BERKELEY – California's Senior Day did not disappoint in the way of action to conclude the Golden Bears' home slate with an all-around shootout on Sunday at Edwards Stadium.
 
With playoff hopes on the line, Cal (11-5-0, 6-3-0 Pac-12) and UCLA combined for 28 shots, 13 on goal. But the Bears staved off enough scores to outlast their So Cal foes 3-2 and pick up their fourth consecutive home win.
 
Freshman Francisco Perez delivered the best present to his senior teammates recording a brace to put the Bears ahead in the 54th minute 2-1. UCLA (7-8-1, 4-5-0) equalized on both of Perez's goals with a score to open the 54th minute and another in 79th.

"I feel very happy that I could be part of such a great team win and a win against UCLA," Perez said. "It was very important for us to win this game and also because it was Senior Day, I'm happy we were able to go out on top. It was a great performance by the whole team and I'm excited to go forward with this team for more game to come."
 
Cal was able to counter on the pair of Bruins goals, finding the net on both occasions less than 45 seconds later. Shinya Kadono posted the game-winner and his seventh goal of the season to remain Cal's scoring leader in the 80th minute.
 
The seniors got in on the action as Pac-12 assists leader Jose Carrera-Garcia added one more to his count on Kadono's score.
 
Cal jumped on the boards early in the action with Perez scoring his first collegiate goal in the seventh minute from out deep. He was assisted by senior Aravind Sivakumar as Cal's offensive attack led the Bears into the break leading the shot count 8-6.  Sam Ebstein assisted on the Perez's second goal.
 
Drake Callender extended his record to 10-5, collecting six saves on the day in crucial moments to limit UCLA's offensive efforts.



"We are so proud and happy for our seniors, who went out with their last regular season home game with an incredible performance today," head coach Kevin Grimes said. "The entire team put everything into this weekend. We got two great results against excellent teams. Right now we're working our way back to training for next week and getting ready for one more."
 
The Bears close the regular season on Nov. 9 at Stanford (13-2-1, 7-0-1 Pac-12) in another Bay Area Derby. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. and will be broadcast on Pac-12 Network. The fourth-ranked Cardinal claimed its fourth consecutive conference title after beating UCLA, 5-1 on Nov. 2 and will make another run toward a third consecutive national title at the conclusion of conference play. The Bears fell to the Cardinal 3-0 earlier in the season in Berkeley.
 
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