Cal’s best victory of the fall season . . . in any sport?
The men’s soccer team delivered it Friday evening at Edwards Stadium, pinning a 1-0 defeat on top-ranked rival Stanford.
Sophomore midfielder Junhwan Park, a native of South Korea who transferred in this season from San Francisco, scored the game-winner in the 33rd minute. It was his third goal in as many games.
Cal beat the nation’s No. 1 team for the second straight year, having knocked off top-ranked Pitt 1-0 on the road last season. This one had to be even more satisfying for the Bears.
“I’ve said it before, you come to Cal to play Stanford, and you come to Cal to beat Stanford,” Cal coach Leonard Griffin said.
The outcome no doubt was made sweeter for Cal (6-7-2, 2-6-1 ACC) because it deprived Stanford of the ACC regular-season championship. While having their 10-game unbeaten streak and run of five straight shutouts ended, the Cardinal (12-2-2, 5-2-1 ACC) wound up second in the final standings.
Sixth-ranked Virginia (10-1-4, 5-0-3 ACC) claimed the ACC crown.
The Bears beat Stanford for the second year in a row, taking a 1-0 verdict on the Farm last season. And in their regular-season finale, the Bears finally won their first home game this year.
“It was super intense,” Griffin said. “It’s always a dogfight against Stanford. They’re a tough team to beat when it turns into that.
“This result is a testament to the character of this group and their absolute belief in one another and their belief in what they can accomplish.”
Stanford outshot the Bears 14-3 but goalkeepers Marco Brougher and Connor Lambe combined for seven saves to secure the shutout.
Cal moves on to the ACC tournament next week at Durham, NC. The 12th-seeded Bears open Wednesday at 4 p.m. against No. 5 seed Duke at 4 p.m. PT.
Wednesday at 4 p.m. PT in Durham, North Carolina, where the 12th-seeded Bears will face fifth-seeded Duke (8-2-6, 4-2-2 ACC). The Bears and Blue Devils tied 1-1 on Sept. 14 in Berkeley.
A victory over Duke would send the Bears into a quarterfinal matchup on Sunday, Nov. 9 against the winner of the game between No. 4 seed Clemson and No. 9 North Carolina.
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