Earthquakes Set to Face New York Red Bulls in Playoffs
The Earthquakes missed an opportunity to better their playoff positioning, losing 4-1 on the road to the Kansas City Wizards on Saturday. With the loss, the Earthquakes qualified as the eighth seed in the MLS Playoffs and are matched up with the New York Red Bulls, the Eastern Conference’s top seed, in the first round. The Quakes will enter the playoffs with the Golden Boot winner Chris Wondolowski, who scored four goals in the last two games to surpass previous leader Edson Buddle. The Quakes will play a home-and-home series against the Red Bulls, and the aggregate score of the two games will determine which team advances. The first match is at Buck Shaw Stadium on Saturday night.

Sharks Take Two of Three on the Road
After posting wins in Colorado and Edmonton, the San Jose Sharks were dominated by the Calgary Flames 4-0 in Canada on Sunday night. Goaltender Antti Niemi allowed three goals on five shots before being pulled from the game. Thus far, Niemi has started four games with just one win, and goaltender Antero Niittymaki has started three games with two wins and a far better goals-against average and save percentage. The Sharks (3-3-1) return to home ice to play the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday night.

Stanford Rides Running Game to Victory over Washington State
Cardinal running back Stepfan Taylor rushed for 142 yards and two touchdowns, leading Stanford to a 38-28 win over Washington State on Saturday at the Farm. Stanford took a 38-14 lead in the fourth quarter on quarterback Andrew Luck’s third touchdown pass before allowing the Cougars to score to touchdowns in the final four minutes. No. 13 Stanford (6-1) has a trip to Washington to play the Huskies (3-4) this Saturday before it hosts No. 15 Arizona (6-1) in a crucial Pac-10 match up.

Fresno State Ends Spartans Bowl Chances
Bulldogs running back Robbie Rouse rushed for 116 yards and two touchdowns, propelling Fresno State to 33-18 win over San Jose State. Spartan linebacker Keith Smith was named College Football Performance’s linebacker of the week after recording 14 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and three sacks. With seven losses, the Spartans are now ineligible for a bowl game. San Jose State travels to Las Cruces to play New Mexico State on Saturday in a battle of Western Athletic Conference cellar dwellers.

Stanford Soccer Earns Two Weekend Shut Outs
The Cardinal women’s soccer dominated Arizona and Arizona State this weekend, beating both schools 3-0. In Friday’s win over Arizona State, Christen Press’s nine-game goal-scoring streak ended, but she picked up her 40th career assist, tying a Stanford record. She scored a goal in the Sunday’s win over Arizona, extending her points streak to 16 games. The Cardinal (15-0-2) has won 14 consecutive matches since tying North Carolina in August. Stanford looks to stay perfect in Pac-10 play when it travels to Berkeley to play California on Saturday.