BERKELEY – Cal's two-match unbeaten streak came to an end on Thursday afternoon, falling to No. 15 Colorado, 3-0, on a sunny afternoon at Edwards Stadium. With several key defensive players sidelined with by injury, the Golden Bears (5-8-2, 1-5-1 Pac-12) controlled possession throughout the match but struggled to contain the Buffaloes' high-powered offense, ranked among the best in the nation this season. Junior midfielder Taylor Kornieck led the Buffs (13-0-3, 5-0-2 Pac-12), with two goals and an assist, as Colorado extended its unbeaten streak to 16 in a row.

Colorado outshot Cal, 15-9, on the afternoon, but only held a 6-5 edge in shots on goal, as Cal created several dangerous opportunities in the attack. However, the Golden Bears were unable to find the finishing touch and were shutout for just the third time this season.

"There were a lot of good moments in the game where we played really well," said Cal head coach Neil McGuire. "At this level it comes down to how you execute in the 18s and Colorado beat us in that department. We will continue to work on getting better."

After picking up four points in its last two games, Cal controlled the tempo in the early stages of Thursday's match. Freshman midfielder Paige Metayer got an early look at goal, placing her shot on target in the sixth minute that was saved by Colorado goalkeeper Jalen Tompkins.

While the Bears controlled possession, Colorado struck first when Kornieck tallied her first goal of the game in the 22^nd minute. Colorado leading scorer Jorian Baucom picked up the ball off a throw in and slotted a pass back to Kornieck, who one-timed it into the back of the net from just outside the six-yard box.

Cal nearly leveled the game heading into the locker at halftime, as sophomore Emma Westin got behind the Buffs backline for a one-on-one opportunity with Tompkins. However, the Colorado keeper proved up to the task, and made the initial save. The rebound fell to Golden Bears' freshman Renee Thomas, who got good contact on the ball but saw her shot rattle off the outside of the post.

Despite leading by just one goal at the break, Colorado quickly doubled its advantage in the opening minutes of the second half, with Kornieck finding the back of the net again in the 47^th minute. Junior forward Tatum Barton corralled a Colorado service into the box and laid a pass back for Kornieck. The U.S. youth international one-timed her shot from 20 yards out past Cal goalkeeper Olivia Sekany for the far-post finish.

Colorado nearly added with its lead in the 53^rd minute, but Sekany came up with the save on a header from Baucom from close-range.

Cal nearly found the back of the net in the 65^th minute, with two promising opportunities off of corner kicks. In the first, redshirt junior Anja Koehler got her foot on the service from Emma Westin, but the shot deflected off the Buffs defense and out for another corner. The second attempt saw Thomas get a look on goal that was eventually saved by Tompkins.

Cal saw another attempt off a corner kick thwarted by Tompkins in the 82^nd minute, when the Colorado keeper denied Jordyn Elliott's header.

Colorado scored its final goal of the afternoon in the 84^th minute, when Kornieck got the ball on the wing and found Baucom in the box with her back to goal. The Pac-12s leading goal scorer this season, Baucom spun inside and finished past Sekany with her right foot.

Sekany made three saves for the Bears in 86 minutes of action, before giving way to redshirt junior Brooke Lisowski. Tompkins recorded five saves for Colorado in the victory.

The Bears will be back in action on Sunday, hosting Utah (7-6-1, 4-2-0 Pac-12) at 12:30 p.m. PT. The Utes are in action Thursday evening on the Farm, taking on top-ranked Stanford at 5 p.m. PT.

For more updates and information on the team throughout the year, follow the Bears on Twitter (@CalWSoc), Instagram (@CalWSoc), and Facebook (Facebook.com/CalWSoc).