Cal Women's Soccer vs. Stanford on Pac-12 Networks Gamethread

No. 22 Cal (13-4-2, 5-3-2 Pac-12) vs. No. 3 Stanford (16-1-2, 8-1-1 Pac-12)

Don't forget Thursday is Senior Day and a big match vs. Stanford! Hope to see you out at Goldman Field at 2 PM...Senior Day ceremony starts at 1:45!

A photo posted by Cal Women's Soccer (@calwomenssoccer) on Nov 11, 2014 at 5:10pm PST

Help us give these seniors a super sendoff before we take on Stanford at 2 PM Thursday! We would LOVE your support!

A video posted by Cal Women's Soccer (@calwomenssoccer) on Nov 11, 2014 at 2:12pm PST

While chances are good that the Golden Bears will not only just made the 64 team NCAA tournament but also be able to host at least a 1st round match, this regular season home finale is a Big one. For some reason, the Cal Women's Soccer rivalry with Stanfurd lack a catchy moniker. Nevertheless, this is an important match featuring two postseason bound squads.

Let's take a look at the Pac-12 Women's Soccer table.

pac-12 women's soccer STANDINGS

Teams	Pts	Conf	Overall
UCLA	28	9-0-1	17-0-2
STANFORD	25	8-1-1	16-1-2
USC	18	6-4-0	12-5-2
CALIFORNIA	17	5-3-2	13-4-2
WASHINGTON STATE	16	5-4-1	10-4-3
WASHINGTON	16	5-4-1	12-6-1
COLORADO	16	5-4-1	12-6-1
ARIZONA	13	4-5-1	10-6-2
ARIZONA STATE	12	3-4-3	10-5-4
OREGON	7	2-7-1	6-10-2
UTAH	5	1-7-2	8-7-4
OREGON STATE	0	0-10-0	0-16-3

As you can see, Women's Soccer is one of the few sports where all Pac-12 teams field a team. The Golden Bears are currently sitting in tight group of 5 for 3rd place with USC, Wazzu, UW, and Colorado. UCLA is not only at the top of the conference but also boost a No.1 ranking in the country. Stanfurd is within striking distance, while having the No.3 ranking in the poll.

In the more relevant RPI ranking, we find UCLA and Stanfurd at No.1 and No.2 on that. Our Bears are ranked No.22 on that (the same as in the human poll). For the NCAA tournament, only 16 teams are seeded. You would think that should the Bears be able to pull off a big upset today, they may be able to jump into the top 16 in RPI and possibly earn a seed.

Let's throw back to 2013:

Then Cal senior Rachel Mercik scored the Golden Goal as the Bears defeated Stanfurd down at the Farm.

Who will be the hero this year?

Cal is honoring their 5 seniors: Taylor Comeau, Thelma Einarsdottir, Lorin Hom, Kory Lamet , Grace Leer and Sandra Ley before the match today. Taylor Comeau still leads the Bears in points with 22 (8 goals, 6 assists). Leer is 3rd on the team with 5 goals. Hom has 3 goals and 3 assists on the season. Einarsdottir has been the hero for the Bears lately with a couple of key goals. Lamet has also tallied a goal and an assist on the season.

About Furd:

No. 3 Stanford enters Thursday’s matchup with a 16-1-2 overall record and holds an 8-1-1 mark in Pac-12 play. The Cardinal are fresh off a 7-0 Senior Day beatdown over Oregon State and are riding a six-game unbeaten streak against league opponents. The squad is led by senior midfielder Lo’eau LaBonta, who ranks fourth in the conference in total goals (10) and fifth in total points (22). LaBonta leads the squad’s attack in both categories. Stanford was tabbed second in the Pac-12 Preseason Coaches Poll, and currently sits second in the conference standings.

GOAL ON YOU BEARS!