Repeat performance
Shootout thriller returns Cardinal to College Cup final
HOUSTON — Andrew Epstein stepped into the goal mouth and looked at the opposing player walking toward him. It all hit him at once.
NCAA semifinals. No score through regulation and overtime. Penalty kicks to decide which team played for the title.
The Stanford goalkeeper knew exactly what to do because he and his teammates had succeeded in the exact scenario almost exactly a year ago.
No. 5 seed Stanford outlasted No. 9 seed North Carolina 10-9 in penalty kicks Friday night to advance to the NCAA championship game for the second consecutive season.
The Cardinal (14-3-5) will meet No. 2 seed Wake Forest (19-2-3) for the title Sunday (11 a.m.). Stanford can become the first team since Indiana in 2004 to win consecutive NCAA titles.
Friday’s result is nearly identical to the one Stanford achieved year. The Cardinal played to a scoreless draw with Akron before advancing 8-7 on penalty kicks.
Epstein was in goal for both games.
“A little bit of deja vu, the way the whole game went, really,” Epstein said. “Back and forth and 0-0 all the way through. It is nice to be familiar with the scenario going into it.”
Each team scored on its first nine penalty kicks. When Amir Bashti scored the 10th for Stanford it set the stage for North Carolina’s Alex Comisa. Comisa skied his shot over the cross bar to set off a raucous Stanford celebration.
As the shootout wore on and each goalkeeper came just a little bit short of stopping powerful shots, Epstein said he never let his focus waver. But he was happy he got some help from the Tar Heels.
“You always hope they miss,” Epstein said. “When you get in scenarios like that you can’t let your mind start wandering. You always look at the next kick.”
Epstein had to make a few saves near the end of regulation to keep the clean sheet. One of them came in the 81st minute when North Carolina’s Alan Winn ran onto a weakly hit clearance in the heart of the box. Winn’s shot went directly to Epstein, who dropped to his knees and saved it with his feet.
Stanford coach Jeremy Gunn said early in the week he thought the game would be a chess match. That’s exactly what it was.
“They get so many people behind the ball it is tough to break them down,” Gunn said. “I thought we passed the ball really well. We out possessed them. We tried to take chances.”
Three Stanford players n made All-American teams, the National Soccer Coaches Association of America announced. Junior center back Tomas Hilliard-Arce became the eighth first-team All-American in Stanford history. Epstein and junior forward Foster Langsdorf made the second team as Stanford tied Wake Forest with the most selections.
Hilliard-Arce was the Pac-12 defensive player of the year and is a semifinalist for the Hermann Trophy given to the country’s top player.