STANFORD – Kevin Carmichael scored the game-winning goal and Marco Brougher made four saves to power the California men’s soccer team to a 1-0 victory over 22nd-ranked Stanford in the Big Clasico and regular-season finale on Friday night at Cagan Stadium.
Cal improved its record to 6-7-2 (2-4-2 ACC) with the win in its first ACC game against its longtime rival, whose record is now 8-4-4 (3-2-3). The Golden Bears next compete at North Carolina in the first round of the ACC Championship. With the result over the Cardinal, Cal finished 11th in the conference standings and earned the 11th seed in the conference tournament, pitting the Golden Bears against the sixth-seeded Tar Heels in the first-round match next Wednesday at 3 p.m. PT in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Cal played UNC in Chapel Hill on Sept. 28 during the regular season, with the Bears falling 2-1.
Against the Cardinal, Cal came out strong early, taking a 6-0 shots advantage and forcing two saves out of Stanford goalkeeper Rowan Schnebly in the first 17 minutes. The Bears ended the first half with a 7-3 lead in shots and Brougher made two saves of his own as the game remained 0-0 at halftime…