BERKELEY - Cal men's soccer has tied UCLA, 3-3, in double overtime twice in 18 days, with the latest result coming on Halloween on Thursday at Edwards Stadium. Just as in the Oct. 13 game in Los Angeles, one team (this time UCLA) held a late 3-2 lead, but this time Cal scored a much later equalizer to send the game to overtime. Senior defender
Simon Lekressner - playing in the penultimate regular-season home game of his career - headed in the tying goal with just three seconds remaining in regulation to extend the match.
Cal created three shots on goal in overtime - to zero for the Bruins - over those last 20 minutes. But UCLA goalkeeper Justin Garces made three saves, and the game ended in the tie.
"It was an extremely exciting game with lots of end to end action," Cal head coach
Kevin Grimes said. "We put ourselves in position to win it in overtime on several occasions. All in all, I'm real proud of the effort tonight."
The Bears' record now stands at 6-4-3 (2-2-2 in the Pac-12), while UCLA is 5-8-3 (1-5-2 Pac-12).
Forward
Tommy Williamson scored his team-high sixth and seventh goals of the season to bring Cal back from 1-0 and 2-1 deficits. After Alexis Triadis put the Bruins up 1-0 with an eighth-minute goal, Williamson was fouled in the box to earn a penalty kick for the Bears in the 21st minute. Williamson stepped up to take the PK himself and converted it to tie the match at 1-1.
Early in the second half, Eric Iloski untied the game with an 18-yard blast to give UCLA a 2-1 lead.
Williamson came up big again in the 76th minute. He collected a pass from
Alonzo Del Mundo inside the top of UCLA's box, and – while battling a defender – turned and fired past Garces to the far post to tie the score at 2-2.
UCLA again took the lead, this time through Milan Iloski – the nation's leading goalscorer – who knocked one in from seven yards out in the 86th minute.
Cal earned a corner kick in the waning seconds, and Del Mundo hustled over to take it. The ball found Lekressner, who heading it past a diving Garces to score at 89:57.
In the second overtime, Garces saved
Taylor Davila's 103rd-minute shot, and the Bruin also stopped a 109th-minute effort by
Christian Gomez. The Bears had one more chance to score the winner, but Garces made a big save on a
Paolo Carrillo-Weisenburger shot from close range to preserve the tie.
Cal next plays host to San Diego State on Sunday at 3 p.m. in the regular-season home finale, with the Pac-12 Networks broadcasting the match.