No. 22 Cal at No. 1 Stanford
Friday, Nov. 3 | 7 PM PT | Laird Q. Cagan Stadium | Stanford, Calif. | Pac-12 Networks
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BERKELEY – There's nothing like a rivalry match to end the regular season. The Cal women's soccer team heads to the Farm on Friday afternoon, closing out the regular season slate with a 7 p.m. matchup against top-ranked Stanford. This is the third consecutive road game for the Golden Bears (13-4-1, 6-3-1 Pac-12), who enter the weekend fifth in the conference table after a pair of 1-0 loses against No. 5 USC and No. 6 UCLA. The Cardinal (17-1-0, 10-0-0 Pac-12) clinched their third consecutive conference title on Sunday with a 3-1 win over USC.

One of the premier rivalries in the Bay Area, Friday's match will be the 37th meeting all-time between the Golden Bears and the Cardinal. Stanford leads the all-time series 20-11-5, though the Golden Bears are unbeaten in two of the last four meetings between the teams. Cal's last win over the Cardinal came in 2013, winning 1-0 in overtime behind a goal from Rachel Merick in the 99^th minute, while the teams played to a 1-1 double-overtime.

Friday's matchup will also pit one of the top defenses in the nation against one of the country's most potent attacks. The Cardinal lead in the nation in scoring, averaging 3.83 goals per game on the year on 24.8 shots per game, also the top mark in the country. Conversely, Cal leads the Pac-12 and ranks seventh nationally with a 0.892 save percentage on the season. The Golden Bears have 10 shutouts on the season and are one of only four teams left in Division I that has held its opponents to one goal or fewer in every game this season. Senior goalkeeper Emily Boyd leads the conference in save percentage and enters the match with 36 career shutouts, the third-most by any player in Pac-12 women's soccer history.

FOLLOW THE ACTION
Friday's match 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
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 scored the game's only goal in the 57^th minute off a strike from Ashley Sanchez, handing the Golden Bears their second consecutive one-goal loss on the road.
 

Boyd made seven saves in the loss, including several point-blank stops to prevent UCLA from adding to its advantage.

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. 

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

SCOUTING THE CARDINAL
Winning their third consecutive Pac-12 title, Stanford enters Friday's match on a 15-game win streak, the second-longest active win streak in the nation. The Cardinal's lone loss of the season came on August 25, dropping a 3-2 decision at No. 8 Florida. Stanford is undefeated at home this season and has yet to concede a goal at Cagan Stadium. The Golden Bears look to snap Stanford's streak of 17 consecutive conference wins, which dates back to October 6, 2016.

Stanford leads the nation in scoring this season and has four players sitting on 20 or more total points. Freshman Catarina Macario is tied for the Pac-12 lead with 13 goals and also leads the conference with 10 assists. Kyra Carusa is second on the team in scoring with 12 goals while junior Jordan DiBiasi has a team-high four game-winning goals on the year. Alison Jahansouz and Lauren Rood have split time in goal this season for the Cardinal, each posting seven shutouts.  
 
NEXT UP
The Bears will find out their NCAA Tournament fate on Monday, November 6 when the NCAA announces the field of 64 teams for the 2017 NCAA Women's Soccer Championship. Cal has reached the NCAA Tournament each of the last 13 seasons and made 24 trips overall in program history. The Golden Bears enter the weekend ranked 23^rd in RPI. Cal played Pepperdine to a 1-1 draw in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament last season, before the Wave advanced to the Second Round on penalties, 3-2.

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).