Nov. 2, 2011

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STANFORD, Calif. - Stanford closes its home schedule this weekend with games against San Diego State and No. 8 UCLA. The Cardinal host the Aztecs on Friday, November 4, at 7pm and the Bruins on Sunday, November 6, at 1pm. Sunday's game is also Senior Day with eight Cardinal seniors being honored.

Stanford (4-9-2, 1-5-1 Pac-12) is back in action after a week off last week. The Cardinal last played two weeks ago in the Northwest when it suffered losses at both Washington and Oregon State. The good news is that Stanford has been much better at home with a record of 4-2-2.

The Cardinal is led in scoring by Garrett Gunther with eight points. He and Adam Jahn share the team lead in goals with three, while Dersu Abolfathi and Alexander Binnie have two apiece. Eric Anderson leads the team in assists with three, while Gunther and Adoni Levine have two each.

Sunday's game will be Senior Day and the eight Cardinal seniors will be honored. Taylor Amman, Binnie, Ben Grafentin, Gunther, Clayton Holz, Levine, Ryan and Cullen Wilson will be honored for their four seasons at Stanford. The group put together 28 victories for the Cardinal and was a big part of the 2009 run to the Round of 16 at the NCAA tournament.

Also on Sunday, Stanford soccer will auction off tickets to the Oregon and California football games. Find more information HERE
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San Diego State (10-4-2, 4-3-0 Pac-12) comes to town on Friday, looking to build its resume for an NCAA tournament berth. The Aztecs defeated Stanford in San Diego, 1-0, on an Ata Ozbay goal. San Diego State has a balanced attack with six players with at least three goals. Miles Byass, Jordan Ongaro and Daniel Steres lead the Aztecs with five goals apiece.

The Aztecs have outscored its opponents 30-18 this season as Blake Hylen has seen the vast majority of the time in goal. Hylen has made 57 saves and is allowing 1.11 goals per game.

Stanford is 6-12-6 all-time against San Diego State, but beat the Aztecs last season at Cagan Stadium. That game featured a late goal from Cameron Lamming to seal a big win for the Cardinal.

No. 8 UCLA (12-4-1, 7-0-0 Pac-12) comes to town with a big lead in the Pac-12. The Bruins play California on Friday night and need just a tie to clinch the conference crown. The Bruins defeated Stanford 2-0 in the first meeting and hold a 32-7-4 all-time series advantage. However, the Stanford futility against the Bruins has not extended the Cagan Stadium the last several seasons. Stanford is riding a four-game winning streak and five-game unbeaten streak against UCLA at Cagan Stadium.

The Bruins are led by the conference's leading goal scorer, Chandler Hoffman. Hoffman has already netted 13 goals and leads the conference with 28 points. Playmaker Kelyn Rowe is also among the conference leaders in points with five goals and seven assists.

The games this weekend will be the last chance for fans to come out and see the men's soccer team play. The Cardinal will conclude its season on Friday, November 11, at 2:00pm, when it takes on California in Berkeley.