Pac-12 men's soccer title up for grabs

PAC-12 LEADERS: Midway through the 2018 Pac-12 men’s soccer season, No. 12 STANFORD and No. 22 UCLA remain tied for first in the Conference standings for the second week in row, as the two ranked teams have 12 points each with 4-1-0 records. OREGON STATE is receiving votes in the United Soccer Coaches poll for the second time this season after moving into third place in the league with its first weekend sweep against the Bay Area teams since 2011. Four Pac-12 teams hold a top-40 NCAA RPI with Stanford at No. 20, UCLA at No. 24, Oregon State at No. 35 and WASHINGTON at No. 36.

The Cardinal is ranked in the United Soccer Coaches poll for the third-straight week while No. 22 UCLA is among the nation’s top-25 for the second-consecutive week behind a season-best three-match win streak.

PREVIEWING THE WEEK: The Pac-12 stretch run starts on Thursday with two games broadcast on Pac-12 Networks with Washington visiting California at 3 p.m. PT followed by Oregon State at Stanford at 8 p.m. PT. Both games could have an impact on the Conference standings after the league-leading Cardinal suffered its first Pac-12 loss since 2016 to the Beavers last week while the Huskies and Golden Bears compete to separate themselves from the middle of the pack. OSU could match its longest Conference win streak (three) since 2005 if the Beavers can capture consecutive wins over Stanford for the first time since 2003.

San Diego State and UCLA face non-conference opponents this weekend in San Diego and LMU, respectively, as the two league programs will have the opportunity to improve potential postseason resumes. The only other late non-conference opponents scheduled are Stanford versus top-10 ranked Denver on Oct. 26, and UW versus Loyola Chicago on Nov. 1.

The Pac-12 matchups flip on Sunday as Oregon State takes on Cal at 3 p.m. PT and Washington matches up against Stanford also at 3 p.m. on Pac-12 Networks. Stakes are high for California’s two matches this week as they mark the Golden Bears’ final homestand of the season before facing three challenging Pac-12 opponents on the road to close out league play.

PAC-12 RECAP: Four-time defending league champion Stanford (7-2-3, 4-1-0) continues to top the Pac-12 standings despite a narrow 1-0 loss at Oregon State, which snapped its 14-game unbeaten streak in league play. On Sunday, the Cardinal rebounded to defeat Washington, 3-2, in a nail-biting double overtime finish that came down to sophomore Arda Bulu, whose first career goal proved to be the game-winner in the 107th minute.

Stanford’s Andrew Thomas continues to pace Pac-12 goalkeepers in all six statistical categories, including saves (39), shutouts (6) and goals against average (0.55), which also ranks seventh nationally. Thomas is one shutout away from moving into 12th in Stanford program history with seven shutouts in a single season and is on track to finish in the top-5 in single-season goals against average.

UCLA’s (8-4-0, 4-1-0) freshman class shined last weekend, collecting both tallies that helped extend the Bruins’ winning streak to three games with a 2-1 overtime victory against San Diego State on Saturday. Midfielder Frankie Amaya notched his second goal of the season just 33 seconds into the second half and midfielder Cody Sundquist tapped in the golden-goal in overtime to secure the match. UCLA goalkeepers Justin Garces and Cole Martinez have shared the responsibility in goal as they rank second and third, respectively, in the league in goals against average and lead a UCLA defense that ranks second in the Pac-12 in goals allowed (12), goals against average (0.99) and shutouts (5).

Oregon State (7-4-2, 3-2-0) made huge strides last week with a pair of victories against then-No. 10 Stanford 1-0, and Cal, 2-1, to move into third place in the Pac-12. OSU defeated Stanford for the first time since 2011 and also marked it’s first win over a top-10 opponent since besting No. 9 Michigan State in 2015. The dynamic freshman duo of Sofiane Djeffal and Gloire Amanda connected twice over the week as Djeffal assisted Amanda’s game-winner against Stanford and again the equalizer against Cal before Djeffal found the back of the net himself for the go-ahead goal in the 86th minute. Freshman goalkeeper Adrian Fernandez is tied for the most saves in the Pac-12 with 39 stops while Amanda is second in the Pac-12 with six goals and 41 shots.

Washington (7-6-0, 2-3-0) found its stride halfway through Conference play with an important 1-0 overtime win over California as the match was decided on Scott Menzies penalty kick. UW became only the second team in the last 27 matches to score a pair of goals against Stanford, with scores coming from Dylan Teves and Corban Anderson, in a narrow 3-2 loss. The Huskies remain in contention for top-three spot in the Pac-12 and will lean on Menzies, who leads the team in goals (5) and also look for production for Kyle Coffee, who boasts the most points on the team with 12 (4 goals, 4 assists).

CALIFORNIA (5-6-2, 1-4-0) dropped a 1-0 double overtime result against Washington on Thursday and will host the Huskies for a rematch this week. Senior Shinya Kadono added his Pac-12-leading 11th goal of the season, which ranks sixth on the program’s all-time single-season list, in Cal’s 2-1 loss to Oregon State. Kadono also leads the Conference with 24 points and 46 shots and ranks in the top-10 nationally in goals (8th), points (9th) and goals per game (10th-0.85). His memorable season will be honored alongside four others during Cal’s Senior Day this coming Sunday.

SAN DIEGO STATE (5-6-1, 1-4-0) fought back from an early deficit as Chad Morgan and Adam Vargas connected for the equalizer in the 72nd minute to force extra time, but UCLA responded with the game winner in overtime. Aztecs’ captain Pablo Pelaez leads the team in goals (5), assists (3), points (13) and shots (20) so far this season.

NATIONAL STATS:  Stanford ranks fourth in save percentage (0.857), seventh in shutout percentage (0.583) and goals against average (0.545), and 13th in assists per game (2.33). Cardinal goalkeeper Thomas Andrew ranks sixth nationally in save percentage (0.848) and holds the 10th-most shutouts with six.

Oregon State’s Adrian Fernandez made six saves and recorded a clean sheet in the Beavers’ 1-0 win against Stanford and made one save in a 2-1 home win over California to earn a spot on the TopDrawer Soccer National Team of the Week while teammate Gloire Amanda’s two goals nabbed honorable mention.

Five Pac-12 players are featured in the top-15 of TopDrawer Soccer's Midseason Top-100 Player Rankings, which ties the ACC for the most of any Conference in the nation. League selections include six in the top-25 -No. 5 Andrew Thomas, Stanford; No. 8 Jean-Julien Foe Nuphaus, Cal; No. 9 Frankie Amaya, UCLA; No. 12 Ethan Bartlow, Washington; No. 14 Justin Garces, UCLA; and No. 25 Ian Lonergan, Cal. A total of 11 Pac-12 players make an appearance on the list.

PAC-12 PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Oregon State Midfielder Hassani Dotson played all 180 minutes last week, helping Oregon State upset No. 10 Stanford, 1-0, and beat California, 2-1, and is one-of-four players to play ever minute during the 13 game this season. Dotson had a strong presence in the midfield, disrupting plays on the defensive end and facilitating the Beavers’ attack moving forward to help create dangerous opportunities. Oregon State defeated Stanford for the seventh time in program history on Thursday before Dotson rattled off a season-high four shots, including one off the post, to complete a comeback victory versus Cal on Sunday. Dotson’s effort helped the Beavers outshoot the Golden Bears, 17-6.

MAC HERMANN NOMINEE WATCH: Drake Callender of California and Erik Holt of UCLA represent the Pac-12 on the preseason MAC Hermann Trophy watch list. Goalkeeper Callender has made 29 saves for a .674 save percentage this season. Holt has been a key defensive started that has led UCLA to a 0.99 goals against average accompanied with five shutouts on the season, both totals rank second in the Pac-12.

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: Stanford defender Tanner Beason, two-time All-Pac-12 first team selection, has been selected to the preseason All-Pac-12 team and the TopDrawerSoccer Preseason Best XI first team. UW defender Quentin Pearson was named to TopDrawerSoccer’s Preseason Best XI third team while new teammate Ethan Bartlow earned a spot on the freshman team. Including Bartlow, the Pac-12 had three TopDrawerSoccer Preseason Best XI freshman team selections, which tied for the most of any conference in the country. UCLA was the only school to land two incoming players on the team with forward Matt Hundley and goalkeeper Justin Garces.

PRESEASON COACHES POLL: Stanford has been predicted to win the 2018 Pac-12 men’s soccer title by the Conference’s head coaches for the second-straight season. Washington was picked to finish second in the league as the Huskies bring back strong leadership with 12 upperclassmen from last season's NCAA Tournament team. UCLA is slated to finish third followed by Oregon State and San Diego State tied for fifth place in the Conference poll.

PRESEASON ALL-PAC-12: Stanford and Washington lead the preseason All-Pac-12 team with three honorees each followed by UCLA and Cal with two selections. The preseason team consists of 11 field players and one goalkeeper and features eight returning 2017 All-Pac-12 honorees. Reigning Pac-12 Freshman of the Year Blake Bodily of Washington and Drake Callender of California and Erik Holt of UCLA headline the preseason All-Pac-12 team.

CONFERENCE STANDINGS (Expanded standings)

UPCOMING SCHEDULE (Times PDT)