Stanford opens defense of NCAA championship Sunday

Defending national champion Stanford was the only Bay Area men’s soccer team to receive an invitation to the NCAA Tournament when the bracket was announced Monday.

The Cardinal, who will make their fourth straight tournament appearance, earned the No. 5 seed and received a first-round bye in the 48-team event.

The Cardinal, who won the program's first national title in its 100-plus year history last year, will attempt to become the first back-to-back NCAA champions since Indiana in 2003-04.