Berkeley, Calif. - The No. 22 Bears dropped their first two Pac-12 conference games in the Pacific Northwest, thus ending their six-match winning streak. The Bears fell 3-2 in their conference-opener against No. 5 Washington on Thursday night in Seattle and then dropped a 6-2 decision in Corvallis, Ore. against the Oregon State Beavers on Sunday afternoon. Cal returns home to host No. 2 UCLA on Friday afternoon, who defeated their Sunday opponent San Diego State, 1-0 last week. The Bruins enter play at 6-2-2, while San Diego State comes into the weekend with a mark of 6-4-0.
Friday's match at 2 pm PT will be broadcast live on Pac-12 Networks, while Sunday's will not. Both matches will have live stats available on CalBears.com and scoring updates will also be provided on the @CalMensSoccer Twitter account.
SCOUTING REPORT: NO. 2 UCLA
• Beat SDSU 1-0 in their Pac-12 opener last week on a goal by junior Larry Ndjock, which was his second of the season
• Senior midfielder Leo Stolz leads the team with five goals and 10 points
• Bruins have scored 12 goals in 10 matches
• Bruins are 7-2-1 against Cal in their last 10 meetings
• Senior GK Earl Edwards is 6-2-2 with six shutouts and a 0.48 GAA
• LAST MEETING: UCLA defeated Cal 2-1 on 11/3/13
SCOUTING REPORT: SAN DIEGO STATE
• Fell 1-0 to No. 2 UCLA last week to open their Pac-12 season
• Freshman forward David Olsen leads the team in goals with six and points with 12
• Sophomore forward Forrayah Bass has three goals and four assists
• Six different Beavers have scored goals
• Redshirt freshman Adam Allmaras is 6-4-0 with three shutouts and a 1.09 GAA
• LAST MEETING: The Bears defeated the Aztecs 3-2 in Berkeley on 11/1/13 and swept the 2013 season-series, having won three of the last four meetings between the two schools.
HOME COOKING
The Golden Bears have won their first four matches at home in 2014. They have knocked off Cleveland State 6-1 on 9/12, defeated WCC foe Gonzaga 1-0 on 9/14, then-No. 11 Delaware 4-2 on 9/19 and SIUE 2-1 on 9/21. Cal returns home in Pac-12 play on Oct. 10 when they host No. 2 UCLA and Oct. 12 when San Diego State travels to Berkeley.
GOAL ON YOU BEARS
Cal has scored 25 goals in the past eight matches and 26 overall, including six on 9/12 in a 6-1 win over Cleveland State, four on 9/19 in a 4-2 win over then-No. 11 Delaware as well as four on 9/26 in a 4-0 win at Santa Clara. The six goal output was the most by a Cal team in 17 years, and they have scored four or more goals four times already in 2014, when they didn't score more than three in a game in 2013. Cal leads the Pac-12 lead in goals-per-game average, with 26 in nine matches, which is 2.89 goals-per-game. which is the best mark in the country.
#CONNORONFIRE
Senior midfielder Connor Hallisey is having quite the start to his 2014 campaign. He has posted 21 points (seven goals and seven assists) in just nine matches, which marks second in the Pac-12 and is tied for fourth nationally in total points. He tallied three two weeks ago, with a one-goal, one-assist performance in a 4-0 win at Santa Clara on 9/26 and added another in the 3-2 loss to No. 5 Washington this past Thursday. Last season's leading point man was Steve Birnbaum, who finished the year with 21 points. Hallisey has also been named the Pac-12's Player of the Week twice this year.
HIGH FIVE
Three Golden Bears have scored five or more goals so far this season, led by senior Connor Hallisey (seven), fellow senior forward Stefano Bonomo (six) and sophomore Christian Thierjung has five.
PAC-12 LEADERS
Senior Connor Hallisey (seven), senior Stefano Bonomo (six) and sophomore Christian Thierjung (five) are currently tied for third. fifth and eighth respectively in the Pac-12 in goals scored so far this season. The trio is also 1-5-9 in points per game, as Hallisey is averaging 2.33, Bonomo has been posting 1.75 and Thierjung is at 1.22. Hallisey also ranks second in the conference in assists (seven), behind only Oregon State's Khiry Shelton (10).
OPENING THEIR CAL ACCOUNTS
Sophomore defender Trevor Haberkorn and freshman forward Paul Salcedo each scored their first goals as Golden Bears in the defeat in Corvallis against Oregon State on Sunday. With Cal trailing 2-0 early in the second half, Haberkorn scored after a shot attempt by senior midfielder Max Oldham landed at his feet around the six-yard box. Haberkorn colly finished past a helpless Matt Bersano to pull one back for the Bears. Just six minutes later in the 59th minute, Salcedo leveled the match, finishing well off of a quality, driven cross by sophomore defender Nick Lima.
TERRIFIC TAILLOLE
Redshirt senior goalkeeper Justin Taillole is 6-1-0 thus far in 2014. He has posted two shutouts, including last Friday's win at Santa Clara on and has a 1.02 goals-against-average, having allowed only seven goals this season.
KNOW WHEN TO OLDHAM...
Senior midfielder Max Oldham has been very effective in his last two weeks of play and now has a goal and two assists in his last three matches after setting up Trevor Haberkorn's 54th minute strike at Oregon State on 10/5. Oldham now has two goals and four assists on the campaign
CASIPLE OPENS SCORING ACCOUNT
Senior co-captain Seth Casiple opened his goal-scoring account on 10/2 in the 3-2 loss at then-No. 5 Washington, converting an 87th minute penalty. He has one goal and four assists on the season.
A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS
11 different Golden Bears have posted assists thus far in 2014, and Cal as a team has 27 assists on their 26 goals. Senior midfielder Connor Hallisey has seven to lead the team, while fellow senior midfielder Seth Casiple has four.
FAMILIAR FACE
Current UCLA assistant coach Leonard Griffin returns to Berkeley on Friday when the No. 2 Bruins come to town. Griffin, a UCLA alum, held the same position with the Golden Bears in 2013, helping guide them to the No. 1 ranking for six consecutive weeks, as well as a quarterfinal appearance in the NCAA Touranament.
PAC-12 POWER
The Pac-12 is comprised of six teams; five of which are ranked in the latest NSCAA/Continental Tire Poll. Washington (9-1-0) is the top-ranked team in the country, UCLA (6-2-2) is second, Stanford (7-2-0) is 15th while Cal (6-3-0) is 22nd and Oregon State (8-3-0) is 23rd. San Diego State (6-4-0) is the only unranked teams in the conference and has also started their season out fairly well.
OH CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN(S)
Though two of last season's three co-captains have moved on to Major League Soccer, the Bears are not short on leadership. Senior midfielder Seth Casiple returns to wear the armband and is joined by fellow seniors Dylan Serrano and Omid Jalali.
CALIFORNIA DREAMING
The California Golden Bears go by the moniker Cal, and it is incredibly appropriate, considering the team's roster is made up of 23 players from the Golden State. Only three of the 26 players are from outside of California, in sophomore defender Trevor Haberkorn (Keller, Texas), senior goalkeeper Justin Taillole (Scottsdale, Ariz.) and freshman defender Ugo Rebecchini (Rome, Italy).
GRIMES AMONG COUNTRY'S ELITE
Head coach Kevin Grimes is in his 15th season with the Golden Bears and has cemented himself as one of the nation's best. The 2013 NSCAA (National Soccer Coaches Association of America) All Far West Region Coach of the Year has compiled a record of 159-95-35 record in Berkeley and trails only Cal Athletics Hall of Famer Bob DiGrazia in total wins (202 from 1952-1980).
BEARS IN THE PROS
Currently 16 former Bears are playing professionally, including 12 who are currently on MLS rosters. Rookie Steve Birnbaum (D.C. United), fellow rookies Christian Dean (Vancouver Whitecaps FC) and Alec Sundly (New England Revolution) were all part of the 2013 Bears during their Quarterfinal run. Additionally, Anthony Avalos (SK Vard Haugesund), David Bingham (Strommen IF), Servando Carrasco (Houston Dynamo), Chris Cortez (Orange County Blues), Stefan Frei (Seattle Sounders FC), Andrew Jacobson (New York City FC), Hector Jimenez (Columbus Crew), Eric Kronberg (Sporting Kansas City), Leo Krupnik (Maccabi Um El Fahm), Josh Saunders (New York City FC), A.J. Soares (New England Revolution), Tyson Wahl (Columbus Crew) and Andrew Wiedeman (Toronto FC) are all currently on professional rosters.
