BERKELEY - The Bears opened their home slate with a bang, winning both matches last week at Edwards Stadium. Cal defeated Cleveland State 6-1 on Friday, and followed that up with a 1-0 win over Gonzaga on Sunday afternoon. The Bears saw two redshirt freshman score their first career goals (Matt Chasman and Jose Carrera-Garcia), saw Connor Hallisey post seven points (two goals and three assists) and Stefano Bonomo tallied his first career hat-trick.
Friday's match will be broadcast live on Pac-12 Networks, while Sunday's will have live stats available on CalBears.com. Scoring updates for both matches will be provided on the @CalMensSoccer Twitter account.
HOME COOKING
The Golden Bears won their first two matches at home last week to open their 2014 home slate; knocking off Cleveland State 6-1 on Friday and defeating Gonzaga 1-0 on Sunday. Cal hosts two more opponents this coming week, as they look to build on their three-match winning streak.
SIX!
Cal won its home opener on Friday 6-1 over Cleveland State. That marked the first time in exactly 17 years to the that a Bears team had scored six goals in a match. They last did so in 1997 when they beat then-No. 15 Rhode Island 6-0.
BONOMO HAT-TRICK, HALLISEY BRACE
Senior forward Stefano Bonomo posted his first career hat-trick on Friday in Cal's 6-1 thrashing of Cleveland State. Fellow senior midfielder Connor Hallisey scored a brace and tacked on two more assists in the win as well, while redshirt freshman Matt Chasman scored his first collegiate goal.
FRESHMAN FIRSTS
Redshirt freshmen Matt Chasman and Jose Carrera-Garcia hit a key milestone this past week, as both scored their first collegiate goals. Chasman scored in the 78th minute of Cal's win over Cleveland State on Friday when he followed up his saved penalty attempt. Carrera-Garcia scored the game-winner on Sunday against Gonzaga, when he finished off of a low, driven cross by Connor Hallisey in the 76th minute.
HALLISEY ON FIRE
Senior midfielder Connor Hallisey is having quite the start to his 2014 campaign. He has posted 11 points (three goals and five assists) in just four matches and leads the Pac-12 in total points. He tallied seven alone this weekend, with a two-goal, two-assist match on Friday and assisted on Jose Carrera-Garcia's game-winner on Sunday. Last season's leading point man was Steve Birnbaum, who finished the year with 21 points.
TERRIFIC TAILLOLE
Redshirt senior goalkeeper Justin Taillole is a perfect 3-0-0 thus far in 2014. He posted his first shutout on Sunday in the win over Gonzaga and has a 0.35 goals-against-average, having allowed only one goal.
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.
NEW FACES
The Golden Bears have plenty of new faces in Berkeley this season. There are nine new players to the program, with eight freshman and one transfer, sophomore Trevor Haberkorn.
Haberkorn, a sophomore, transferred to Cal following his freshman season at Furman. He appeared in all 18 matches for the Paladins and was named to TopDrawerSoccer's Freshman Best XI and was also selected to the Southern Conference's second team.
The eight true freshman made up a deep and talented recruiting class for head coach Kevin Grimes and are comprised of midfielders Marko Helfrich (Lafayette, Calif.), Aravind Sivakumar (Cupertino, Calif.) Eloi Vasquez (San Rafael, Calif.), defenders Matt Locklear (Irvine, Calif.), Jorge Miranda (Van Nuys, Calif.), Joshua Morton (Brentwood, Calif.), Ugo Rebecchini (Rome, Italy) and forward Paul Salcedo (Inglewood, Calif.).
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).
SOMETHING TO PROVE
The Bears reached previously unknown heights in 2013, carrying the number one ranking for the first time in program history for six consecutive weeks. This group is focused from the outset to earn results and looks to return to the postseason with an eye on reaching more hallowed ground. In 2013, Cal reached the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament, where they lost in heartbreaking fashion to Maryland 2-1 in Berkeley after a late goal. That marked the third time in the 107 years of program history that the Bears had advanced that far. The 2014 team will be looking to pen yet another new chapter in the record books.
LEADERS ABOUND
Though there are nine new faces on campus, the 2014 Bears still have a strong veteran presence in tow. With 10 upperclassmen and a total of nine seniors on board, the Bears are anything but short on leadership. Co-captains Seth Casiple, Dylan Serrano and Omid Jalali are at the forefront from a leadership perspective, but there is much more to go around. Factor in the stability in the coaching ranks, as Kevin Grimes enters his 15th season at the helm, as does goalkeeper coach Henry Foulk, and there is a lot of experience in Blue and Gold this upcoming season.
GRIMES AMONG COUNTRY'S ELITE
Head coach Kevin Grimes begins 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 156-93-35 record in Berkeley over the course of 15 seasons and trails only Cal Athletics Hall of Famer Bob DiGrazia in total wins (202 from 1952-1980).
2013 IN REVIEW
In 2013, when the Bears compiled a 14-5-2 overall record (6-3-1 in the Pac-12), as well as their third round NCAA Tournament win over Coastal Carolina. The Bears are coming off of a record-setting season that saw them ranked number one in the country for a six-week period for the first time in school history. They advanced to the school's third ever quarterfinal appearance and earned the NCAA tournament's fourth overall seed, the highest ever for the program.
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) was just named to the MLS Best XI, 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.
