California Golden Bears Athletics
California
Colorado
Bears Look To Rebound On The Road
10/3/2017 9:46 PM | Women's Soccer
No. 20 Cal at Colorado
Thursday, Oct. 5 | 2:30 PM PT | Prentup Field | Boulder, CO
GAME NOTES | LIVE STREAM | LIVE STATS | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK
No. 20 Cal at Utah
Sunday, Oct. 8 | 1 PM PT | Ute Soccer Field | Salt Lake City, UT | Pac-12 Networks
GAME NOTES | LIVE STREAM | LIVE STATS | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK
BERKELEY – Following a narrow defeat to Arizona on Sunday afternoon, the Cal women's soccer team (8-2-1, 1-1-1 Pac-12) will look to respond on the road, visiting Colorado (7-2-3, 1-1-1 Pac-12) on Thursday afternoon before a Sunday matchup against Utah (5-4-2, 0-2-1 Pac-12). The Golden Bears kick off at 2:30 p.m. PT on Thursday against the Buffaloes, while Sunday's contest against the Utes will start at 1 p.m. PT.
This marks Cal's second road trip of the conference campaign, after the Bears opened Pac-12 play with at 1-0 victory at Washington on September 23. Cal is 4-1-1 on the road in conference play since the start of 2016, with the lone loss coming at Arizona in double overtime last season.
Cal is ranked 20th in the latest United Soccer Coaches poll, but is looking to rebound from its first home loss of the 2017 season. The Golden Bears fell at Colorado is also looking to get back in the win column, playing Washington to a scoreless draw in double overtime its last time out. Utah is winless in conference play this season and will host second-ranked Stanford on Thursday afternoon before Sunday's game against the Golden Bears.
Cal's defense ranks among the tops in the Pac-12 this season, allowing only six goals on the year. Senior goalkeeper Emily Boyd ranks third in the conference with a 0.53 goals against average and has five shutouts on the season. The Golden Bears are the only Pac-12 team that has held the opposition to one goal or fewer in every game this season.
The Bears' offensive is led by sophomore striker Abi Kim, who is tied for sixth in the conference with five goals on the season. Kim tallied Cal's only goal in a 1-1 draw against Arizona State on September 28, scoring her second career goal in conference play. Junior Miranda Nild is second on the team in scoring with four goals while freshman midfielder Caroline Clark leads the team with three assists.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Thursday's match against Colorado will be streamed live online, with live stats also available. Sunday's contest at Utah will be broadcast live on Pac-12 Networks with Neil Sika and Krista Blunk on the call. In-game updates will be available on the Bears' Twitter (@CalWSoc) and Instagram (@CalWSoc) accounts.
LAST TIME OUT
The Cal women's soccer team saw its seven-game unbeaten streak come to an end on Sunday afternoon, dropping a 1-0 decision to visiting Arizona. Freshman Jada Talley put the Wildcats on the scoreboard in the 75th minute after she followed up her own rebound in the box. The Golden Bears were unable to equalize, suffering their first loss of the season in Berkeley.
Arizona looked primed to double its advantage in the 83rd minute, when Cal was called for a foul in the box defending a corner. The Wildcats were awarded a penalty kick, but Gabi Stoian's attempt went wide of the post. Cal continued to press numbers forward in the attack but was unable find the finishing touch, getting shutout for just the second time this season.
Arizona held a 7-6 advantage in corners and outshot Cal, 16-13, the first time this season the Golden Bears have attempted fewer shots than their opponent. Boyd made a season-high seven saves for Cal.
SCOUTING THE BUFFALOES
Thursday's match will be the ninth meeting all-time between the Buffaloes and Golden Bears, with Cal holding a 4-3-1 edge in the series. Clashes between these sides have been thrilling as of late, with four of their last five meetings going to overtime. Colorado has won each of the last two matchups, including a 3-2 victory in double-overtime last year in Berkeley. Cal scored twice in the final three minutes of regulation to send the match to overtime, but Colorado's Taylor Kornieck scored with just seconds in the final overtime period to give the Buffaloes the victory.
Kornieck, the 2016 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, is tied for the team lead with five goals this season. Freshman forward Marty Puketapu also has five goals for the Buffaloes this season. A native of Auckland, New Zealand, Puketapu is teammates with Golden Bear freshman Daisy Cleverley on the New Zealand Women's National Team, while Kornieck and Abi Kim have spent time together with the U.S. Youth National teams. At the other end of the pitch, redshirt sophomore Jalen Tompkins has played the majority of the minutes in goal, recording five shutouts on the season.
Colorado has allowed just six goals on the season and has posted back-to-back shutouts. The Buffaloes opened conference play with a 2-0 loss against top-ranked UCLA, but are unbeaten in their last two outings. After a 2-0 win on September 28 at Washington State, the Buffaloes played Washington to a 0-0 draw in double overtime. Colorado is coached by Danny Sanchez, now in his sixth season as head coach of the Buffaloes.
SCOUTING THE UTES
Sunday's meeting will be the 10th all-time between the Utes and Golden Bears. Cal is unbeaten in their previous nine matchups, holding a 6-0-3 advantage in the series. Utah is the only Pac-12 opponent to whom the Bears have never lost, though these matches have been incredibly close as of late. Three of their last four matchups have resulted in a tie, including a 1-1 draw last season in Berkeley.
The Utes enter the weekend looking end a three-match winless streak and end a three-game scoring drought. After going 5-2-1 in non-conference play, Utah opened the Pac-12 schedule with a 0-0 draw against tenth-ranked USC. The Utes then dropped a pair of decisions on the road, falling, 2-0, at Washington and suffering a 3-0 defeat against Washington State on Sunday afternoon.
Junior Hailey Skolmoski leads Utah in scoring with seven goals on the season, good for fourth in the Pac-12. Skolmoski tallied the game-winner in Utah's 2-1 win over Kansas on September 15 to close Pac-12 play. Paola Van der Veen is tied with Skolmoski in points, with 15 points on six goals and three assists. Carly Nelson has been the starter in goal for the Utes, earning Pac-12 Goalkeeper of the Week honors after making a career-high 10 saves in a shutout of 10th-ranked USC.
NEXT UP
Cal returns to Berkeley next weekend, hosting Washington State at 2 p.m. PT on Saturday, October 14. The match against the Cougars kicks off a three-game homestand for the Bears, who will play Oregon State on Thursday, October 19, before hosting Oregon on Sunday, October 22. The match against the Ducks marks Senior Day and Cal's final home game of the 2017 regular season.
2017 TICKETS
Tickets are now available for sale for the 2017 Cal women's soccer season. Admission is $10 for adults,$5 for seniors, and $5 for youth. Cal students receive free admission and entry is free for ages 17 and below Monday through Thursday. For more information on tickets, call the Gold Standard Sales and Service line at (800) GO BEARS (462-3277) or visit the CalBears.com ticket page.
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).
