BERKELEY – A hard-fought affair went against the Golden Bears on Sunday, as the Cal women's soccer team fell to No. 6 UCLA, 1-0, on a cool and overcast afternoon in Los Angeles. The Bruins (14-2-2, 7-2-1 Pac-12) scored the game's only goal in the 57^th minute off a strike from Ashley Sanchez, handing the Golden Bears (13-4-1,  6-3-1 Pac-12) their second consecutive one-goal loss on the road. The Golden Bears had several opportunities glance off the woodwork, but were unable to find the back of the net against the Bruins.

Senior goalkeeper Emily Boyd made seven saves in the loss, including several point-blank stops for the Bears,  who are now fifth in the conference  table with one regualr season game remaining. 

Coming off a narrow loss to fifth-ranked USC on Thursday, the Golden Bears opened Sunday's match on the front foot, tallying the first shot of the match on a strike from Abi Kim that forced UCLA  keeper Teagan Micah into a save. Despite a 9-4 advantage for the Bruins in shots, both sides had dangerous  opportunities in the first 45 minutes.

Senior defender Haley Lukas made a goal line save on the backpost in the  19^th minute, denying a header  attempt by UCLA's Jessie Fleming.

Cal nearly took the lead in the 25^th minute when sophomore striker Abi Kim broke through the Bruins' defense and got endline. The sophomore striker slotted a ball across the box that found Kelly Fitzgerald, but the senior's one-time attempt went just wide of the post.  

UCLA's best chance of the opening half came in the 36^th minute, when Cal was called for a foul outside the box, setting up a UCLA free kick from 25 yards out. Fleming curled a ball towards the upper 90, but Boyd got a hand to it, tipping  the ball away for a corner.

After a scoreless opening half, UCLA found the back of the net in the 57^th minute when Sanchez picked up the ball on the left flank after a switch of fields. The freshman striker cut into the box through the Bears' defense, getting off a shot in traffic from 12 yards out. Boyd was able to get react at the last minute and get a hand on the ball, but it wasn't enough to deny the goal.

UCLA nearly doubled its advantage in the 60^th minute, but Boyd dove to her left, pushing aside an attempt by the Bruins' Hailie Mace, who leads the Pac-12 in scoring. Boyd ended the match with seven  saves, two shy of her season high, including a brilliant reaction stop on a header by Julia Hernandez in the 85^th minute.

The Golden Bears pressed for the equalizer and came close on several occasions. A corner kick by Kelly Fitzgerald in the 62^nd minute was pushed into the crossbar, but the Bears were not able to  convert on the rebound attempt. In the 81^st minute, Abi Kim cut into the box and fired a shot that beat Micah but glanced off the post and out.  

Kim and Miranda Nild paced the Bears with two shots apiece, while Mace led the Bruins with six shots, including one on frame.

Cal will close out the regular season on November 3, visiting rival Stanford for a 7 p.m. matchup at Cagan Stadium.

For more information and to stay up-to-date on the team throughout the year, follow the Bears on Twitter (@CalWSoc), Instagram (@CalWSoc), and Facebook (Facebook.com/CalWSoc).