No. 16 Cal at No. 5 USC
Thursday, Oct. 26 | 2:30 PM PT | McAlister Field | Los Angeles, Calif. | Pac-12 Networks
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No. 16 Cal at No. 6 UCLA
Sunday, Oct. 29 | 1 PM PT | Drake Stadium | Los Angeles, Calif. | Pac-12 Networks
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BERKELEY – After wrapping up another successful regular season campaign at home, t­­he Cal women's soccer team heads down the California coast for a pair of pivotal Pac-12 road games. The Golden Bears (13-2-1, 6-1-1 Pac-12), ranked 16^th in the nation, will take on fifth-ranked USC (13-1-1, 7-0-1 Pac-12) on Thursday at 2:30 p.m. before heading across town for a 1 p.m. tilt on Sunday against sixth-ranked UCLA (13-1-2, 6-1-1 Pac-12).

Cal enters the weekend tied with the Bruins for third in the Pac-12 table and are three points back of the second-place Trojans. UCLA will take on league-leading Stanford on Thursday before Sunday's match against the Bears. Cal is 2-0 against Top 25 opponents this season, with wins over No. 24 Santa Clara and No. 14 Oklahoma State.

Cal has also had success away from home this season, winning five straight on the road, the longest active road winning streak by any Pac-12 team. The Golden Bears went unbeaten on last season's trip to Los Angeles, playing No. 10 UCLA to a 1-1 draw in double-overtime and beating the then-seventh ranked Trojans, 1-0, behind Abi Kim's game winner.

Cal heads into the weekend on a five-match winning streak, with all five wins coming via shutout. Ranked second in the Pac-12 and sixth nationally with a 0.37 goals against average, the Golden Bears have posted 10 shutouts on the season, including eight in the last ten games. Senior goalkeeper Emily Boyd took sole possession of third on the Pac-12 career shutout list with 36 clean sheets and enters Thursday's match with a shutout streak of 466 minutes, six minutes shy of setting a new her career best.

Offensively, Cal erupted for three goals the last time out, all coming in the span of 11 minutes during Cal's 3-0 win over Oregon on Senior Day. Kim opened the scoring in the 53^rd minute with her team-leading seventh goal of the year, followed by goals from Miranda Nild and Mia Corbin soon thereafter.  Three goals tied the Bears' single-game high this season and marked their most in a Pac-12 game since a 4-1 victory over Washington last year.

FOLLOW THE ACTION
Both matches will be televised live on Pac-12 Networks and available for streaming online at Pac-12.com/live. Fans can also keep up with the action by following live stats and the Bears' Twitter (@CalWSoc) and Instagram (@CalWSoc) accounts. 
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Cal women's soccer team sent its seniors off in style, beating Oregon, 3-0, on Sunday afternoon in the Golden Bears' final home match of the regular season. Cal's offense came alive after a scoreless first half, tallying three goals a span of 11 minutes as Kim, Nild, and Corbin all found the back of the net. Kim's seventh goal of the season came in the 53^rd minute when midfielder Kelly Fitzgerald played a ball over the top that hit Kim in stride. The sophomore striker took a touch inside and beat Oregon goalkeeper Halia Hinriksdottir to the far post.

Five minutes later, the Bears doubled as Nild cleaned up a rebound from freshman Luca Deza, banging it home from close range. It was the sixth goal of the season for Nild and her second in the last three games. Deza, a freshman from Belmont, California, picked up her team-leading fourth assist of the year on the play.

Cal's offense was not done yet, as Corbin added an insurance tally in the 63^rd minute. Emma Westin and Kayla Fong combined in the box, leading to a layoff and one-time shot for Corbin. The sophomore from Seattle buried it in the upper 90 for her second goal of the year.

The Bears' defense held strong yet again, blanking the Ducks for Cal's 10^th shutout of the season. Boyd made three saves to earn the shutout and her 36^th career clean sheet.

SCOUTING THE TROJANS
The defending NCAA Champions, USC enters the weekend on a seven-game win streak, coming off a 2-1 victory over Washington State on Sunday in Pullman. Sophomore Ashleigh Plumptre scored the game winner in the 41^st minute as the Trojans remained unbeaten in conference play. USC's lone loss of the season came on September 3, falling 2-1 at Kansas. Since then, the Trojans are unbeaten in their last 12 matches (11-0-1) and boast a perfect 7-0-0 record at home on the year.

USC ranks third in the conference in scoring, averaging just under two goals per game (1.93 goals per game), and ranks second in total shots. Redshirt senior Alex Anthony leads the Trojans in scoring with seven goals this season followed by junior forward Leah Pruitt with five goals. Tara McKeown and Savannah DeMelo are tied for the team lead with five assists apiece while redshirt freshman Kaylie Collins has seen the majority of minutes in goal, posting six shutouts and a 0.63 goals against average.

The Trojans lead the all-time series with Cal, 11-9-2, though the Bears have just one loss in the last six meetings between the teams and have won their last three games at McAlister Field. Cal prevailed in last season's matchup as Abi Kim scored the game's only goal in the 86^th minute off a feed from classmate Mia Corbin. Emily Boyd made eight saves in the win, as the Golden Bears snapped the Trojans' 10-game winning streak.
 
SCOUTING THE BRUINS
Ranked in as high as No. 1 in the nation, UCLA split both matches last weekend, falling 1-0 at Washington State before responding with a 3-0 win over Washington. Thursday's loss to the Cougars was the Bruins' first of the season, snapping a 14-game unbeaten streak. The Bruins are 6-0-1 at home this season and will host top-ranked Stanford at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday before Sunday's match against the Bears.

One of the most potent offenses in the nation, UCLA is averaging 2.56 goals per game on the season, led by 13 goals from junior Hailie Mace, the Pac-12's leading scorer. Freshman Ashley Sanchez ranks second in the conference with eight assists while Canadian international Jessie Fleming has seven assists on the season and tallied the game-winning goal in Sunday's win over the Huskies.

UCLA leads the all-time series with Cal 16-5-2, though the Bears are unbeaten in the last two matches between the teams. The Bears and Bruins played to a 1-1 double-overtime draw in Westwood last season after the Bruins tied the match in 90^th minute. Cal topped UCLA in Berkeley, 7-0, during the 2015 season, Cal's first win over the Bruins since 2004. The Golden Bears are 2-8-1 when playing at UCLA, with both wins coming in double overtime.

NEXT UP
The Bears will return to the Bay Area for the regular season finale, visiting rival Stanford on November 3 for a 7 p.m. PT matchup on the Farm. The Cardinal are currently ranked No. 1 in the nation and lead the Pac-12 by five points with three games left to play.

STAY POSTED
Keep up-to-date on the Golden Bears throughout the year by following the team on Twitter (@CalWSoc), Instagram (@CalWSoc), and Facebook (Facebook.com/CalWSoc).