BERKELEY – A four-minute span early in the second half proved to be pivotal on Sunday afternoon, as Utah knocked off Cal in a 2-1, come-from-behind victory at Edwards Stadium. The Golden Bears (5-9-2, 1-6-1 Pac-12) carried a 1-0 lead into the locker after Abi Kim scored her team-leading fifth goal of the year. However, the Utes (8-7-1, 5-3-0 Pac-12) responded goals in both the 51^st and 54^th minute to hand the Bears the home defeat. Cal came within inches of tying the match in the final seconds of the game, but had an attempt headed off the line while another rattled off the crossbar.

Both teams entered Sunday's match look to bounce back from losses on Thursday to ranked opponents, with Cal falling to No. 15 Colorado and the Utes coming off a 2-0 loss to No. 1 Stanford.

For the second consecutive match, it was the Bears who set the tone in the early stages of the match, controlling the midfield and the possession battle. The hosts got on the scoreboard first, opening the scoring itn the 17^th minute. Sophomore midfidler Emma Westin picked up the ball in the midfield and slipped a pass in that allowed Kim to take a touch and get in behind the Utes backline. From there, the junior from Vashon, Washington, took a touch and calmly slotted the ball past Utah goalkeeper Carly Nelson for her team-leading fifth goal of the season and the 15^th of her Cal career.  

The assist was the fourth of the year for Westin, who leads Cal in both assists (4) and overall points (12).

Following the goal, Cal continued to control play in the first half and earned six corners, including one in the 23^rd minute that saw Daisy Cleverley's shot blocked from close range.


The Bears nearly doubled their advantage in the 39^th minute when freshman Paige Metayer delivered a stellar service into the box that found Kayla Fong on the back post. The junior striker got good contact on the ball, but was unable to keep her volley on target and Cal headed into halftime with a 1-0 lead.

Utah quickly took momentum in the second half and erased the deficit in the 51^st minute. After a spell where the Bears struggled to clear the ball in their own defensive third, Utah's Ireland Dunn got off a shot that rattled off the far post. Freshman Makayla Christensen was waiting on the weakside and pounced on the rebound to tie the match at 1-1.

Less than four minutes, Utah took the lead for good on Paola van der Veen's seventh goal of the season. Once again, it was Dunn playing provider, cutting a ball back from the endline that found van der Veen running onto goal. The Dutch international finished past Cal goalkeeper Olivia Sekany to put the visitors up.

Sekany made one save for the Bears in 70 minutes of action, while redshirt junior Brooke Lisowski played the final 20 minutes of the match for the Bears.

Cal pressed for an equalizer, but ultimately came up empty. Kim had success on the wing, including beating her defender in the 60^th minute and serving a ball right to the head of Westin. However, the Swede's header was too strong and sailed over the bar.

Metayer nearly headed in the game-tying goal in the final seconds of the match, but saw the Utah defense head it off the line and her second attempt go off the crossbar.

The Bears will now head out for their final road trip of the season. Cal's next match is against No. 22 Washington State on Thursday, October 25, before wrapping up the weekend in Seattle, taking on former Golden Bear great Lesle Gallimore and the Washington Huskies on Sunday, October 28.

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