Since stepping foot on campus in the fall of 2014, Foster Langsdorf and Stanford's senior class have gone 47-8-11 (.795), won back-to-back national championships and three consecutive Pac-12 titles.
Langsdorf's career-high 15 goals as a junior tied for eighth in program history, were the most for a Cardinal since Willie Guicci had 22 in 1981 and the highest total in the Pac-12 since 2011. The management science and engineering major scored twice in Stanford's season-opening, 4-0 win at San Jose State on Aug. 25 and here shares a little of what's he's thinking ahead of his senior campaign.Q: What is going through your mind as you enter your final season at Stanford?
A: You begin to appreciate everything a bit more, realize what you're going to miss and that this is the last time you'll get to do things. I know that in a year or two, I'm going to wish I could be back in this environment again. At the same time it's fun to see the younger guys begin the experience. At night I've been showing the freshmen around campus so it's cool to see their reactions to the same experiences I had four years ago.
Q: What advice would you give to Foster Langsdorf when he arrived at Stanford as a freshman?
A: There's a lot to that answer, but one thing is he'd probably tell him you're going to learn a lot from Gunn, not just on the field, but off the field as well. Trust the process. If you continue to work hard things are eventually going to fall in place.
??#GoStanford pic.twitter.com/s21iP4wQaG
— Stanford M Soccer (@StanfordMSoccer) August 20, 2017
Q: Did you expect to have the kind of success the program has had the past few seasons?
A: No, because I wasn't coming from a winning team either so I didn't know exactly what it was like to win your conference or want to compete for a national championship. That was all new to me. I was always just thinking about how we were going to beat the next team on our schedule, but maybe that type of mindset is what keeps us grounded and wanting to prepare.
Q: How helpful is it to have so much experience returning this season?
A: It helps a lot, not just from a playing perspective, but being able to tell really each other how it is and pick one another up. Sometimes when people are getting into a rut, like if my head's down and I'm frustrated, Corey is really good at picking me up. He can tell when I get set in those moods and so does Bryce. When they say things it's a lot more genuine and you take it to heart. Sometimes you can give advice to people and they don't take it, but with this team everything is very transparent. No one wants to be the star. We all know we need each other.
Q: What motivates you on the field?
A: I think about our past success and the fact that I want to experience it again. Last year, for example, it was unbelievable to go to Houston, stay in a really nice hotel and have the parents there. We want to work extremely hard to be able to experience those things again. I also think that this is likely the last time I'll play with these guys in my life. It's so crazy to think back to when we (the seniors) came in. We slowly grew together as a unit and it's crazy now to laugh with these guys as much as I do and have everyone share as personal things as we do. We've all been through a lot. Q: Do you and the senior class take a measure of pride in all it has helped the program accomplish?
A: I've never really thought of it like that. It's not mine, it's not ours and it was never all us. It's Gunn's program, the other coaches, the players before us and the ones after us. It's a collective. I'm sure they're going to have so much more success. I'm just so happy I got to be a part of it. That's what makes me proud.