On Sunday night, Quakes Academy alum Amir Bashti became a back-to-back NCAA national champion in just his second year at Stanford, helping the Cardinal defeat Wake Forest in a thrilling 5-4 penalty kick shootout in Houston.
In Sunday’s championship match, Bashti played 25 minutes, coming on as a substitute in the first half before appearing again in the game’s final stanza. The Cupertino native nearly put the Cardinal ahead in the second overtime period when his one-time shot was parried away at the near post.
Prior to the championship match, Bashti played 26 minutes as a substitute in Friday’s College Cup semifinal victory against the University of North Carolina. During Stanford’s shootout win, the sophomore midfielder buried his spot kick, forcing the Tar Heels’ goalkeeper to dive the wrong way.
The Monta Vista High School graduate appeared in all five tournament fixtures for Stanford in 2016, logging an assist in the Cardinal’s tournament-opening 2-0 win over the University of Pacific on Nov. 20. Bashti capped off his sophomore campaign with two goals and three assists in 23 games played.
“The goal of our academy is to produce high-level players with a winning mentality,” said Quakes interim general manager Chris Leitch. “Amir not only helped the Quakes Academy succeed, but has also played a big role in back-to-back National Championships at Stanford. We’ll continue to monitor his growth as a player over the next couple years and are looking forward to his development."
Watch the moment @StanfordMSoccer clinched the 2016 #CollegeCup! pic.twitter.com/8PEGrCA4LX
— NCAA Soccer (@NCAASoccer) December 11, 2016
