Despite top-notch game play, the men’s soccer team faced disappointing end results this weekend as the Cardinal fell to No. 3 UCLA 2-1 on Friday evening — making it the third straight one-goal loss for the team — and then went on to tie San Diego State 1-1 on Sunday.
Stanford came out fighting on Friday, outshooting the Bruins 15-8 overall, but was unable to put the game away at the end of the match. The match opened with very few chances except for a run by freshman forward Jordan Morris that tested UCLA goalie Earl Edwards Jr., who made seven saves throughout the game.
Stanford got rewarded for its dominance in the 31st minute of play when sophomore midfielder Ty Thompson dispossessed UCLA midfielder Jordan Vale before laying the ball off to junior Zach Batteer, whose setup allowed Morris to blast the ball left-footed past a diving Edwards for his fifth goal of the season.
Batteer, Morris and junior wingback Jimmy Callinan would have chances to extend the lead, but Stanford was punished when UCLA’s senior midfielder Victor Munoz slipped a through ball to freshman forward Gage Zerboni, who put away the equalizer in the 40th minute.
UCLA came out firing after halftime, with Nathan Smith scoring the eventual winner just two minutes after the restart. Stanford dominated the rest of the game, however, with Morris having two shots cleared off the line and junior midfielder Bobby Edwards having multiple shots saved by Edwards. The match finished 2-1 in favor of the Bruins, but Stanford’s performance was encouraging.
“We know we’re right there against the best teams in the country and we’ll be there at the end of the season,” said head coach Jeremy Gunn.
The Cardinal went on to face SDSU on Sunday in a testy match that featured 38 shots and five bookings, including two red cards. Stanford dominated the game, but could not convert for a victory. The Cardinal threw away a late 1-0 lead with a man advantage in the 85th minute to allow the match to go to overtime.
Batteer, Morris, Edwards and midfielders Aaron Kovar and JJ Koval saw several chances throughout the match, but the first goal didn’t come until the 77th minute, when Morris scored a solo goal by beating two defenders and unleashing a rocket into the top corner of the goal. However, the Cardinal goal and the Aztec red card only seemed to galvanize SDSU, which suddenly came back into the match to earn a late equalizer.
The Cardinal continued to be plagued by missed chances in overtime, with a bicycle kick by Koval tipped onto the bar by SDSU’s goalie John Marcuzzo, a Batteer header saved and a Koval header missed before Callinan was sent off for a second yellow card, evening up the numbers. The second overtime favored SDSU, however, with several missed chances by the Aztecs offense. Still, neither team could break the tie before time expired.
The men’s soccer team will now look to regroup from this weekend’s shortcoming when it goes on a two-match road trip to the Pacific Northwest. The Card plays at the No. 4 Washington Huskies and the Oregon State Beavers. Friday’s match in Seattle kicks off at 7 p.m.
Contact Dylan Fugel at dfugel ‘at’ stanford.edu.