BERKELEY – The Cal women's soccer team is back in the NCAA Tournament and kicks off the action with a very familiar foe, taking on Bay Area rival Santa Clara at 1 p.m. on Saturday at Stevens Stadium. The First Round matchup between the Golden Bears (13-4-3, 5-3-3 Pac-12) and Broncos (13-5-2 7-0-2 WCC)  will be the second meeting between the teams this season, in a rivalry that dates back to 1982.

Cal came away with the win earlier this season in Berkeley, besting the Broncos, 2-1, on September 15 behind a 79^th-minute winner from freshman Natalie Hueston. Second Team All-Pac-12 selection Emma Westin tallied a goal and an assist for the Bears, while WCC Freshman of the Year Izzy D'Aquila scored the lone goal for the Broncos, snapping Cal's six-game shutout streak.

Saturday's match will be the seventh meeting all-time between the Bears and Broncos in the NCAA Tournament and the second in the last three seasons. Cal leads the overall series between the schools, 22-19-7, though Santa Clara has had the upper hand in the postseason, holding a 4-1-1 advantage over the Bears in the NCAA Tournament.

The most recent NCAA Tournament meeting between the Bay Area foes came 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 3^rd 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. The last playoff meeting between the teams at Santa Clara came in 2013, a 2-1 win for the Broncos at Buck Shaw Stadium behind a goal from Sofia Huerta in the 70^th minute.

One of the top defenses in the nation this season, the Bears' backline is led by First Team All-Pac-12 centerback Emily Smith and Pac-12 Goalkeeper of the Year, Angelina Anderson. Anderson was also voted the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, becoming the first player in conference history to earn both honors in the same season. Cal's defense ranks second in the Pac-12 and 27^th in the nation with a 0.68 goals against average on the year. The Bears have recorded 10 shutouts on the season and have just one loss away from home on the year, going 5-1-3 on the road in 2019.

Offensively, Westin has paced Cal with 11 goals this season and is tied for fourth in the conference in scoring. Westin played a direct role in both goals against Santa Clara earlier this season, putting Cal ahead with just nine seconds left in the first half and setting up Hueston's game-winning goal late in the second half with a shot that ricocheted off the post. Junior midfielder Luca Deza, a Second Team All-Pac-12 selection herself, is second on the team in goals and points, with career-highs in both categories this season. Seniors Abi Kim and Mia Corbin are tied for the team lead with six assists each on the season.

FOLLOW THE ACTION
Live stats and a live stream will be available for Saturday's match, both of which will be hosted through the NCAA GameCenter. Fans can also keep up with the action by following live stats and the Bears' Twitter (@CalWSoc) and Instagram (@CalWSoc) accounts. 

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.  

SCOUTING THE BRONCOS
Santa Clara enters the NCAA Tournament on an 11-match unbeaten streak, its last loss coming in a 4-2 defeat at Stanford on September 22. The Broncos went 7-0-2 in the WCC campaign, with draws against BYU and Portland.

The regular season finale saw Santa Clara top San Francisco, 6-1, at Stevens Stadium, led by a brace from Kelsey Turnbow. Turnbow is one of seven Broncos to earn All-WCC honors this season, collecting First Team All-WCC honors and ranking 11^th in the country with 38 points on the season (14 goals, 10 assists). D'Aquila was voted the conference Freshman of the Year and is tied for the team lead with 14 goals on the season while junior Alex Loera was voted the WCC Defensive Player of the Year.

The Broncos are averaging 2.75 goals per game on the year and are holding opponents in check with a 1.12 goals against average this season.

Head coach Jerry Smith is in his 33^rd season with the Broncos, leading Santa Clara to 29 NCAA Tournament appearances, tied for the third-most by any program in Women's Division I Soccer History.

Saturday's game will be the 49^th meeting all-time between the Bay Area rivals, a series that began in 1982. Cal holds a 22-19-7 advantage in the head-to-head meetings, though Santa Clara has won the two meetings between the teams at Buck Shaw Field. Santa Clara beat Cal 4-1 last season at Stevens Stadium, while Cal's last road win over the Broncos came with a 2-1 overtime win in 2014. Eleven of the last 12 meetings between the sides have been decided by one goal or fewer, including the last three meetings between the teams in the NCAA Tournament.

NEXT UP
The winner of Saturday's game will advance to the second round of the 2019 NCAA Tournament and face the winner of three-seed Oklahoma State and South Dakota State, who square off on Friday evening in Stillwater. The Golden Bears last reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2014 while the Broncos reached the second round last season, but were eliminated by NC State in penalties after a 1-1 draw.

STAY POSTED
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).