STANFORD, Calif. – Justin Schmidt put in his header less than two minutes into overtime and No. 16 Washington handed No. 9 Stanford its first Pac-12 loss of the season on Sunday night, 1-0.
The result in rainy conditions, which halted the Cardinal's quest for its third consecutive conference championship, was Stanford's first since Sept. 23 at San Francisco and also snapped the program's 21-match unbeaten streak at home. It was Stanford's first defeat at Cagan Stadium since Nov. 23, 2014.
"They're a very good team and they're good defensively," Stanford head coach Jeremy Gunn said. "We had some great chances to win the game, set piece opportunities that we didn't bury and others in the run of play. It was just one of those tight games in which we needed to bury one and we didn't manage to."
Stanford (10-3-4, 7-1-1 Pac-12) nearly ended it twice in the waning seconds of regulation. With 75 seconds to go, Bryce Marion sent a low cross to the top of the box for Sam Werner. Werner used his right foot to fire a shot that was sent away by a diving Auden Schilder. The ball trickled out to the edge of the six and a streaking Amir Bashti tried to use his left to slip it by Schilder, but the Husky (12-4-0, 5-2-0 Pac-12) keeper kicked it away.
Schilder's seventh and eighth saves of the night sent the game into overtime and then Schmidt won it by heading home a Handwalla Bwana corner at the near post 80 seconds into the extra period.
Stanford, which needed a draw with UW to clinch its third straight Pac-12 championship, will have to wait. The Cardinal does not play again until it closes out its regular season at Cal on Friday, Nov. 11. Washington, the only other team still in the running, hosts UCLA and San Diego State next weekend before wrapping up its schedule at home against Oregon State on Thursday, Nov. 10.
Stanford has 22 points and the Huskies are second with 15. A Cardinal victory over the Golden Bears regardless of what UW does in its final three games would win it for Stanford.
Prior to the game, Stanford honored seniors Adrian Alabi, Trevor Hyman and Brian Nana-Sinkam. The three have led the Cardinal a 51-15-14 overall record, two Pac-12 championships and the program's first NCAA title in their time at Stanford.