LOS ANGELES --- A late goal from freshman forward Abigail Kim delivered an upset victory for the No. 14 California women's soccer team over the No. 7 USC Trojans Sunday afternoon at McAlister Field.

The newcomer's third goal of the season - set up by fellow freshman Mia Corbin's first collegiate assist - helped the Golden Bears (11-2-1, 4-0-1 Pac-12) capture their first win over a top-10 ranked team since 2013, when Cal defeated No. 10 Stanford, 1-0, in Pao Alto. In the process, Cal snapped USC's 10-game winning streak and handed the Trojans their first loss since August 26.

"This was a battle of two very talented teams," head coach Neil McGuire said of his team's second top-15 contest in as many games. "USC gave us everything they had and more. I'm proud of how the team responded and glad we were able to sneak in a goal late."

Cal and USC (10-3-0) played a match worthy of the hype that surrounded it: the Bears were outshot (20-18) for only the second time all season but put more shots on goal (12-9) and both goalkeepers made at least eight saves (junior Emily Boyd stopped eight shots while USC's Sammy Prudhomme made 11 saves).

Kim and Corbin's connection provided the separation the Bears needed in such a tightly contested matchup. A perfectly fed through ball from Corbin allowed Kim to get into a 1-on-1 position against Prudhomme and the native of Vashon, Wash. converted the chance by beating the Trojans' keeper to her far side.

"I was very happy to see the young players get rewarded for their efforts in this game," McGuire said of the first-year duo. "A lot of times matches like this can be overwhelming for freshmen but they both played very well."

NEXT UP
Cal will conclude its current three-game road trip with a match against the University of Oregon on Saturday, October 15 at 6 p.m. PT