STANFORD, Calif. – Foster Langsdorf became the Pac-12's all-time leading scorer with the only goal in No. 3 Stanford's 1-0 win over No. 22 Cal on Thursday night at Laird Q. Cagan Stadium.
"He came here as a defensive midfielder and he'll now leave as the Pac-12's all-time leading scorer," said sixth-year head coach Jeremy Gunn. "He's unbelievable – an incredible player and a wonderful person. This all comes from his hard work – you will not meet someone who works harder than Foster does."
Langsdorf broke the tie in the 75th minute after both teams had several chances to seize the upper hand. Cal's keeper attempted to punch away a Stanford corner kick, and the bouncing ball fell to Langsdorf in the box, who finished for his 12th of the season and 35th career goal – the goal broke Kevin Forrest's all-time record of 34 Pac-12 goals.
The Golden Bears (11-6-0, 6-4-0) had the better chances to open the scoring in the first half, but were kept at bay by Corti. On 24 minutes, Corti already had five saves for the Cardinal (15-2-1, 9-0-1), including a fingertip stop in the 24th minute.
"I thought the back four and Nico definitely kept us in it in the first half," said Gunn. "We were only a fraction off, and that's not good enough, but I felt we were much improved in the second half and that's more of what we want to see in the postseason."
Logan Panchot had Stanford's best chance in the first half, which finished with Cal outshooting the Cardinal 9-6. Stanford looked the better team after the break, outshooting the Golden Bears 12-1 in the second half.
Corey Baird led a Stanford counter in the 50th minute, but his blast from the left flank hit the side netting. Charlie Wehan, who caused problems for Cal throughout the match, nearly set up the opener in the 59th minute but his cross across the face of goal found no one.
Stanford had two more shots on goal before Langsdorf's goal in the 75th minute. The Cardinal nearly doubled its lead in the 82nd minute when Jared Gilbey played Jack O'Brien through on goal – the freshman beat the keeper to the ball in space but dragged his finish just wide of the far post. Corti finished with seven saves to earn his eighth shutout of the season.
"We're really proud of what we've done in the regular season, but now we can put that in our back pocket and talk about it after the season," added Gunn. "Now, it's playoff soccer time and we'll see what the draw looks like on Monday."
The NCAA Tournament selection show will take place on Monday at 10 a.m. PT on NCAA.com. – Stanford enters the postseason tournament as the two-time defending national champion.
