Pac-12 Men’s Soccer Crown in Sight

The race for the Pac-12 crown is down to the wire with just two weeks remaining in the regular season. No. 4 STANFORD and UCLA matchup on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. PT, which could determine who takes the title. If the Cardinal beat the Bruins, No. 4 Stanford clinches the Pac-12 crown with an unreachable 22 points. If not, No. 17 WASHINGTON, CALIFORNIA, and UCLA are still in the running, along with the Cardinal.

The Pac-12 Network’s Soccer at Sundown on Sunday could be another title-clinching match. If No. 4 Stanford fails to win versus the Bruins, it sets another shot at the crown versus San Diego State.

IN THE RANKINGS: Both the Cardinal and Huskies moved up in the United Soccer coaches poll this week. Stanford bumped up one spot to No. 4, while UW jumped six spots to No. 17. California received votes. Stanford has been in the top-10 for ten weeks of the season, including being ranked No. 1 in the preseason poll and the first two weeks of the season. Washington has been ranked in the poll for nine weeks.

Four of the six Pac-12 teams are in the top-40 in the RPI: Stanford is 13, Washington is 29, UCLA is 32, and California is 39.

WEEKLY RECAP: Washington had two crucial wins against San Diego State and UCLA to keep the Huskies in the running for the Pac-12 title. UW has a bye this week, making its two wins last even more important.

PAC-12 PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Washington’s Saif Kerawala is the Pac-12 Player of the Week. Kerawala helped Washington to a pair of Pac-12 road wins last week against San Diego State on Thursday (1-0) and UCLA on Sunday (1-0). With the regular season winding down, Washington is in the race for the Pac-12 title. On Thursday, Kerawala made two saves at SDSU, but both were key. The first came on a 1v1 fast break and the second was on a penalty kick at the end of the first half. On Sunday, the sophomore made a pair of saves as the Huskies shut out UCLA in a 1-0 road win. Two shutouts gives him seven on the season and he has not allowed a goal in his last 239:03 in the net.

NATIONAL STATS LEADERS: No. 4 Stanford is second in the nation in assists per game (2.80), sixth in points per game (6.93), sixth in shots per game (16.33), seventh in shutout percentage (.600), seventh in team goals against average (.526), third in total assists (42), eighth in total points (104), and seventh in won-lost-tied percentage (.833). No. 17 Washington is 10th in total goals (35). Stanford’s Foster Langsdorf is 10th in game-winning goals (4). His teammate Nico Corti is seventh in goals against average (.529) and ninth in shutouts (8). California’s Jose Carerra-Garcia is eighth in assists per game (.57).

VS. OTHER CONFERENCES: The Pac-12 currently has a 10-2 record against the WCC, 4-1-1 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 was a member of the JusticeCorps in Fall 2016. The political science major spent the fall quarter volunteering at the Family Law Facilitator and Legal Self-Help Center at the San Mateo Courthouse. He assisted self-represented litigants by providing legal information regarding family law, restraining orders, divorce, name changes, and other pending legal forms. In the winter of 2016, he was an undergraduate research assistant at the Stanford Law School Criminal Justice Center. He is also a teachers assistant for a public speaking course at Stanford.

SENIOR CLASS AWARD: Four Pac-12 student-athletes appear on the Senior CLASS Award candidate list: Stanford’s Tomas Hilliard-Arce, Foster Langsdorf, Drew Skundrich, and Oregon State’s Timmy Mueller. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Senior CLASS Award honors the attributes of NCAA Division I senior student-athletes in four areas: community, classroom, character and competition. The award program is designed exclusively for college seniors who are utilizing their complete athletic eligibility, remaining committed to their university and pursuing the many rewards a senior season can bring.

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.COM 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: Saif Kerawala, SO, GK, Washington (Bellevue, Wash.)

ALSO NOMINATED: Don Tchilao, OSU, Alex Knox, 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

Senior CLASS Award Watch List
Tomas Hilliard-Arce, STAN; Foster Langsdorf, STAN; Timmy Mueller, OSU; Drew Skundrick, STAN

IN THE PRESEASON

Pac-12 Preseason Poll | United Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll