BERKELEY – It's tournament time again for the Cal women's soccer team. The Golden Bears have earned an at-large bid to the 2019 NCAA Tournament, the NCAA Selection Committee announced on Monday afternoon. Cal (13-4-3, 5-3-3 Pac-12) will take on Bay Area rival Santa Clara (13-5-2, 7-0-2 WCC) on Saturday at 1 p.m. PT at Stevens Stadium in the First Round.

"I'm really excited for our players," said Cal head coach Neil McGuire. "It's been a long year in preparation for this moment, and they have worked extremely hard. Starting in January, they set their goals to be back in the NCAA Tournament and I'm excited to see them get their just rewards."

Cal is making its 26^th overall trip to NCAA Tournament, tied for the fifth most by any team in Division I women's soccer history. The Golden Bears have made the tournament 15 of the last 16 seasons, including 12 appearances in 13 years under McGuire.

Saturday's matchup pits two very familiar foes, as Cal and Santa Clara squared off in Berkeley earlier this season on September 15, resulting in a 2-1 victory for the Golden Bears. Cal opened the scoring just before halftime, as Emma Westin found the back of the net for her seventh goal of the season, finishing off assists from Abi Kim and Kayla Fong. The Broncos equalized off a corner kick in the 63^rd minute, the first goal allowed by the Bears in the 2019 season. However, Cal came through with the game winner in the 79^th minute, as freshman Natalie Hueston cleaned up a rebound from a shot by Westin for her first collegiate goal.

"It's a great matchup," McGuire said. "Obviously [Santa Clara head coach Jerry Smith] and his program have done exceptionally well this year again. I think it's going to be a great one for the fans. It's two teams who are exceptionally well-prepared for this moment, and we're looking forward to it."

This will be the seventh meeting all-time between the Bears and Broncos in the NCAA Tournament, with Santa Clara holding a 4-1-1 advantage in the postseason. The Bay Area rivals last met in the NCAA Tournament in 2017, a 2-1 win for the Broncos at Edwards Stadium in which Cal played short-handed for the majority of the match after a red card in the 87^th minute. Gudrun Arnardottir and Kelsey Turnbow scored for the Broncos, while Miranda Nild converted a penalty kick of the Bears in the 27^th minute to tie the match at 1-1.

Ranked No. 18 in the nation in the latest TopDrawerSoccer rankings, the Golden Bears finished fifth in the Pac-12 and were one of nine teams from the conference to make the 2019 NCAA Tournament. One of the top defensive teams in the nation, Cal ranks second in the Pac-12 and 27^th nationally with a 0.68 goals against average and has 10 shutouts on the season. Angelina Anderson has had a stellar freshman season for the Bears in goal, leading the conference in save percentage and ranking second in the Pac-12 with a 0.70 goals against average on the season. Anderson made a career-high 13 saves in Cal's regular season finale at Stanford – one shy of matching the program's single-game saves record – and has tied Cal's freshman record with nine solo shutouts on the season. Three-time Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week Emily Smith has also played a crucial role in Cal's defensive success this season, along with fellow starting centerback Sydney Collins.

Offensively, the Bears have been paced by junior Emma Westin, who leads Cal and ranks fourth in the Pac-12 this season with 11 goals. A member of the Swedish Under-23 Women's National Team, Westin leads the Bears with a career-high 24 points this season. Midfielder Luca Deza is second on the team in points this season at 13 (five goals, three assists) while senior Abi Kim and Mia Corbin lead the Bears with six assists apiece on the year. Kim picked up an assist earlier this season against Santa Clara while Corbin tallied an assist last season against the Broncos in their regular season matchup at Buck Shaw Field.

Tickets for Saturday's First Round match are $10 for adults and $7 for children, seniors, or students. Group tickets are $4. Click here to purchase online or contact the ticket office weekdays between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. at (408) 554-4660 or BroncoTickets@scu.edu. Gates to Stevens Stadium, as well as its ticket office, are open one hour prior to the start of the match.  

For updates and behind-the-scenes looks at the team, follow the Golden Bears throughout the year on Twitter (@CalWSoc), Instagram (@CalWSoc), and Facebook (Facebook.com/CalWSoc).