For the second time this season, the No. 12 Cal men's soccer team defeated Stanford by the slim margin of 1-0 on Saturday at Edwards Stadium.

This time, though, there wasn't a need for overtime, and the goal came much earlier in the game to secure a victory for the Bears on Senior Day in the regular-season finale.

After honoring its five seniors before the game, Cal sent four of them-with the exception of the injured Tyler Barry-into the starting lineup.

The first 10 minutes were controlled by the Bears (10-3-5, 5-2-3 in the Pac-10), although the rest of the half seemed to lose that initial energy.

"It was a really warm, hot day, and I think the group was getting settled in," Cal coach Kevin Grimes said. "I think the heat took its toll on both teams, I don't think either team did real well between the 10th and the 40th minute. The second half we looked a lot better and a lot stronger, we got a break at halftime and got rejuvenated."

The game's lone goal came shortly after the restart, as Cal came out fast and surged towards the Cardinal goal. After a free kick near the box, the ball came to the Bears' A.J. Soares, who blasted a shot from the top of the box.

That attempt was blocked by defenders and junior Jacob Wilson fielded the rebound and rifled the ball into the left side of the goal, past Stanford goalkeeper John Moore.

Finding scoring opportunities has been rare for Wilson, who-though listed as a forward-has played every minute at centerback since Barry's injury.

"It was just an exciting goal," Wilson said. "I love going up there and getting a chance to score anytime I can."

The Bears poured in 12 shots, forcing Moore into six saves. Cal had what appeared to be an early goal disallowed, but continued to build up plays that flowed towards the box. In contrast to the Bears' fluid movement, Stanford (4-11-3, 2-6-2) primarily relied on fast breaks to threaten the defense.

"They sat back and countered today, and whenever you play a counterattack team they are always going to have fastbreaks," Grimes said. "They didn't have a whole lot of buildup tonight, but they did have a lot of counterattack movements ... It's a long rush upfield, but you just have to deal with that."

The defense limited the Cardinal to six shots, although there were some nervy moments.

"We got caught a couple of times, but we had good cover with guys sprinting back," Wilson said. "Sometimes it looked a little worse than it was, but overall I think we had pretty good cover."

Cal goalkeeper Stefan Frei notched his ninth shutout of the season, making four saves, including a diving save in the last minute of the game to snuff out any hope of a Stanford comeback.

The Bears now wait to find out their postseason fate, to be announced on Monday. With the win, Cal secured second place in the Pac-10, and notched its eighth straight 10-win season.

Tags: CAL MEN'S SOCCER, KEVIN GRIMES