STANFORD, Calif. - For the first time in program history, Stanford featured the Pac-12's player and freshman of the year, as Zach Ryan and Mark Fisher earned two of the league's major awards, announced Thursday afternoon. Seven total from Stanford saw their names on the all-conference list.
Ryan is the seventh Pac-12 Player of the Year in program history, and fifth in the last six years for the Cardinal. Fisher becomes Stanford's second straight Freshman of the Year, and fourth in program history.
Additionally, Ryan was named first-team All-Pac-12, joined by Will Richmond, Andrew Thomas and Charlie Wehan. Keegan Hughes and Gabe Segal were each named to the second team, while Keegan Tingey earned honorable mention accolades.
Ryan has been the key cog to Stanford's offense all season long, leading the team with 10 goals and three assists for 23 points total. He scored in nine of Stanford's 12 matches, including a brace at rival California in February. He ranks second in the Pac-12 in both total goals and total points, while his four game-winning goals are first in the conference and third nationally, with none bigger than his overtime winner against No. 6 Washington to win the league championship. He also ranks in the top-10 nationally in goals per game (0.83), points per game (1.92), total goals and total points. He is just shy of breaking into the program's top-10 lists for career goals and career points. He is the first in the conference to be named Player of the Year without previously being at named least a second-team all-conference member since 2014.
Making his first appearance on the pitch for the Cardinal after redshirting in 2019, Fisher has played and started all 12 matches for Stanford this spring, finishing the regular season with three assists, tied for fourth-most on the team. He featured two assists in the Cardinal's victory at home over UCLA, adding another at California, providing a steady presence in the midfield for a Stanford team that led the Pac-12 in goals against average (0.65), ranked second in goals per game (2.42) and tied for the nation's third-best goal differential (+21).
A mainstay in the Stanford offense this spring, Richmond has been vital to the Cardinal's success, scoring five goals and dishing six assists, ranking second on the team with 16 points. His five goals are third on the squad, and six assists are tied for the team lead, both ranking in the top-10 of the conference. Starting all 12 matches, Richmond recorded at least one point in seven different games this season, including a career-high five-point performance against San Francisco, netting two goals with an assist. His season-high in assists came at UCLA, with two, and he ranks 15th nationally in the category.
Now just the third player in program history to be named first-team All-Pac-12 three times, Thomas started 11 of Stanford's 12 matches this spring, boasting a record of 8-2-1 with three shutouts to his name. Only two shutouts away from ranking second in program history for a career, Thomas led the Pac-12, only allowing eight goals on the year, and was just shy of the conference's top spot with an 0.73 goals against average. His .742 save percentage also ranks second in the conference, while playing nearly 1,000 total minutes in between the pipes. Thomas collected a season-high six saves in a Stanford win at California and also combined with Kyle Orciuch for another three shutouts.
Wehan, now a third-time All-Pac-12 honoree after earning honorable mention status each of the last two seasons, is in the midst of his best campaign for the Cardinal as a senior, tying for the team lead with six assists, adding three goals for 12 points, ranking fourth on the team. Appearing in all 12 matches, but just three in the starting lineup, Wehan was a key spark off the bench for Stanford, routinely providing a burst of energy for the Cardinal in its pressured attack. Ranking 15th nationally in total assists, his season-high of two came in a pivotal victory at home over No. 5 Oregon State, as Wehan tilted the field back in Stanford's favor by dispossessing the OSU attack numerous times, leading to runout opportunities for the Cardinal. Stanford won every game in which Wehan either scored or assisted on a goal this season.
A centerpiece of the Stanford defense, Hughes played 94% of the team's minutes this spring, the second-most on the team, as the Cardinal finished the season with a team goals against average of 0.650, first in the conference and 19th nationally. He also added an assist in Stanford's victory over No. 5 Oregon State at home.
Segal is third on the team with 13 points, scoring six goals (second on the team) with an assist. The Cardinal won each game that Segal scored in, highlighted by an overtime thriller at San Diego State, in which Segal netted the game-winner just 36 seconds into the extra period. His total goal number ranks fourth in the Pac-12 and his three game winners are good for 11th in the country. He's taken the most shots of any player on the team and was named Pac-12 Player of the Week once this season.
Playing more minutes than any player on the team, Tingey, like Hughes, has been a consistent force for the Cardinal defense, while also playing a vital role in set pieces, both on free and corner kick opportunities. He finished the regular season fifth on the team with eight points, with a combination of two goals and four assists, none bigger than a free kick to Zach Ryan in overtime against No. 6 Washington to clinch the Pac-12 championship. Tingey featured a season-best performance of four points, adding in one goal and two assists in Stanford's victory over San Francisco.
The No. 4 overall seed Cardinal opens postseason play on Sunday, May 2 vs. the winner of UNC Greensboro and Omaha in Greensboro, N.C.
