STANFORD, Calif. – The postmatch Pac-12 trophy presentation Thursday night was about as muted as one could imagine after Stanford lost its regular-season finale to Cal, 1-0, on an 85th minute goal at Laird Q. Cagan Stadium.
Stanford received the trophy for having already clinched a share of its fifth consecutive Pac-12 championship. But the Cardinal, just under five minutes from claiming the title outright with a draw, instead was drained of the desire to celebrate.
Stanford still can win the conference outright, but must hope for something other than an Oregon State victory at Washington on Friday to do so.
The bigger question is whether the result can help Stanford in the NCAA tournament as it prepares to defend its three consecutive national championships.
"If anything positive comes out of this, hopefully it's a good lesson to be learned," said Jeremy Gunn, Stanford's Knowles Family Director of Men's Soccer. "We need to be all guns blazing. Nothing else is going to be good enough."
Stanford (11-3-4 overall, 7-2-1 in the Pac-12) was on the way to extending its unbeaten streak to seven when Cal (7-9-2, 3-7-0) threatened with a scorching shot that goalkeeper Andrew Thomas parried over the crossbar while in full flight.
That set up a corner kick that Cal's Sam Junqua struck with a left-footed outswinger into a crowded goal box. The ball was met with a diving header from JJ Foe Nuphaus that snuck inside the near post at 84:03.
The goal took away from a remarkable performance from Thomas, who earlier tipped a long-range shot away from the upper right corner with a flying cross-body save. Facing a one-on-one In the second half, Thomas cut the angle and deflected another dangerous chance. He finished with three saves – all spectacular.
"The game's about scoring goals and stopping goals, so if you have a keeper playing well, it keeps you in games," Gunn said. "Naturally, though, we want him to do as little as possible."
Stanford outshot the Golden Bears, 12-10, but the Cardinal attack lacked flow and rarely tested Cal.
"Whatever your circumstances, you have to make positive of it," Gunn said. "Certainly on a night like tonight, hopefully it reminds people that every challenge has to be made and we have to be completely committed to the incredible soccer that we usually play."
Stanford and Cal have been playing each other since 1911, often for various cups and trophies that signify bragging rights in the local derby. The Pac-12 trophy, presented to captain Tanner Beason after the match, was significant even if it didn't feel like it.
Stanford is experiencing great success on the pitch and conference championships continue to be won even after players like Jordan Morris, Brandon Vincent, Andrew Epstein, Nico Corti, Tomas Hilliard-Arce, Foster Langsdorf, and Corey Baird have moved on.
"It's an amazing feat what this group has done, something that's unprecedented," Gunn said. "In that respect, it's an awesome achievement. But on the night, we didn't play like we can."
The match closed the home regular-season careers of seniors Amir Bashti, Collin Liberty, Adam Mosharrafa, and Eduardo Palacios Fabre. Their time at Stanford has been glorious. The question facing the Cardinal is whether the disappointment of this defeat can help produce another glorious run.
"We've finished the season in an unbelievable position," Gunn said. "Now we draw a line behind the regular season and now we look forward to the postseason.
"We'll be ready to go."