BERKELEY, Calif. - No. 1 Stanford men’s soccer conceded its first goal in over a month, falling 1-0 to Bay Area rival California on Friday afternoon.
The loss snapped a five-match clean sheet streak for Stanford (12-2-2, 5-1-2 ACC), while the Golden Bears claimed their second consecutive Big Clasico victory.
The match struggled to find any tempo as 41 fouls were called in the contest, including 27 committed against the Cardinal
Stanford controlled much of the possession and held a 14-3 edge on shots, but California capitalized on one of its few opportunities to hand the Cardinal just its second loss of the season.
“Naturally, we’re disappointed by the result,” said Knowles Family Director of Men’s Soccer Jeremy Gunn. “I just felt it was a start-stop game. We had plenty of moments, we had plenty of chances, but it was just one of those ugly games to play in.”
The match got off to a slow start, with no shots recorded until the 18th minute. It was Stanford who took the initiative with the first four shots once the offense finally started to develop, but it was California who broke through against the run of play in the 33rd minute.
The Cardinal pressed for an equalizer late in the half, as shots from Alfonso Tenconi-Gradillas and Liam Doyle forced saves from the Cal goalkeeper, but Stanford entered halftime trailing 1-0.
Stanford continued to dictate possession after the break but again unable to turn its pressure into a goal. The Cardinal added seven more shots in the second half, including the final three shots on frame, but couldn’t find the scoreboard in the defeat.
Stanford will now turn its attention to the ACC Men’s Soccer Championships, where it will host a first-round match on Wednesday, November 5, as the No. 2 seed.