Nov. 7, 2010

Final Stats

BERKELEY - On senior day, it was a freshman who came through to give her upperclassmen a win on their last home game. With 105:36 expired on the clock, forward Kaitlyn Fitzpatrick netted the golden goal to power the California women's soccer team to a 1-0 overtime victory over No. 13 Oregon State on Sunday afternoon at Edwards Stadium.

The match, which was played under rainy skies, closed the conference and regular season campaigns for both squads with the Golden Bears ending up 9-5-5 overall and 4-4-1 in the competitive Pac-10 Conference while the Beavers now stand at 15-2-0 and 7-2-0 in the Pac-10.

After 105 minutes of play, Megan Jesolva took a shot on goal from the far side that OSU goalkeeper Colleen Boyd saved. Fitzpatrick was there to collect the rebound and handily fire to the right side for the golden goal. Fitzpatrick's score was the second of the weekend and budding Cal career after notching the gamewinner in the 2-0 decision over Oregon on Friday.

"The game was very suspenseful," Fitzpatrick said. "We were pushing so hard at the goal, and we felt one coming. For me, it was more than just an overtime goal. It means more to me because of our seniors. Seeing their faces after I scored, knowing that we won, and the seniors running at me made me really happy. Our team really came together."

An overtime game was absolutely nothing new to the Bears, who have gone into overtime eight times, while this is just the second overtime match for the Beavers.

"Our players were extremely disciplined," Cal head coach Neil McGuire said of the Bears' overall performance. "One of the things we said to them is that we've had so much experience in overtime so we know how to handle it. I think our players really have matured. We have a young team, but they've matured over the course of the season. I'm very, very proud of them."

The overtime game was nerve-wracking for everyone involved, even the veterans on the squad.

"I was scared at the end," McKetty said. "I'm happy that we won. It's crazy how fast four years went by. I love this program, and I love my teammates."

Oregon State outshot the Bears in the first half, 9-4, but that was the only time Cal would fall behind in shots. The Bears went on to outshot the Beavers, 6-3, in the second half and a collective 5-1 in the 15 minutes of overtime. McGuire aptly agreed with the difference in play that the box score reflected.

"I thought we controlled the second half," McGuire said. "I thought Oregon State had us in the first half. They had great tempo and rhythm and kept the ball very well. They were very dangerous. I think the first half goes to them, and the second half goes to us. In the overtime, I felt we had much of the play. We're very fortunate to get the win over a worthy opponent in Oregon State."

Jubilant was the feeling on the field for the Bears following their first upset of a ranked team this weekend, the 0-0 tie with then-No. 8 Santa Clara excluded. For seniors Megan Jesolva, McKenna McKetty and Emily Shibata, it was a triumphant end to their senior day.

"It was awesome," Jesolva said. "Before the game, we knew that we weren't done yet. We just wanted to leave it all out on the game. This was our last time at home, and we just wanted to end with a win."

The Beavers had an unsuccessful trip to the Bay Area, losing to No. 1 Stanford, 2-0, on Friday and then to the Bears, which halted a 10-game unbeaten streak. Cal extends its all-time record with Oregon State to 17-2-1.

Thanks to the two final shots of the game from Jesolva and Fitzpatrick, the Bears edged the Beavers on shots at 15-13. It was those two who had the most shots on the Cal squad with four apiece while Courtney Wetzel paced the Beavers with six.

In addition to the first-rate performance from the Cal defense, the 105:36 minutes of scoreless play for the Beavers was due largely in part to freshman goalkeeper Emily Kruger. She defied a relentless OSU attack, making nine saves. On the flip side, Beaver keeper Colleen Boyd made 11.

Cal registered eight corner kicks to OSU's six. The Beavers, who lead the conference in fouls and yellow cards, held up that statistics with 11 fouls to Cal's 10 and earning two yellow cards.

With the regular season now complete, the Bears await their fate for the 2010 postseason. The selection show will take place on Monday, Nov. 8, at 1:30 p.m., when Cal finds out if it earned an at-large bid to the 2010 NCAA Tournament.