BERKELEY --- Another day, another home win, another shutout.

A pair of goals from upperclassmen Kelly Fitzgerald and Ifeoma Onumonu and a strong defensive effort propelled the No. 21 California women's soccer team to a 2-0 victory over the New Mexico Lobos on Friday afternoon at Goldman Field.

The triumph gives Cal (2-1) shutout wins in its first two home games for the first time since 2007, when head coach Neil McGuire - then in his first year at the helm - led the Golden Bears to three straight home shutouts to open the season.

????"If you would've told us at the start of the game that we'd come away with a win and a shutout, we would've been very pleased. There were a lot of good moments and some things that we can tighten up. It was also nice to get everyone a chance to play. New Mexico gave us a fine battle," McGuire said after the contest. 

Fitzgerald scored the eventual game-winner - her first of the year and eighth of her career - in dramatic fashion. With the game headed toward a scoreless stalemate at halftime, Fitzgerald and freshman reserve Kayla Fong linked up for an impressive goal. Starting about 25 yards out, Fitzgerald freed herself with the ball and started a give-and-go with Fong, The newcomer got it back to redshirt junior just above the box for a driven shot that sailed past New Mexico's goalkeeper. The duo completed the sequence with just over 30 seconds remaining in the half.

The Bears didn't have to wait until the waning minutes of the second half to put an insurance goal on the board. Onumonu was in the right place at the right time in the 54th minute as the crafty redshirt senior corralled a deflected save of an Emma Fletcher shot and put the rebound home. Her tally was her second in three games and the 25th of her tenure in Berkeley.

Cal's defense would carry the team the rest of the way as the back line limited the Lobos (0-2) to four shots after the Onumonu goal, down from seven in the first half. Three of those shots were sent away by junior goalkeeper Emily Boyd, who totaled a season-high six saves to earn her 17th career shutout.

NEXT UP
???Cal ends the weekend with a Noon matchup with Portland on Sunday, August 28 in Berkeley.