Cal State Fullerton No Match for Stanford in First Round

Cal State Fullerton knew all about the strength of Stanford’s defense, ranked No. 1 in the nation.

The Titans also found out quickly in the first round of the NCAA men’s soccer playoffs Saturday night that the Cardinal can be adept at scoring goals as well as preventing them.

Stanford, the nation’s third-seeded team, scored four times in the first half for a 4-0 victory over the Titans in front of 1,150 at Stanford’s Maloney Field.

Senior forward Corey Woolfolk scored three goals within the first 21 minutes for the first hat trick of his college career.

The Cardinal (17-2-1) will play the winner of the first-round game today between Illinois Chicago and Bradley. The site of that game next weekend will be determined on Monday, but Stanford is expected to host.

Fullerton’s season ended with a 15-6-1 record, the third consecutive year the Titans have won 14 or more.

But that didn’t take any of the sting out of the one-sided defeat.

“We were never in the game,” Titan Coach Al Mistri said. “This was not our team tonight, and that’s my regret. It seemed like we were frozen, and not capable of any action.”

Stanford surprised the Titans with a goal only a minute and 13 seconds into the match. Woolfolk, who has played in 84 consecutive matches for Stanford since 1997, connected on a kick from 15 yards out.

Woolfolk broke in the open on a drive for another goal in the 16th minute, with Ryan Nelsen getting the assist. Woolfolk picked up his third consecutive goal in the 21st minute.