Men's Soccer Game of the Week preview: No. 4 Stanford at Washington

Who: No. 4 Stanford at Washington

When: Monday, Nov. 2, at 7 p.m. PT on Pac-12 Networks, with J.B. Long and Christopher Sullivan on the call.

A result for the Cardinal on the final Pac-12 Networks Men’s Soccer Game of the Week will give the team the conference title all to itself for the second straight year.

The Story so Far: No. 4 Stanford (13-1-2, 6-0-2 Pac-12)

The Cardinal is in need of one more point to clinch the Pac-12 title in its final two matches. After thoroughly dominating San Diego State 3-1 on last Monday’s game of the week, Stanford got goals in the final 10 minutes from Slater Meehan and Jordan Morris to take down Oregon State 2-0 in Corvallis Friday night.  So if Stanford, which already has a share of the title, can get a draw against Washington or Cal, the title is back on The Farm.

What’s left to consider for the Cardinal is seeding for the NCAA tournament, and how many rounds the Cardinal can host. Obviously, the more Stanford wins down the stretch, the better chance it has to host all the way through the quarterfinals. But it’s not as easy as simply having a top-four ranking and top-four RPI will make one of the four roads to the College Cup go through The Farm. Last season, Stanford finished the regular season No. 1 in the NSCAA poll and No. 2 in RPI and was still seeded sixth in the NCAA tournament. That same season, Maryland entered the postseason seeded fourth overall despite being 14^th in RPI. For the record, Stanford is currently No. 4 in RPI.

The Story so Far: Washington (6-4-5, 2-2-2 Pac-12)

If you want to look at the bright side of things, Washington feels as if it is coming off its best performance of the season. If you want to look at the negative side of things, the Dawgs lost that game 1-0 to Cal (a team that is en fuego right now, by the way) on a counterattack in the 88^th minute and are just 1-3-2 in their last six games.

As the wins have dried up since a 5-1-3 start, so have the goals. After scoring eight goals in their first five games, the Huskies have scored just one goal in their last five. During that time, Washington has dropped out of the national rankings and down to 67 in RPI. While a good RPI doesn’t always guarantee an NCAA berth, the lowest RPIs for at-large teams in last year’s NCAA tournament were in the low-30s.

The good news is that if Washington can pull off the upset Monday night, its RPI will skyrocket. The Dawgs also have three remaining games (all on the road) compared to Stanford’s one after Monday, so there are more opportunities to get wins. Winning out will give the Dawgs 10 triumphs on the season and plenty of momentum for a postseason push. However, that means there is little-to-zero room for error on Montlake.

Three Players to Watch: Stanford

1. #13 Jordan Morris (Forward, Junior) – It’s easy to spotlight a guy who has capped for USMNT, but Morris has plenty of substance to him in the college game. Fresh off a goal against the Beavs, Morris has now scored seven goals in his last eight games. He had a goal and an assist against San Diego State in last week’s Game of the Week, which just so happened to fall on his 21^st birthday.
2. #15 Eric Verso (Midfielder, Redshirt Senior) – Through games that ended on Oct. 29, Verso is one of seven players in the country with double-digit assists. That’s enough of a reason to keep an eye on him. His 10 helpers lead the Pac-12.
3. #3 Brandon Vincent (Defender, Senior) – The four-year starter on the back line has been steady as always this year, buoying a defense that has produced eight clean sheets in 2015. The multi-year captain is on the MAC Hermann Trophy watch list and also has four goals, which is third on the team.

Three Players to Watch: Washington

1. #0 Ryan Herman (Goalkeeper, Redshirt Senior) – If it wasn’t for this dude, the Dawgs would really be in a much more dire situation. Luckily, Herman has pitched nine shutouts this year, which is second in the nation.
2. #8 Ian Lange (Midfielder, Senior) – The Dawgs didn’t score against the Bears Friday night, but Lange gave them perhaps their best chance with a header in the final minute that Cal keeper Jonathan Klinsmann (yes, son of USMNT coach Jurgen Klinsmann) had to make a fantastic save on to keep out of the back of the net. Lange’s two goals on the season are tied for second on the team.
3. #23 Henry Wingo (Midfielder, Sophomore) – You have to feel like Wingo is due – the hometown kid leads the team with 38 shots and 14 shots on goal but has yet to register a goal or an assist this year.

Three Notes to Know

1. Stanford’s gone streaking – Since losing the season-opener against UC Santa Barbara, the Cardinal have gone 15 straight without dropping another contest. It’s the second-longest lossless streak in program history (the Cardinal went 20 in a row without losing one over the course of the 1996 and 1997 seasons). Nationally, only Monmouth and Denver can match Stanford’s streak of 15 consecutive matches without a loss. Additionally, Stanford is unbeaten in its last 16 conference contests (11-0-5).
2. More on those Husky shutouts – Washington has held an opposing team scoreless 10 times this season and has done so four times in conference play. The Huskies are the only Pac-12 team to keep Stanford out of the back of the net this year and were the first conference foe to do so since the 2013 season, when UCLA, Cal and Washington shut out the Card (Washington did it twice – once during the regular season and once in the NCAA tournament).
3. Front runners on The Farm – Stanford has trailed a total of 61:27 the entire 2015 season, or just 4.1 percent of the time it has spent on the pitch this year.
4. Undefeateds in Pac-12 history (bonus note) – Only two teams have gone undefeated in conference play since the Pac-12 began sponsoring men’s soccer in 2000 – UCLA (2003) and UCLA (2011). At 6-0-2, Stanford can join those ranks with two more results.