BERKELEY – The Cal women's soccer team took care of business on its home turf Sunday afternoon, beating Long Beach State, 1-0, to remain perfect on the season at Edwards Stadium. Junior forward Miranda Nild scored her second goal in as many games to give Golden Bears (4-1-0) the lead in the 74th minute and Cal's defense held strong for its second consecutive clean sheet.

With the win, the Golden Bears move to 3-0-0 at home on the season and have now won their last 13 home games in non-conference play, a streak that dates back to 2014. Cal's victory snaps a three-game win streak for the 49ers (3-2-1), who had posted three consecutive shutouts, including a 2-0 win over then-No. 22 Northwestern on August 24.

The first 45 minutes of Sunday's game saw end-to-end action, with several dangerous opportunities by both teams. Ranked No. 25 in the latest United Soccer Coaches poll, the Golden Bears outshot Long Beach, 5-3, in the first 45 minutes while the visitors held a 5-2 advantage in corner kicks. Senior Heather Walleigh nearly put the Bears on the board in the 24^th minute, cracking a shot from distance that went just wide of the post. Ten minutes later, sophomore Abi Kim made a blazing run down the sideline and picked out classmate Maggie Bell in the box. Bell got on the end of the cross, but her volley went right to Long Beach State goalkeeper Imani McDonald.

The 49ers almost tallied a goal of their own in the waning seconds of the first half, as the ball bounced around dangerously in Cal's 18-yard-box. However, redshirt senior Kelly Fitzgerald cleared Long Beach's shot to safety and the first half came to an end, 0-0.

The second half saw Cal come out of the locker room with plenty of energy, and the Golden Bears finally broke through in the 74^th minute. Sophomore midfielder Mia Corbin drove a ball into the box that found Nild with her back to the goal. The junior from Castro Valley, California spun and found the back of the net from 10 yards out to give the Bears a 1-0 lead.

This was the second goal of the season for Nild, who added an insurance tally in the 89^th minute of Cal's 2-0 win at UC Davis on August 27. Her first time scoring in back-to-back games, Nild has already set a single-season best with 5 points on the year, coming from two goals and an assist.

Corbin, a Pac-12 All-Freshman selection last season, registered her first assist of the 2017 campaign.

Defensively, Cal held Long Beach State to just six shots on the game, only four of which were on target. Senior goalkeeper Emily Boyd picked up her second consecutive shutout and the 28^th of her Cal career. The Golden Bears' all-time leader in shutouts, Boyd finished with three saves on Friday while also showcasing her distribution and ability to play out of the back.

After conceding three goals in the first three games of the season, the Bears backline has now held opponents scoreless in back-to-back matches.   

"Having played a few games together, we've started to get in a rhythm and are figuring out how to work as a unit," said freshman center back Emily Smith, who has started all five games for the Golden Bears. "Our defensive mentality has been about playing really aggressively and improving our communication. We're going to keep putting the work in, keep giving it our all in training and games, and just build from here."

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.  

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).