Last week of non-conference play for Pac-12 Men’s Soccer

PREVIEWING THE WEEK: UCLA kicks off the final week of non-conference play with a road match at No. 8 Clemson. OREGON STATE hosts No. 17 Pacific on Friday, and No. 5 STANFORD is at Saint Louis on Saturday. WASHINGTON ends the week at No. 24 Seattle to wrap up the matches featuring top-25 teams.

IN THE RANKINGS: Stanford is ranked fifth in the United Soccer Coaches national poll for the second week in a row. Washington also receives votes for the second week in a row.

WEEKLY RECAP: CALIFORNIA went 2-0 last weekend after beating Yale (1-0) and San Francisco (3-2). California sophomore Shinya Kadono scored two goals against San Francisco to garner honorable mention in this week’s Pac-12 Player of the Week. Washington also went 2-0 this weekend against Drexel (4-0) and Santa Clara (4-3). Washington sophomore Handwalla Bwana, this week’s Pac-12 Player of the Week, completed UW’s first hat trick since 2013 against Santa Clara.

NATIONAL STATS LEADERS: No. 5 Stanford is fifth in assists per game (2.71) in the NCAA statistics. The Cardinal are also ninth in points per game (7), eighth in shots per game (17), and fifth in total assists (19), seventh in total points (49). Washington is ninth in total goals (16). UCLA’s Brian Iloski is second in goals per game (1). Stanford’s Nico Corti is eighth in shutouts (4). His teammate Foster Langsdorf is fourth in total goals (6) and ninth in total points (13).

VS OTHER CONFERENCES: The Pac-12 currently has a 7-2 record against the WCC, 4-0 vs. the Mountain West, 3-0 vs. the Colonial Athletic Association, and 2-0 vs. the Ivy League and the Big West.

COMPLETE STUDENT-ATHLETE: Stanford’s Nico Corti interned at the Crime Strategies Unit at the Santa Clara County District Attorneys Office over the summer. He performed research and contributed to the Santa Clara County 2016 Crime Report, research analyzing the DA’s treatment of defendants represented by Public Defenders, and research on impact of Realignment and Prop 47 on Santa Clara County crime and incarceration rates. He is a redshirt senior political science major.

MAC HERMANN WATCH LIST: San Diego State’s Pablo Pelaez, and Stanford’s Tomas Hilliard-Arce and Foster Langsdorf represent the Pac-12 on the preseason MAC Hermann trophy watch list. Twenty-eight players from NCAA Division I schools around the country have been marked as potential contenders for the 2017 Missouri Athletic Club’s (MAC) Hermann Trophy. The MAC Hermann Trophy is the most prestigious individual award in college soccer, presented annually to one male and one female athlete.

TOPDRAWERSOCCER PRESEASON BEST XI: Seven Pac-12 student-athletes appear on the TopDrawerSoccer Preseason Best XI. Stanford tied for the most of any school with four players featured on the teams. Stanford’s Tomas Hilliard-Arce was selected for the first team; San Diego State’s Pablo Pelaez and Stanford’s Foster Langsdorf are on the second team; Stanford’s Drew Skundrich is on the third team; and UCLA’s Brandon Terwege, Stanford’s Logan Panchot, and Washington’s Blake Bodily are on the freshman team.

PRESEASON COACHES POLL: Breaking a seven-year streak, the Pac-12 coaches tabbed Stanford as the 2017 favorite over rival UCLA, which is ranked second in the preseason coaches poll. Washington followed in third, San Diego State is fourth, and Oregon State edged out California for fifth and sixth, respectively.

PRESEASON ALL-PAC-12: Stanford’s 2016 co-Pac-12 Player of the Year Foster Langsdorf and Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year Tomas Hilliard-Arce highlight the star-studded 2017 Preseason All-Pac-12 team. 2016 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year Washington’s Handwalla Bwana, UCLA’s junior Erik Holt, and SDSU’s senior Adam Allmaras also appear on the team.

2016 PAC-12 MEN’S SOCCER IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT: Four Pac-12 men’s soccer teams were selected to participate in the 2016 NCAA Men’s Soccer Championship, tied for the second-most conference representatives in the field-Stanford, Washington, San Diego State, and UCLA. Stanford went on to win its second consecutive NCAA title after defeating Wake Forest, becoming the first repeat champion since Indiana in 2003-04.

CONFERENCE STANDINGS

UPCOMING SCHEDULE (all times pacific)

2017 PAC-12 MEN'S SOCCER PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

THIS WEEK: Handwalla Bwana, SO, F, Seattle, Wash., Washington

ALSO NOMINATED: Shinya Kadono, CAL; Brian Iloski, UCLA.

2017 PAC-12 MEN'S SOCCER PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

 NATIONAL HONORS

MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List
Pablo Pelaez, SDSU; Tomas Hilliard-Arce, STAN; Foster Langsdorf, STAN

IN THE PRESEASON

Pac-12 Preseason Poll | United Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll