California Golden Bears Athletics
California
Long Beach State
Bears Look To Defend Home Turf
8/30/2017 8:21 PM | Women's Soccer
No. 25 Cal vs Texas
Friday, Sep. 1 | 2 PM PT | Edwards Stadium | Berkeley, CA | Pac-12 Network
GAME NOTES | LIVE STATS | LIVE STREAM | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK
No. 25 Cal vs Long Beach State
Sunday, Sep. 3 | 4 PM PT | Edwards Stadium | Berkeley, CA | Pac-12 Network
GAME NOTES | LIVE STATS | LIVE STREAM | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK
BERKELEY – Coming off an impressive outing at UC Davis, the Cal women's soccer team looks to continue its momentum at the friendly confines of Goldman Field, hosting Texas on Friday and Long Beach State on Sunday. The Golden Bears (3-1-0) kick off on Friday at 2 p.m. PT against the Longhorns (4-0-0), while Sunday's match against the 49ers (2-1-1) is set to start at 4 p.m. Both matches will be double-headers with the Cal men's soccer team, who face Northeastern at 4:30 p.m. on Friday and Creighton at 1 p.m. on Sunday afternoon.
Cal is ranked in the Top 25 of the United Soccer Coaches poll for the second consecutive week and looks to remain perfect in Berkeley, kicking off the 2017 campaign with a pair of home wins over UC Irvine and No. 24 Santa Clara. The Golden Bears have protected home turf as of late, posting a 10-2-1 record at Goldman Field since the start of last season.
Cal has outscored the opposition 6-3 so far this season, led by three goals from sophomore striker Abi Kim. Kelly Fitzgerald, Luca Deza, and Miranda Nild have also found the back of the net and seven different players have registered points this season.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Both matches this weekend will be broadcast live on Pac-12 Networks. A live stream and live stats will also be available for both games, along with updates on the Bears' Twitter (@CalWSoc) and Instagram (@CalWSoc) accounts.
LAST TIME OUT
After suffering its first loss of the season to San Francisco on a goal in the 86th minute, the Golden Bears bounced back in impressive fashion on Sunday afternoon, beating UC Davis, 2-0, on the road. Freshman Deza scored her first career goal to give Cal a 1-0 lead in the 34th minute and junior Nild added an insurance tally in the 89th minute to give the Golden Bears their first road win of the season. Rookie midfielder Caroline Clark assisted both Golden Bear goals, earning the first points of her collegiate career.
Defensively, Cal's defense registered its first shutout of the 2017 season, holding the Aggies to just four shots on target. Golden Bears goalkeeper Emily Boyd was called upon to make four saves – including a one-on-one in the late stages of the match - as she earned the 27th clean sheet of her career, extending her program record.
With temperatures well over 100 degrees for most of the match, 23 different players saw action for Cal. Kayla Fong and Kailee Gifford earned made their first collegiate starts while Jordyn Elliott, Kai Henderson, and Morgan Rogers also made their Golden Bear debuts.
SCOUTING THE LONGHORNS
The Bears welcome the Longhorns back to Berkeley for the first time since 2009 for the sixth meeting all-time between the schools. Cal won last season's meeting in Austin, 1-0, behind a goal from Ifeoma Onumonu, assisted by 2017 tri-captain Fitzgerald. The Golden Bears lead the all-time series, 3-2-0, and have won each of the last two meetings between the teams, including a 4-2 win in Berkeley in 2009 behind a goal and an assist from forward Alex Morgan.
At 4-0-0, the Longhorns are off to their best start since 2008 and are coming off a thrilling 1-0 win over North Texas on Sunday. Sophomore forward Cyera Hintzen scored off a deflection in the 82nd minute to give Texas its first road win over the season. The Longhorns opened the 2017 campaign with a home win over Rice, followed by a 2-0 victory over Western Kentucky and a 2-1 win over Little Rock.
Head coach Angela Kelly is now in her sixth season in Austin, looking to turn tides after going 8-9-1 last season and finishing ninth in the Big 12. However, the Longhorns return plenty of firepower in 2016 Big 12 Freshman of the Year Hintzen, who leads Texas this season with six points on two goals and two assists. Freshman midfielder/forward Haley Berg also has two goals on the season while sophomore goalkeeper Nicole Curry has two shutouts on the year.
SCOUTING THE 49ERS
Cal and Long Beach will face off Sunday in the fifth meeting all-time between the Golden State rivals. The Bears have won the previous four meetings between the teams, the last of which being a 2-0 victory at Long Beach in 2011. The sides last met in Berkeley in 2010, a 6-0 win for the Golden Bears.
After opening the 2017 campaign with a 1-1 double-overtime draw against CSUN and a 5-1 loss to UCLA, the 49ers have responded in the their last two matches, registering a pair of 2-0 wins over Northwestern and San Diego State. Long Beach State handed No. 22 Northwestern its first loss of the season after outshooting the Wildcats, 20-6. The 49ers continued that momentum on the road, beating San Diego State, 2-0, on Sunday afternoon.
The reigning Big West Tournament champions, Long Beach State was picked first in the 2017 preseason coaches poll. Reigning Big West Offensive Player of the Year Ashley Gonzalez is out indefinitely with a knee injury sustained against UCLA, but the 49ers do return defender Chloe Fremont, the 2016 Big West Freshman of the Year and an NSCAA Second-Team All-West selection. Sophomore forward Katie Pingel – a transfer from Santa Clara – leads the team with two goals while Imani McDonald was named Big West Defensive Player of the Week after a pair of shutouts.
NEXT UP
The Bears will return to the road next week, visiting Sacramento State at 2 p.m. PT on September 8. This will be Cal's final away game before opening conference play at Washington on September 23.
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).
