Within hours of lifting a second straight College Cup title, Stanford forward and Real Salt Lake Academy alum Corey Baird had his thoughts not on the glory of his accomplishments or the celebration to come. He wasn’t thinking about whether to remain in college or pursue his professional dreams, either.
On his mind when he got back to his hotel room in Houston, where the Cardinal outlasted Wake Forest in a penalty kick shootout, was environmental degradation, loss of biodiversity and resource sustainability. Those were just a few of the topics covered in the Earth Systems 10 course he was taking at Stanford, where less than 48 hours after the final match of his junior season ended with a championship he was taking a final on Tuesday.
“As soon as I got back to my room I was thinking about it,” he laughed after settling back on campus on Monday evening. “On the plane, everyone was doing work. We got back, unpacked, ate dinner and then studied the rest of the night.”
Baird’s schedule after winning a championship this weekend was much different than his former college roommate. Stanford alum and Seattle Sounders forward Jordan Morris was in a championship parade in downtown Seattle on Tuesday after winning MLS Cup. Like Morris and the Sounders on Saturday, Baird’s Cardinal played to a scoreless draw before winning the shootout to lift the title.
This championship was much different than the one Baird and Morris shared in 2015 though. In a 4-0 rout of Clemson, an early goal propelled Stanford to victory as the Cardinal put on a finishing clinic in winning the school’s first men’s soccer championship. With no breakthrough moment, the match in 2016 against Wake Forest was a tight contest throughout.
“Wake is a team that keeps the ball well, so we had to do more chasing. But those are situations we thrive in and we were able to create some good opportunities and the keeper made some good saves,” said Baird, who had one shot on goal in 78 minutes and converted his penalty in the fourth round. “Winning on PKs just added a little something to the celebration.”
Baird made the All-Pac-12 First Team this season after posting three goals and six assists in 23 matches. He added that to his two All-Pac-12 Second Team honors as a freshman and a sophomore to total 10 goals and 23 assists in 65 matches, all credentials that would merit consideration for a pro contract. However, he has his sights set on finishing his degree in Science and Technology in Society and to go for a third consecutive College Cup title.
It's not just the value of education and the luster of a Stanford degree that drives him though.
“Once players get here, they don’t want to leave,” Baird said. “The Stanford degree is important, but there is importance on the brotherhood we have here.”
Baird celebrated Stanford’s title along with fellow RSL Academy alum Trevor Hyman.
