The No. 13 Stanford men’s soccer team (8-2-2, 2-1-2 Pac-12) squared off against the No. 18 California Bears (8-3-1, 2-2-1) Monday night at Cagan Stadium. As the first Big Derby fixture of the season, both sides were itching to notch a victory over the adversary, as the Bay Area teams aimed to keep pace with Pac-12 leaders Washington and UCLA. A true end-to-end contest saw neither side able to create a lasting advantage, with the match finishing 1-1 after extra time.
From the start, the Golden Bears looked the better team, and opened their account just six minutes in. Cal striker Connor Hallisey created space for himself on the left wing, and was able to deliver a curling ball to the far post. The ball was met by the head of Max Oldham, who directed his effort square across the goalmouth. Cal’s Jose Carrera-Garcia was the first to react, pulling off of his marker to send a half volley into the far post.
The Golden Bears kept the pressure on for the large part of the second half, with both sides unlucky to not add to the score sheet. The eighth minute saw Stanford freshman midfielder Corey Baird make a skillful run down the left wing and put a cross on the head of senior Bobby Edwards, whose effort went straight into the hands of keeper Justin Taillole.
The Cal number 1 was called into action again in the 28th minute to collect another headed effort, this time from senior striker Zach Batteer.
Stanford sophomore keeper Andrew Epstein was also tested in the first half, parrying a Nick Lima driven shot from 25 yards. In the 37th minute, Cal again found themselves on the attack through Hallisey, who ran straight at the heart of the Cardinal defense before playing in substitute Paul Salcedo, who cracked a left-footed effort off the near post. Epstein was slightly late in reacting, but was bailed out by his goal frame.
The last action of the first half belonged to Stanford, as Batteer continued to ask questions of Taillole. The Bears keeper had to use every inch of his 6 foot 2 inch frame to keep out Batteer’s shot to the upper left corner of the net.
The Card came out the second half in a much more positive manner, and wasted no time in testing the Cal defense. An errant back pass led to an effort by sophomore forward Jordan Morris that glazed the side netting wide. Deflected, the shot resulted in a corner. A bending service from senior Austin Meyer fell just inside the six-yard box for Morris to pounce. A combination of the Cal keeper and host of defenders cleared the ball off the line, seemingly cheating death.
Stanford’s equalizer came on a similar play, as a corner again was allowed to bounce in the box. This time, Zach Batteer left nothing to chance and assertively stuffed the ball away.
The final 15 minutes of regular time were relatively cagey, with no real clear-cut chances. Both sides made substitutions in the 83rd minute in hopes of igniting their attacks, but their attempts were futile.
In the first period of extra time, the best chance was a brilliant solo effort by Cardinal senior Bobby Edwards, who cut inside from the right flank and rifled a left-footed strike that Taillole could only tip onto the bar.
As the whistle blew to change ends, it felt as if Stanford had a winner in them. The home supporters were buzzing, and Edwards’ effort combined with stable defending had instilled a sense of belief into Jeremy Gunn’s charges.
The final 10 minutes of extra time gave both sides a real chance to win, but neither was able to capitalize. Sophomore defender Brian Nana-Sinkam fouled a Cal striker on edge of the penalty area and was shown the yellow card, but more pressingly, had conceded a dangerous free kick. Bears captain Seth Casiple curled his effort over the wall, but perhaps put too much whip on the shot as it curled wide.
The 107th minute brought the Big Derby to its dramatic climax, as a cross from Stanford skipper and left back Brandon Vincent was headed down to an unmarked Jordan Morris. Eight yards out and with only the keeper to beat, Stanford seemed convinced their team had found a winner. But, in an uncharacteristic display, Morris struck a powerful shot well over the goal. A true sitter, the Cardinal would stand to rue that chance as the final whistle blew.
Stanford head coach Jeremy Gunn gave an honest and holistic view of the game, citing chances from both sides that could have tipped the scales in either direction.
“I think that 5-3 (in favor of Stanford) would have been a fair result today,” Gunn said. “In the second half, we were the better team, and had them on their heels.”
In regards to Cal’s only goal, Gunn was complimentary, but also critical of his defense. He said, “We gave away a great goal, but there was also poor defending. We were able to dodge a couple of bullets, and [Cal] was able to dodge more.”
In a true “bend but don’t break” display, neither team was clinical enough to deserve the win. Chances on both ends should have been converted, and another night may have seen a drastically different outcome.
The Stanford men move to eight points in the Pac-12, 2 adrift of the leaders. The Cardinal will next be in action on Friday, with a non-conference match-up against the USF Dons.
Contact Will Drinkwater at willydri ‘at’ stanford.edu.