No. 6 Stanford (9-2-4, 5-1-1)
at San Diego State (6-8-1, 1-6-0) | Thurs. • 7 p.m.
at UCLA (9-6-0, 4-3-0) | Sun. • 4 p.m.
Stream • GoAztecs.com (Thurs.)
Television • Pac-12 Networks (Sun.)
Live Statistics • GoAztecs.com (Thurs.) | UCLABruins.com (Sun.)
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LOOKING AHEAD » In control of its own fate in the race for a fifth consecutive conference title, No. 6 Stanford (9-2-4, 5-1-1) concludes its regular-season road slate when it plays at San Diego State (6-8-1, 1-6-0) on Thursday at 7 p.m. and at UCLA (9-6-0, 4-3-0) on Sunday at 4 p.m. Thursday's match against the Azetcs will be streamed live on GoAztecs.com and Sunday's match in Westwood will be broadcast on Pac-12 Network, Pac-12 Bay Area and Pac-12 Los Angeles with Jim Watson and Tracey Bailey on the call.
WHAT'S AT STAKE » Stanford is currently second in the Pac-12 with 16 points, three behind Oregon State (6-2-1), but with two games in hand on the Beavers. With a pair of wins this weekend, the Cardinal could clinch at least a share of the conference title. Stanford has the potential to max out at 25 points, Oregon State could hit 22 with a win in its conference finale against Washington on Nov. 9 and with wins in its finale three matches UCLA (4-3-0), could hit 21 points. Washington, San Diego State and California have been eliminated from Pac-12 title contention.
STANFORD-SAN DIEGO STATE SERIES » Stanford is 18-11-8 all-time against the Aztecs in a series dating back to 1976, 11-0-3 in the past 14 and unbeaten under Jeremy Gunn. The Cardinal hasn't dropped a result to SDSU since a 1-0 loss in San Diego on Sept. 30, 2011. Stanford has beaten the Aztecs by a combined score of 12-0 in the previous three meetings, including 3-0 earlier this season on The Farm. Last season, the Cardinal won its Pac-12 opener in San Diego on Sept. 28, 5-0, its largest margin of victory in conference since beating Cal 6-1 on Nov. 9, 2012 and also its largest margin of victory in a shutout since it beat Richmond 6-0 on Sept. 21, 2002. Amir Bashti has scored at least one goal in each of his last three games against SDSU.
STANFORD-UCLA SERIES » Stanford is 12-39-9 in 60 all-time meetings with the Bruins dating back to 1973. After going 6-39-6 against UCLA from 1973-2013, Stanford is 6-0-3 in its last nine meetings with the Bruins and has won five straight. The Cardinal won its first game over the Bruins in Westwood in 2015 and has won three in a row at UCLA.
OUTBURSTS » In the 16 seasons of Pac-12 men's soccer prior to last season, Stanford had only once scored five goals in a league game (at Cal; Nov. 9, 2012; W, 6-1). The Cardinal did it twice in 2017 against its Southern California foes in San Diego State (Sept. 28; 5-0) and UCLA (Nov. 2; 5-1) and knocked off both teams at home earlier this year by scores of 3-0.
CARDINAL QUICK HITTERS »
- Stanford cemented its dynasty with yet another clinical postseason performance in 2017. On a sequence that began with a throw-in deep in opponent territory, Sam Werner stripped an Indiana player with one touch and stabbed a right-footed shot under the crossbar on his next, at 102:03, to beat the Hoosiers 1-0 and give Stanford the second three-year championship run in NCAA history.
- Stanford is just the second program to win three straight NCAA titles. Virginia won four in a row from 1991-94. It is also the seventh program to win at least three national championships along with Saint Louis (10), Indiana (8), Virginia (7), San Francisco (4), UCLA (4) and Maryland (3).
- Stanford went 52-7-10 (.826) during its three-year championship run and is now 61-9-14 (.810) since 2015.
- The Cardinal did not allow a goal throughout the entire 2017 tournament for the second straight year and upped its NCAA-record postseason shutout streak to 12 - a stretch of 1,214 minutes and 20 seconds. The only other programs to go through a postseason without allowing a goal are Wisconsin (1995) and San Francisco (1976).
CONVERTING CHANCES » Stanford's passing and movement in the final third has kicked into high gear since entering league play. The Cardinal, which had scored seven goals in its first seven matches of the season, has put in 18 thus far in conference, a program record through seven Pac-12 matches. Stanford is first in the conference and 39th in the country in scoring offense (1.73 goals per game) and seventh nationally in assists per game (2.33). The Cardinal is averaging 2.57 goals per game in conference, nearly one goal better than any other Pac-12 team (Oregon State - 1.67/Washington - 1.56).
DEFENSE WINS » With eight shutouts this season, the Cardinal is 12th in the nation in goals against average (0.618) and redshirt freshman goalkeeper Andrew Thomas is 12th individually in that category (0.620). Amazingly enough, Stanford has given up a goal to its opponent in its last five conference matches, its longest such streak since 2013. The Cardinal's goals against average the first nine games of the season was a nation-leading 0.21. Since the calendar turned to October (six games) it has been 1.23. Stanford's 1-0 shutout last Friday against No. 11 Denver was its first since Sept. 30 against UCLA.
CENTER BACK? » Redshirt junior co-captain Tanner Beason, a central defender by trade, has scored all five of his goals this season in the last six games to go along with three assists. He leads the Pac-12 in goals (5) and points (13) in conference matches.
FRESHMAN FORWARD » Redshirt freshman striker Zach Ryan is tied for fourth in the Pac-12 with seven goals this season, a number that is seventh among freshmen in program history (records since 1979). Willie Guicci scored 20 times as a freshman in 1979 and Jorge Titinger 12 in 1980. Matt Janusz (2001), Ryan Collins (1991) and Todd Rafalovich (1982) are next on the list with nine, followed by Rhett Harty (1988) with eight. He scored the first overtime winner of his career in the 101st minute against Denver on Friday night.
BASHTI COMES UP BIG » Amir Bashti is enjoying a stellar senior campaign that has already seen him post career highs in goals (7) and assists (4). Bashti is tied for fourth in the league scoring, tied for third in points (18) and eighth in assists.
SHUTOUT STREAK SNAPPED » Stanford had an active shutout streak of 974:15 before Georgetown scored on Sept. 3, the longest stretch in program history. Ethan Lochner's 65th-minute tally was the first goal the Cardinal had surrendered since a Brian Iloski penalty kick for UCLA on November 2, 2017, a span of nine matches. It was also Stanford's first goal allowed from open play since October 19, 2017 at Washington when Kyle Coffee headed in a cross (1,208:02). The Cardinal's nine-match streak of not allowing a goal from November 5, 2017 to August 31, 2018 is tied for the eighth-longest in NCAA history.
BOUNCING BACK » The Cardinal's loss to Pacific on Sept. 20 (1-0) was its first in 363 days. That result ended Stanford's program-record unbeaten streak at 21 consecutive matches and also snapped its 12-match home unbeaten run. The defeat was Stanford's first since Sept. 23, 2017 at Saint Louis (2-0) and its first home loss since Sept. 9, 2017 against Tulsa (2-0). Stanford still has not been beaten in two consecutive matches in the same season since 2012, Jeremy Gunn's first year as head coach.
NEW LOOK, SAME STANFORD » A process-oriented bunch, Stanford headed into 2018 with the task of replacing seven starters from a year ago, including the conference's career goal scoring leader Foster Langsdorf and 2017 Top Drawer Soccer Player of the Year Tomas Hilliard-Arce. Those two, along with Corey Baird, Nico Corti, Bryce Marion, Drew Skundrich and Sam Werner led Stanford to three national championships, four Pac-12 titles, a 65-10-13 overall record (.813) and 30-3-7 (.838) conference mark in their four years on The Farm. They combined for 71 percent of Stanford's scoring last season (34 of 48) and are all playing professionally. (Nico Corti – RGVFC; Foster Langsdorf – Timbers FC2; Tomas Hilliard-Arce – LA Galaxy; Bryce Marion – RGVFC; Corey Baird – Real Salt Lake; Drew Skundrich – Bethlehem Steel FC; Sam Werner – Israel). The Cardinal has started at least four freshmen in nine of its first 15 matches this season.
SIMILAR TO 2016? » Stanford returned a loaded bunch last season, but after its first championship the Cardinal was also forced to search for answers at key spots the following year. The Cardinal had to replace five starters, including MAC Hermann Trophy winner Jordan Morris and two-time Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year Brandon Vincent. Those two, along with Slater Meehan, Ty Thompson and Eric Verso, accounted for 53 percent of the Cardinal's scoring (23-of-43) during its 2015 title run. Stanford started its 2016 season 3-2-3, but only lost once again all season, finishing 12-1-2 in its last 15 en route to title No. 2.
GREAT UNDER GUNN » One of four coaches to win NCAA titles in both Division I and Division II, head coach Jeremy Gunn has led a team to the College Cup final four times in the past seven seasons. He and Virginia's Bruce Arena (1991-94) are the only coaches to win three consecutive NCAA men's soccer championships. His teams are 93-27-22 (.732) in his seven seasons on The Farm and he owns a career record of 280-88-53 (.728) in 20 seasons, a mark which makes him the fourth winningest active coach at the Division I level and the 18th winningest coach all-time (both by percentage). Gunn and his staff were named the 2017 National Staff of the Year by United Soccer Coaches and he also secured the first national men's coach of the year award handed out by Top Drawer Soccer.
KENNEDY PROMOTED » On August 22, third-year assistant Oige Kennedy was promoted to associate head coach. Working primarily with the Cardinal's keepers, Kennedy's first two years on The Farm were hugely successful. In 2017, Nico Corti put together the best statistical season for a goalkeeper in Stanford men's soccer history. He finished second in the country in both goals against average (0.386) and solo shutouts (14), set Pac-12 records in both categories, a school record in goals against average and tied the school record in solo shutouts. A year prior, Andrew Epstein made two consecutive penalty kick saves in the College Cup final against Wake Forest to lead the Cardinal to its second straight national championship. That season, Epstein was named the College Cup's Defensive Most Outstanding Player, a United Soccer Coaches Second Team All-American, CoSIDA First Team Academic All-American and finished seventh in the country in goals against average (0.571). Corti (0.00) and Epstein (0.34) are first and second in NCAA history in career postseason goals against average and just the fifth and sixth keepers in college soccer history to go through an entire postseason without allowing a single goal.
MAKE IT FOUR » Stanford was unbeaten in conference action for the first time last season (9-0-1) and added a 2017 conference title to championships from 2016, 2015, 2014 and 2001. Stanford became the second Pac-12 school to win four in a row. UCLA won the same number of consecutive conference crowns from 2002-05. Jeremy Gunn is the only coach in league history to win more than two consecutive Pac-12 titles as UCLA's four-year run was split evenly between Tom Fitzgerald and Jorge Salcedo.
THE CAPITAL OF COLLEGE SOCCER » Last season Stanford became the first Division I school to win national titles in both men's and women's soccer in the same season. The men's championship came one week after the Cardinal women knocked off UCLA, 3-2, for that program's second national crown. Stanford has won more NCAA titles (117) than any other school and owns an active 42-year stretch with at least one NCAA team championship dating back to 1976-77.
SCORE TWICE AND WIN » Stanford has scored two or more goals in 74 of Jeremy Gunn's 142 matches as head coach and is 67-0-7 in those games. The Cardinal hasn't lost when scoring at least two goals since Nov. 11, 2010, when it fell 3-2 at Cal.