BERKELEY - Megan Connors scored the first goal of her collegiate career in the first game of her collegiate career, which also just happened to be California's first goal of the 2019 season. Connors and the Golden Bears defeated, Quinnipiac, 5-1, in the 2019 season opener Friday night from Underhill Field. 

Cal (1-0) got goals from Connors, Lindsay Mathison, Makaela Hoang and two from Maddie Cleat.

The Bears brought the pressure early and often, garnering 29 shots to eight for the Bobcats, including a 13-2 advantage in the first quarter. Megan Rodgers led the way with nine shots, six of which were on goal. Rodgers also tallied an assist on Hoang's goal in the third quarter. Femke Delissen and Jane Onners also picked up assists. 

"It's been a huge emphasis in our preseason to get the numbers up so our percentages go up and generate more shots," head coach Shellie Onstead said. "That's not something you just talk about. You have some systems to help you finish that. They just really embraced it, and then once they got some momentum going, it was really fun to watch. They got a lot from the crowd here tonight. This was probably our best opener in many years. This was a solid opening night."

Connors got the scoring started with a deflection from a shot off of a corner in the second quarter. Mathison added her first goal of 2019 later in the quarter to put the Bears up, 2-0 at halftime. 

Cleat earned her first goal shortly after halftime, but her second goal in the fourth quarter was the most impressive as she juggled a long pass down field, gained control with the Quinnipiac goalie emerging on her, and slipped a shot past her for the Bears' fifth goal of the night. 

Natalie Dalton played all 60 minutes, tallying six saves on one goal allowed. 

The Bears improved to 15-10 in season openers with Onstead at the helm, and 9-7 in openers in the last 16 years. 

Next up, the Bears head to Stanford for a neutral-site game against No. 15 Northwestern at 11 a.m.