LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Freshman Corey Baird had the first multi-goal game of his young career and the first for a Cardinal in 2014, as his brace carried the No. 8 Stanford men’s soccer team to a 2-2 draw with No. 1 UCLA on Thursday night in Westwood.
The two sides have been evenly matched through 220 minutes of action this season. The pair also split two points after playing to a 1-1 stalemate on Oct. 12 on The Farm. Thursday marked the Cardinal’s (9-2-3 overall, 2-1-3 Pac-12) first point in Drake Stadium since a scoreless draw on Oct. 12, 2007.
Trailing 2-1 late in the second half, Baird’s second goal of the match was the much-needed equalizer for a Cardinal squad that was imposing continuous pressure on the Bruins. Standing just outside the 18, Bobby Edwards played the ball across the box to Zach Batteer. The newly minted CoSIDA Academic All-District selection out-jumped his defender and headed it down to Baird, whose volley to the near post slipped past a diving Earl Edwards and to the back of the goal (77’).
The combination secured a point for Stanford, which outshot UCLA (10-3-4, 5-1-2) 16 to 5 and earned 13 corners to just two for the Bruins. In the teams’ two meetings this season, the Cardinal fired off 44 shots to UCLA’s 14.
Baird’s first goal opened the game’s scoring in the 14th minute and again involved Edwards. Austin Meyer’s corner kick was booted out to the mechanical engineering major Edwards, who launched a right-footed blast that pegged the crossbar. The ricochet fell to Stanford’s freshman, who employed a brilliant turn and deposited a clean and hard finish which left Edwards with no hope.
A deep team that leads that Pac-12 with 11 different goal scorers, the program’s most in a season since 2009, Baird’s brace was the first multi-goal effort for a Stanford player this season. The Vista Grande product is now tied for second on the team in goals (3) and sixth in points (8).
Baird's finish against Delaware was one of my favorite in recent memory. So cheeky. Tonight's been all-out awesome for the Stanford frosh.
— Matthew Snyder (@schnides14) October 31, 2014
Baird’s goals bookended a pair of UCLA tallies from Seyi Adekoya, the first of which came use 34 seconds after Escondido, Calif. native’s 14th-minute strike. Andrew Tusaazemajja crossed a ball into the box, which UCLA’s freshman chested down and beat Stanford’s Andrew Epstein to his right.
In the 59th, Leo Stolz flipped one up to Adekoya, who controlled with his head and poked over the line after slipping between Cardinal defender Jimmy Callinan and Epstein.
The chances were there for Stanford. In the 17th, Jordan Morris jetted through three defenders and found Batteer in the box, but the earth systems major’s shot went high. Morris again took on UCLA’s Michael Amick in the 51st, beating him down the right flank and leaving the ball off, but the Cardinal attempt flew over the crossbar.
In the 70th minute an overlapping run from Brandon Vincent led to another Stanford corner. Played into the far side of the box, Brian Nana-Sinkham headed the ball to Foster Langsdorf, whose header of his own was saved at point-blank range by Edwards.
UCLA’s next best opportunity came in the 56th when a free kick from just outside the box by Leo Stolz was struck low and hard, wrapping its way around the Cardinal wall and forcing Epstein to make a diving stop.
Stanford has not lost an overtime game since Nov. 1, 2012, a streak that is now at 12. The Cardinal is 5-0-7 in such contests over that span.
Following draws in its last three conference matches, the Cardinal will play the last conference foe it defeated when it meets San Diego State on Sunday at noon. In the teams’ Oct. 9 game at Cagan Stadium, Stanford won 2-0 and its back line did not allow a single shot on frame.
