In the words of the Arctic Monkeys, get on your dancing shoes. Early Monday morning, Stanford men’s soccer (9-6-3, 3-5-2 Pac-12) clinched an at-large berth to the NCAA tournament, securing a home match against West Coast Conference (WCC) champion Loyola Marymount (13-4-2, 9-2-1 WCC).
The berth marks the Cardinal’s 10th appearance in the tournament and its first since 2009. The at-large invite was most likely secured though a thrilling 2-1 overtime victory against California last Wednesday, which shored up the Cardinal’s profile and gave the selection committee no other option but to extend the invitation.
Loyola Marymount, however, will look to build upon what has been a very successful season. The Lions captured the WCC crown and finished with an impressive 13-4-2 record. They are paced by the stellar play of freshman midfielder Adrien Perez, who notched a conference leading eight goals, and junior midfielder John McFarlin, who has 10 assists on the season.
The Lions lead the WCC in all relevant statistical categories, including goals, assists, goals against average and shutouts, which would seem to indicate a complete domination of league play. The matchup will also be a return home for LMU’s sophomore goalkeeper Peter Blanchette, who hails from Palo Alto and attended Gunn High School, just down the road from the Farm.
However, the Cardinal has some danger men of its own who will be looking to secure the Cardinal’s passage to the next round. Forwards Zach Batteer and Jordan Morris, a junior and freshman respectively, have combined for a total of 14 goals and 10 assists on the year. Sophomore winger Aaron Kovar, who scored the crucial winner against Cal, has two goals and five assists to his name and will hope to cause the Lions’ right back problems on Thursday and build on his recent success.
While the Cardinal may not have been an automatic qualifier, it played in what was unanimously considered to be the toughest conference in the country. The Pac-12 contains three of the top four seeds in the tournament, and Stanford will look to use its experience playing against the best teams in Division I to good use as it prepares to take its first step toward the College Cup.
While it is always difficult to predict the outcome of a knockout competition, one thing is for certain. Both teams, having returned to the tournament after three-year absences, will do everything in their power to secure just one more match.
The Cardinal now looks forward to Thursday at 7 p.m. at Cagan Stadium, where it will hope to win and advance to the round of 32, booking a date with 15th-seeded Cal State Northridge.
Contact Dylan Fugel at dfugel ‘at’ stanford.edu.