on the Top Drawer Soccer National Team of the Week on November 18. He was also on the 2014 Soccer America All-Freshman squad and made the NSCAA/Continental Tire All-Far West Region second team
STINGY DEFENSE: The Cardinal’s Pac-12 championship defense allowed just 17 goals a year ago, its lowest total since 2007, and led the league with a 0.85 goals against average. Stanford topped the league in goals against average for the first time since 2002 (0.61) and finished 38th in the nation in that category.
WHAT ELSE IS BACK: In total, six of Stanford’s eight All-Pac-12 selections from last season return this fall, including goalkeeper Andrew Epstein, who orchestrated a Cardinal defense which finished 38th in the nation with a 0.85 goals against average. Epstein’s 0.857 individual goals against average led the conference, was 43rd in the country and seventh in Stanford single-season history. Also back is redshirt senior Eric Verso, who was second on last season’s squad in both goals (5) and assists (5) and tops in points (15).
DESTINATION STANFORD: In late July, Manchester United used Cagan Stadium for training during their United States tour. The visit continued a trend of top national sides and clubs utilizing the unparalleled facilities and environment of Stanford for training. The USMNT visited campus for camp before the 2014 FIFA World Cup and within the past two years Stanford has also hosted Italian giant Juventus and English side Norwich City.