Cal Men's Soccer Blog: Wyatt’s Water Break

MSOC10/1/2023 10:37 AM | By: Wyatt Meyer

Cal Men's Soccer Blog: Wyatt’s Water Break

Jan. 16, 2025

Hi Bear Fans,

Happy belated New Year. This will be my third and final blog post, and I will try to keep it short and sweet. For starters, what an exciting fall season: new conference, new opponents, and a fresh start for the program. The season was a bit of a roller coaster, with some big wins, tough losses, and underwhelming ties. In all honesty, it took us a while to find our stride and embrace our team's identity, but once we did, no one wanted to play us. Although the ACC East Coast travel presented some challenges academically, (which I believe our team managed quite well considering Cal's rigorous coursework), the Cal men's soccer team stayed focused, and we proved that we can compete with anyone. This season, we beat Stanford for the first time in years, we beat #1 ranked Pitt on the road, and made a short and feisty run in the ACC tournament: taking down UNC, Duke, and going toe to toe with defending ACC and defending national champs, Clemson. Even though we fell short of our goals, we finished the season strong and we did not go down without a fight. 
 
New and old players on the team stepped up. Up top, our dominant veteran striker pairing, Nonso Adimabua and Arik Duncan, combined for a total of 9 goals and 5 assists, applying constant pressure to opposition backlines. Freshman Malcolm Zalayet had an incredible first season with the Bears, adding depth to our front line and contributing 4 goals and 4 assists to the tally. The midfield was injected with new players; Kieran Bracken Serra and Gaku Nishimura held down the center of the pitch with their vision and incredible passing ability, while Adrian Jacobs and Alfredo Ortiz were running up and down the wings as crafty midfield playmakers, strengthening the attack and locking down our defense. Veteran center back Kevin Carmichael held down the backline along with freshman Beau Morrison, getting big minutes as an underclassmen. Combined strong performances from our older players and younger players made for some big moments this season that will be remembered for years to come. 
 
On a personal note, I would like to say that I am very grateful for being a part of this Cal family. My time here has been incredible, and I look forward to seeing this team continue to compete and grow. We went into the season as underdogs, and although we did not achieve our goal of making it to the NCAA tournament, we showed the college soccer world that we can play, and that we cannot be overlooked. With big wins against top teams, Cal men's soccer is back in the conversation, and back on the map.
 
Go Bears,

Wyatt Meyer

March 11, 2024

Hi Bear Fans,
 
I know it has been a while, and a lot has happened since the last (first) Water Break Blog (y'all are probably very dehydrated). I could try to go into depth about the second half of the season, but I figured much of that information can be found on the game recaps and the box scores. Although we did not qualify for the NCAA tournament, the Bears have improved tremendously. Going 7-6-5 overall on the season, we more than doubled our wins from the previous season. 
 
After our final games I reflected on how the team has improved, and wanted to break down the pieces to what feels like our growing success as a program. Personally, I tend to view soccer from four different vantage points: technical, tactical, physical, and psychological. Once you get to a certain level in soccer, mastery of the technical facet of the game is expected. Although there is always improvement to be made, and everyone should keep striving to refine and perfect their touch on the ball, most players have good feet from spending countless hours on the pitch. Similarly, the physical side comes down to hard work, discipline, and determination. As I mentioned in the last blog, the team showed up fit and ready to go last fall at training camp. Unlike touch and fitness, which one can do without having to think too much, the tactical side of soccer requires focus, concentration, and adaptability. Although not all of our games went our way, we were relatively dialed in tactically. The Bears spent countless hours watching film, looking at ways to improve ourselves and what to expect from our opponents prior to every game during the season. The psychological part of the game, on the other hand, is where we made our biggest strides, and is the aspect of the game that deserves significant attention. Thanks to an amazing mental performance coach, Lenny Wiersma, and a strong group of leaders, the Cal men's soccer team's culture and communal mentality had improved dramatically. Getting into the psychological groove and finding the right mindset as a team is a tough task and a team effort. With that being said, there are two unsung heroes on the team that were a driving force behind our psychological improvement. 
 
For this blog post, I would like to personally introduce you all to two valued veterans of the Cal men's soccer team: # 32 Jake Himelstein and # 0 Oscar Logevall. Jake and Oscar both walked onto the team in the Fall of 2021 and have been fundamental to the culture and growing success of the Bears over the past couple years. Their unique soccer experiences and grounding perspective on the game has become an integral part of the team's identity. 
 
Jake and Oscar's journey is a little unusual in comparison to most collegiate soccer players, and their journey was not particularly easy. Going into college, Jake and Oscar thought that the sun was setting on their competitive soccer careers after graduating high school, especially going into college during the height of the Covid pandemic. Most college soccer players commit to a program sometime in their junior year of high school and typically play for a development academy or a local MLS NEXT Pro team. Jake moved away from his home in San Francisco to play at Barcelona Academy in Arizona his sophomore year of high school and then moved to Florida to play for Orlando City his junior year. Living away from home and his family was tough for Jake, and the schooling wasn't ideal. However, Jake enjoyed being immersed in the soccer world, and it was easy for him to make friends because everyone shared similar goals and interests. For his senior year, Jake moved back home to San Francisco and played for the SF Glens before being accepted to Haas Business School's Global Management Program (GMP). Although it seemed like his competitive soccer career was coming to an end, Jake was not yet ready to hang up the boots. Although Covid made it hard to play soccer and stay in shape, Jake found and organized pick up games. Even though part of him thought his opportunity to keep playing soccer at the next level had passed, he stuck with it. Having played soccer at a high level throughout high school, Jake had some interest from schools around the country, but he decided that he wanted to go to school in California no matter what. Jake reached out to former Cal men's soccer coach Kevin Grimes, who he had stayed in touch with from Cal Soccer ID camps, and eventually got his opportunity going into his sophomore year of college. 
 
Oscar's path was a little different. Oscar bounced around several local clubs in Southern California and played four years of high school soccer, which is unusual for many college soccer players. Although playing high school soccer with his friends was a blast for Oscar, it was not necessarily the best preparation for D1 college soccer. As Oscar's club soccer career progressively got more competitive and serious, he started thinking about playing D3 college soccer and was also considering pursuing music school. However, once he was admitted to UC Berkeley, it was hard for Oscar to pass up the opportunity. Lucky for Oscar, the Cal men's soccer team was looking for a goalkeeper in his 2024 class. Oscar jumped on the opportunity and asked his club coach to connect him with Kevin Grimes. Unfortunately, Covid hit and the 2020 season was postponed to the spring. During this time, Oscar went to Iceland and trained with a U21 club team he had played for when he was younger while taking online UC Berkeley classes. While he was playing in Iceland, Oscar badly injured his knee and was unable to play in Cal's postponed Spring Covid season. Having prepared extensively for this opportunity to have a shot at playing for the Cal men's soccer team, Oscar was devastated. However, Oscar was determined and was not going to give up that easily. He moved back home to Los Angeles for treatment and six months of rehab. Oscar kept in contact with assistant coach Jake Wilson and eventually was able to try out in the summer heading into his sophomore year. 
 
For those who do not know, the first semester for a walk-on is tough. Unlike a typical recruiting class or incoming freshman who show up with a sense of certainty, probable longevity, and hints of belonging, walk-ons are aggressively thrown into the competitive environment and either sink or swim. Integrating can be difficult; there is immense pressure to perform to earn a spot on the team. Not only did Jake and Oscar demonstrate they had the quality to play soccer at the collegiate level, they gradually became the sculptures of the team's culture, motivating the young Bears to play with gratitude, comradery, and utilize the academic opportunities that Cal has to offer. Jake and Oscar are two of the most competitive people on the team. Practices are elevated when Jake gets heated after a bad call or Oscar gets frustrated for conceding a goal in small-sided. Despite having secured their spots on the team, they never take any plays off and treat every practice like it could be their last. Jake and Oscar lead by example, are both incredibly well spoken, and are excellent team players. One of the Cal men's soccer team's recent mottos over the past few years is "attention to the details," and Jake and Oscar are intentional when it comes to the little things. They check in with the underclassmen, instilling confidence and managing personalities; they crack a joke when the team is too tense, motivate people in training when the team is too loose, and are always putting the team first. 
 
Go Bears.
 
Wyatt Meyer


Oct. 1, 2023

Hi Bear Fans,

My name is Wyatt, and I am a second semester junior on the Cal men's soccer team majoring in English and minoring in history. I am a Berkeley native. Having grown up only 10 minutes away from campus, UC Berkeley has held a special place in my life beyond the years I have attended this University. This will be my second year captaining the program, and I am very excited for the 2023 season. The team blog has been passed to me by the man, the myth, the legend himself, Fernando Andrade, and I plan on keeping you guys posted on the latest news on the Cal men's soccer team.

I was having a hard time finding a clever title for this year's soccer blog, but I eventually landed on a simple alliteration, Wyatt's Water Break. I figured that - like a water break - it is important to pause, take a step back, and look at where we currently are, where we have come from and where we want to be. A lot has happened since the beginning of the season, and the season is flying by fast. Let's Recap.

At the end of August, the Bears headed across the country to North Carolina, where we faced off against highly ranked University of North Carolina, Greensboro (UNCG), and Wake Forest. These games were not only important for our team's current ranking, but they happened to also be an introduction to our future conference (ACC), and we wanted to make a statement. Our first game against UNCG was wild. The game was abruptly stopped due to a thunderstorm right before kickoff. During a lull in the weather, we restarted the match, got scored on relatively early, and then were sent back inside to wait out the storm. Our mental toughness was tested as we sat down in the UNCG locker room down a goal with a three-hour lightning delay. We warmed back up on their basketball courts and came back to tie the game 1-1, ending the match after midnight. Although the weather was much nicer at Wake Forest a few days later, the atmosphere was a different kind of shock to the system. The home fans were loud and pushing the Demon Deacons the entire game. Similarly to UNCG, the game ended 1-1 with the Bears coming back from an early goal down. We returned from the trip in good spirits, proud of the results on the road and knowing that we are fully capable of going toe-to-toe with any team. Although it was tough missing the first week of school, the trip brought the team together and strengthened our culture. 

Our next two games against Farleigh Dickinson and Dartmouth proved to be our most dominating performances so far this season. Evan Davila, Arik Duncan, and Rohan McEligot found the back of the net against Fairleigh Dickinson, putting them away 3-0. Kevin Carmichael and Juan Martinez got in on the action in the following game, scoring a goal apiece against Dartmouth adding to Evan Davila's 2nd and 3rd goals of the season against the Ivy League school. Winning 3-0 and 4-0 on the week was the confidence booster we needed. 

September 7 and September 10 were a tough couple of games. Legged out after a few weeks of limited rest and trying to catch up on school work, it was difficult to maintain our strong form. The quick trip down to Cal Baptist ended in a 2-1 victory, but it was not our best outing, foreshadowing our tragic loss a few days later away against the University of San Francisco, which ended 3-0. Our first loss of the season against USF hurt the team deeply, but it was the wake up call we needed to get back on track. 

The Bears came out guns blazing against Oregon State University the following Thursday in our home opener, but could not hold onto the win. The game ended 2-2, but it felt like a loss. Oregon State went down a man early in the match and scored back-to-back goals, turning a decent result into a disappointment. Having to brush off the unsavory tie, we shifted our focus to the University of Washington, another strong opponent. The scoreline did not reflect the game, or at least the first half. The Bears moved the ball around well and created good chances in the first half, but failed to convert. The second half turned into the transition game UW thrives on. The Huskies scored early in the second half and we were not able to reassert ourselves in the game. Another game we felt could have gone our way, ended in a loss. 

Although we have played ten of our twenty games so far, including exhibitions, we have only played two Pac-12 teams, and the Pac is still up for grabs. Having had a week to train and a weekend off to regroup and recharge our battery, the team is ready for our trip south to play UCLA and SDSU. 

Go Bears,

Wyatt Meyer

(Note: This blog entry was written prior to the 1-0 win over 17th-ranked and previously unbeaten San Diego State on Sept. 28.)
 
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