Can Cal salvage lost season against Stanford?
The opponent for the Bears’ regular season finale could not have been drawn up more perfectly.
Ask around the team about this season and you’ll hear expressions like “challenging” or “disappointing.” Some players are eager to turn the page to the offseason and forget about the myriad of COVID-19 issues, weather postponements and flat-out embarrassing losses. A Nov. 11 game against Stanford, which has an overall record of 6-6-5, though, presents an opportunity for Cal to right the ship, albeit ever so slightly.
“There’s always added incentive when you play Stanford,” said head coach Kevin Grimes. “(There’s) that much more meaning to the game because it’s your crosstown rival and the two schools have had a tradition of an athletic rivalry forever. And so yeah, I think for a lot of guys, this game was personal.”
For the blue and gold, cutting down the Stanford Tree won’t be easy. The Cardinal obliterated the Bears to the tune of 5-0 in their previous meeting Oct. 3. Dig deeper into the box score and you’ll see remnants of the struggles that have plagued Cal throughout the season.
It’s no secret the Bears’ bread and butter has been a defense that does enough to keep the games competitive in spite of an ailing offense. A gritty antithesis of an offensive shootout leans more towards their style of play. However, when matched up with aggressive offenses that like to push the ball inside the box, the game can get out of reach as the back line struggles without heavy doses of scoring to bail it out.
That trend was prevalent in many of Cal’s games this year, as seen in its first meeting against UCLA, which ranks third in the conference in goals, as well as against Washington, which leads the Pac-12 in shots, points and goals.
There’s no reason to believe Stanford doesn’t pose a similar threat. Its offense is highlighted by junior Ousseni Bouda, who leads the team in points and provided six in the two rivals’ earlier meeting. Redshirt senior Zach Ryan, tied for fourth in the Pac-12 for scoring, is another candidate to give Cal headaches. The duo propelled a Cardinal attack that provided no shortage of chances against the Bears, firing off 21 shots, with a number of them coming in the first minutes of the game to set an ominous tone early on for the blue and gold. Playing a clean game from the get-go this time is certainly one of Cal’s priorities.
The good news for the Bears is that they have played considerably better as the season has drawn to a close. Since a 4-0 drubbing at Washington, Cal has rallied to tie in Santa Clara and rode a game-winner to a home victory against UCLA. It was almost able to avenge its loss against Washington, knotting the game at one goal apiece before inclement weather caused officials to declare the game a no contest. Between the unorthodox ending and a 2-0 defeat against Oregon State, Cal has the luxury of carrying extra motivation into an already intriguing match.
“Our players were pissed,” said goalkeeper Collin Travasos, speaking of the no-contest decision in Seattle. “There was a lot of energy in the team after that game, just like because of the situations and the weather and then the crazy day at Oregon State. … We had our chances that we missed. It was just a tough, tough one for sure.”
Thursday’s game will tell if the Bears can translate the energy created from their previous two outings into a win against their Bay Area rivals. No matter the result, an offseason of reinvention and rethinking awaits for a program yearning for its first Pac-12 championship since 2010. For now, though, while this year’s squad won’t be remembered for anything flashy, it has a chance to close the book on the regular season with a happier ending.
Ali Fazal covers men’s soccer. Contact him at afazaldailycal.org.