[OCcardinal]

Yeah, soccer can be cruel that way.

Stanford outshot Louisville 16-4.
Shots on goal were 4-2, Stanford.
Stanford had 5 corner kicks to Louisville’s 1.
Louisville had 9 fouls and four yellow cards; Stanford had 6 fouls and 1 card.

By every measure except the one that counts, Stanford outplayed Louisville.  One of Louisville’s shots made it through, while the Louisville keeper saved all 4 Stanford shots on goal.

"I was truly proud of how we played today, but also incredibly frustrated," said Jeremy Gunn, the Knowles Family Director of Men's Soccer. "We started the game on the front foot and, in every category apart from the one that decides the result, we were the better team. We defended well, passed and moved the ball effectively, and created enough quality chances to score. Sometimes the players execute magnificently and you just get sucker punched."

It happens, but this is still a good team with a chance for a title.  But it’s a reminder of why titles are elusive.  If this had happened in, say, the elite 8, we’d be out.

BC

There's rarely a truly dominant #1 team in Men's Soccer. In the last 15 years only three #1 overall seeds have actually won the title.  And in none of the three seasons Stanford won the title (2015-2017) was it the #1 seed.  So I'm not worried about the team being perfect. I just hope they stay somewhat near the top so they face less of a gauntlet in the early rounds.

Soccer can indeed be cruel.  The 2019 Stanford Women's Soccer team (the one with Catarina Macario, Sophia Smith, Madison Haley, Maya Doms, Naomi Girma, Kiki Pickett, Belle Briede, Kennedy Wesley, etc. on the roster), won its first 5 games by outscoring its opponents 26-3. With their 6th game being against 1-3-1 Pepperdine they were surely feeling confident. But Pepperdine scored early (the 19th minute) and held on for the 1 nil victory. Of course that ended up being the team's only blemish on its national championship season.  I'll take that result.  :)

[OCcardinal]

Yeah, soccer can be cruel that way.

Stanford outshot Louisville 16-4.
Shots on goal were 4-2, Stanford.
Stanford had 5 corner kicks to Louisville’s 1.
Louisville had 9 fouls and four yellow cards; Stanford had 6 fouls and 1 card.

By every measure except the one that counts, Stanford outplayed Louisville.  One of Louisville’s shots made it through, while the Louisville keeper saved all 4 Stanford shots on goal.

"I was truly proud of how we played today, but also incredibly frustrated," said Jeremy Gunn, the Knowles Family Director of Men's Soccer. "We started the game on the front foot and, in every category apart from the one that decides the result, we were the better team. We defended well, passed and moved the ball effectively, and created enough quality chances to score. Sometimes the players execute magnificently and you just get sucker punched."

It happens, but this is still a good team with a chance for a title.  But it’s a reminder of why titles are elusive.  If this had happened in, say, the elite 8, we’d be out.

BC

There's rarely a truly dominant #1 team in Men's Soccer. In the last 15 years only three #1 overall seeds have actually won the title.  And in none of the three seasons Stanford won the title (2015-2017) was it the #1 seed.  So I'm not worried about the team being perfect. I just hope they stay somewhat near the top so they face less of a gauntlet in the early rounds.

Soccer can indeed be cruel.  The 2019 Stanford Women's Soccer team (the one with Catarina Macario, Sophia Smith, Madison Haley, Maya Doms, Naomi Girma, Kiki Pickett, Belle Briede, Kennedy Wesley, etc. on the roster), won its first 5 games by outscoring its opponents 26-3. With their 6th game being against 1-3-1 Pepperdine they were surely feeling confident. But Pepperdine scored early (the 19th minute) and held on for the 1 nil victory. Of course that ended up being the team's only blemish on its national championship season.  I'll take that result.  :)