BERKELEY – After an impressive offensive performance in last week's season opener at Edwards Stadium, the Cal women's soccer team looks to carry its early momentum on the road, heading to south for matchups against UC Santa Barbara and San Diego State. The Golden Bears (1-0-0, 0-0-0 Pac-12) open the weekend on Friday evening in Santa Barbara, taking on the Gauchos (0-0-2, 0-0-0 Big West) at 5 p.m. PT at Harder Stadium, and will close out the trip on Sunday, with a 12 p.m. PT matchup against the Aztecs (1-1-0, 0-0-0 Mountain West) at the SDSU Sports Deck.

The Golden Bears hit the road well-rested after an exciting performance in last Thursday's season-opening win over Weber State. Cal scored four goals in the first half and added another shortly after halftime to beat the Wildcats by a score of 5-0. The Bears' depth was on display in the victory, with eight players recording either a goal or an assist in the victory. Junior midfielder Luca Deza led the way with two goals, marking the first brace of her collegiate career, and earned TopDrawerSoccer Team of the Week Honorable Mention for her performance. Defensively, the Bears held the Wildcats without a shot on target, as goalkeepers Angelina Anderson, Olivia Sekany, and Amanda Zodikoff all combined for the clean sheet.

Cal looks to carry its offensive creativity and defensive organization into this weekend's games, where the Bears will be squaring off against familiar foes. The first of three non-conference road games for the Bears this season, Friday's game at UCSB will be a rematch of last season's meeting at Edwards Stadium, which the Gauchos won in overtime, 3-2. Cal also played San Diego State last season in Berkeley, beating the Aztecs, 3-1, behind goals from Deza, Abi Kim, and Kayla Fong.  
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Friday's game against the Gauchos will be streamed live, with live stats also available. Sunday's match against San Diego State will also be streamed by the Mountain West, with live stats available here. Additional in-game updates will be available on the Bears' Twitter (@CalWSoc) and Instagram (@CalWSoc) accounts. 

SCOUTING THE GAUCHOS
Santa Barbara enters the weekend unbeaten on the season, but still looking for its first win of the year. The Gauchos opened the season at home with a 2-2 double-overtime draw against Minnesota on August 22. Senior forward Shaelan Murison, who was named to the 2019 Big West Preseason All-Conference Team and earned Second Team All-Region honors in 2018, opened the scoring in the third minute, while sophomore Jessica Wright tallied the equalizer in the 83^rd, cancelling out goals by the Golden Gophers on either side of halftime.

The Guachos went the distance again Sunday, this time playing San Jose State to a scoreless draw. Senior goalkeeper Hanna DeWeese has played both matches for the Gauchos this season and made four saves in the tie against the Spartans.

Murison leads UCSB with 15 shots this season, seven of which have been on target. Forward Isabella Viana has the team's lone assist of the year, setting up Wright's goal against Minnesota.

Head coach Paul Stumpf is in his 21^st  season in Santa Barbara and saw his Gauchos picked second in the Big West Preseason Coaches Poll, earning a first-place vote and finishing just seven points behind Long Beach State in the voting.
 
Friday's game will be the 20^th meeting all-time between the Golden Bears and Gauchos, but the first in Santa Barbara since October 1995. Cal leads the overall series between the schools, 10-6-3, though UCSB holds a 4-2-1 advantage at home.  

SCOUTING THE AZTECS
San Diego State continues its season-opening homestand, coming off a split to start the year. The Aztecs opened the season with a 6-1 loss to No. 22 Texas Tech, falling behind 5-0 at the break before freshman Kiera Utush pulled one back for the hosts shortly after halftime. However, San Diego State quickly bounced back and picked up its first win of the season three days later, blanking LIU, 1-0. Chloe Frisch scored the game-winning goal for the Aztecs in the 89^th minute, finishing off a feed from Utush.

Utush leads SDSU with three points this season and has five shot on the year, while Frisch, who assisted Florence LaRoche's goal last season in Berkeley, has a team-high six shots on the year, putting a pair on target.

Former Cal goalkeeper Brooke Lisowski, who joined San Diego State after graduating from Cal with a double-major in media studies and public health, has played every minute for the Aztecs this season in net. Lisowski matched her career-high with three saves against Texas Tech and recorded her first collegiate shutout against LIU.
Head coach Mike Friesen is in his 13^th season as head coach of the Aztecs and returns eight starters and 13 letterwinners from last season's squad. San Diego State was picked to finish fourth in the Mountain West Preseason Coaches Poll.

Prior to Sunday's game against the Bears, the Aztecs will host San Francisco at 7 p.m. PT on Thursday, August 29, at the SDSU Sports Deck.

NEXT UP
Following this weekend's matches on the road, Cal returns to Berkeley for a pair of home games against San Diego (Sep. 6) and Montana (Sep. 8). The Golden Bears will take on the Toreros at 4 p.m. PT next Friday at Edwards Stadium before Sunday's 1 p.m. kickoff against the Grizzlies.

2019 TICKETS ON SALE NOW
Tickets are now on sale for the 2019 Cal women's soccer season. Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for seniors, and $5 for youth. Cal students and staff receive free admission with a valid ID and entry is free for ages 13 and below Monday through Thursday. New this season to Edwards Stadium, fans can purchase group tickets ahead of time on CalBears.com which will be available for will call pickup for a $3 charge. For more information, call the Gold Standard Sales and Service line at (800) GO BEARS (462-3277) or visit the CalBears.com ticket page.

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).