Who: San Diego State at No. 3 Stanford
When: Monday, Oct. 26, at 7 p.m. PT on Pac-12 Networks, with J.B. Long and Cobi Jones on the call.
Stanford looks to take one step closer to a second consecutive Pac-12 championship when it welcomes San Diego State to The Farm for the Pac-12 Networks’ Men’s Soccer Game of the Week.
The Story so Far: San Diego State (6-6-2, 1-5-0 Pac-12)
The good news – San Diego State has regained its attacking bite. After being shutout in all three games of its three-game road trip to the Pacific Northwest and UCLA, San Diego State has scored in three straight games, outshot No. 3 Stanford when it hosted the Cardinal Oct. 18 and put three past Cal in its most recent match.
The bad news – San Diego State’s opponents have also turned it up a notch offensively against the Aztecs. After conceding just eight goals in its first 10 matches, the Aztecs have allowed 11 in its last four, most recently dropping a 4-3 double-overtime decision to the Golden Bears.
So it’s probably win-out-or-go-home for the 6-6-2 Aztecs with respect to making the NCAA tournament. The Aztecs have made the NCAA tournament with nine wins before (2005 and 2006), but going anywhere from 3-0-2 to 3-2-0 from here on out probably won’t be enough for a team that is slotted 98th in RPI. The good news is that San Diego State will have plenty of opportunities to bump its nitty-gritty numbers up with games at No. 3 Stanford and home games against Oregon State, Washington and UCLA, all teams that have NCAA tournament aspirations. The bad news is that San Diego State has lost to all four of those schools by a combined score of 9-1.
The Story so Far: No. 3 Stanford (11-1-2, 4-0-2 Pac-12)
Things are looking good for the defending Pac-12 champs with respect to topping the league table again. The Cardinal has a four-point lead and a game in hand against second-place UCLA, which lost a 4-3 barnburner to Cal on Sunday. The only undefeated team in conference play, Stanford has a chance to really pull away and ice it in the next couple of matches.
A win against San Diego State, a team it has already beat 3-1 on the road, would give Stanford 17 points (5-0-2). UCLA maxes out at 19 if it wins out, Oregon State and Washington max out at 22 and 23, respectively, but the Beavers and Huskies still have to play each other once more, meaning one (or both) of those point maxes will decrease. In other words, a win on Monday night in primetime puts the Cardinal a couple of wins away at most from repeating with three matches remaining (that’s not to dismiss San Diego State, which was very close to earning a result at then-No. 15 Washington at the beginning of the month).
The other consideration for Stanford is the national seed it can earn for the NCAA tournament. The third-ranked Cardinal is No. 8 in RPI but does not play a team in the RPI top-50 the rest of the way. That means any loss from here on out would drop that number significantly, perhaps costing the Cardinal a round or two worth of hosting. Stanford is seemingly a lock for the national party but needs to keep piling up wins to stay in contention for being a host up to the College Cup.
Three Players to Watch: San Diego State
#22 Travis Nicklaw (Defender, Redshirt Junior) – This centerback is a member of Guam’s Men’s National Team and recently rejoined the Aztecs after playing in a 2018 World Cup qualifying match against Turkmenistan. He was San Diego State’s man of the match in the Friday loss to Cal, lasering a shot from 25 yards out into the upper right 90 in the 85th minute to send the contest into overtime.
#14 Rene Reyes (Forward, Redshirt Senior) – The New Mexico transfer leads the team with five goals and 13 points and registered his first goal since Sep. 6 with a tally against Cal on Friday, breaking a span of 10 consecutive matches without a goal after scoring four in his first three. Perhaps that put him back on the scoring track?
#2 Matt Callahan (Defender, Junior) – One of four Aztecs to start and play in every game this year, the Northeastern transplant is tied with Reyes for the team lead with three assists.
Three Players to Watch: Stanford
#13 Jordan Morris (Forward, Junior) – It has been a whirlwind of a year for Morris since scoring against Mexico for USMNT, going to and from Stanford with national team and college club duties interspersed. Despite the hectic fall schedule, Morris has managed to score six goals in just 10 matches with the Cardinal so far this year. Always a threat in the box and final third, Morris is also a Type 1 diabetic and will be featured in a Times Square display ad in November for National Diabetes Awareness Month.
#15 Eric Verso (Midfielder, Redshirt Senior) – If someone scores for the Cardinal, there’s a good chance it’s because of this guy. Verso is tied with Jose Carrera-Garcia of Cal for first in the Pac-12 with eight assists, a number that is good for tied for fifth nationally.
#10 Corey Baird (Midfielder, Sophomore) – If someone scores for the Cardinal, there’s a good chance it’s because of this guy (stop me if I’m repeating myself). Baird has seven assists, which would be a leading total pretty much anywhere else in the nation. He’s very, very, very dynamic with the ball at his feet.
Three Notes to Know
More on Morris – Jordan Morris didn’t score against UCLA, breaking a string of having scored in five straight matches. That makes him one of two Stanford players to score a goal in five straight since 1987. The last time a Cardinal player scored in five straight – Darren Fernandez in 2002 on a team that went to the College Cup.
Back on track offensively? – San Diego State scored multiple goals for the first time in more than a month in its 4-3 loss to Cal Friday. The Aztecs started the season scoring at least two in five of its first seven matches before being held to three goals total over its next six (a step up in the level of competition had something to do with that).
Point Guard U – Stanford is the only team in the nation to have two players with at least seven assists (Eric Verso has eight and Corey Baird has seven). Overall, the Cardinal is tied for 12th in the nation with 2.00 assists per game (28 through 14).
Expect some physicality (bonus note) – Stanford’s last match against UCLA featured seven yellow cards. It’ll be tough to match that number Monday night, but head coach Lev Kirshner’s Aztecs always seem to mix it up with Jeremy Gunn’s Cardinal. Don’t be surprised if you see a few pushes and shoves and hear some sideline back-and-forth shouting between the coaches.