Earthquakes Academy product Amir Bashti and the Stanford Cardinal men's soccer team topped the visiting Ohio State Buckeyes to advance to the 2015 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Elite Eight, highlighting a busy day of former Quakes featured in the tournament's Sweet 16.
Amir Bashti's assist has Stanford dancing to Elite Eight
It was another memorable tournament match for Bashti as the former academy standout tallied a magical, second-half assist to help lift the Cardinal to an Elite Eight berth. Bashti came on as a first-half substitute for Stanford, proving to be a handful for the Buckeyes' defense inside the area. Bashti's hard work up front paid dividends in the 78th minute. After dancing around a crowd of Ohio State defenders inside the box, Bashti completed a nifty back heel pass to teammate Jordan Morris, who converted on his second goal of the match. Stanford will face ACC powerhouse Wake Forest on Dec. 4 in the NCAA quarterfinals. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:00pm PT.
JT Marcinkowski's historic freshman year comes to an end
Former Earthquakes Academy goalkeeper JT Marcinkowski's stellar freshman season came to a close Sunday afternoon after falling to the visiting Boston College Eagles in a penalty kick shootout. Marcinkowski started and played the majority of the match, but was subbed out before the shootout. The Alamo, Calif. native won BIG EAST Freshman of the Year and First Team honors.
Bryce Clark assists in SMU's Sweet 16 loss
SMU defender and Quakes Academy product Bryce Clark tallied an assist in the 32nd minute, but the Mustangs would eventually fall to the Akron Zips 2-1. Prior to the Mustangs' Sweet 16 match, Clark, a sophmore, assisted on the game-winning goal against the University of Denver.
Andy Perez and UCSB fall to Clemson
Quakes product Andy Perez started in the UCSB Gauchos' 3-2 loss to the Clemson Tigers. Perez scored two goals and tallied one assist in his third year with the program.