GREENSBORO, N.C. – The California men's soccer team opened the 2023 season with a 1-1 draw Thursday night on the road at No. 10 North Carolina Greensboro. Despite two long weather delays and a Spartan goal in the opening minutes, the Golden Bears fought tooth and nail to tie one of the top teams in the country on its own turf.

"The was the wildest game I've ever been a part of, with all the stops and starts," Cal head coach Leonard Griffin said. "I'm super proud with the group. It's just the first game, but to grind out a result given the circumstances shows the strength of our character, and hopefully it'll help us to find a way to grind out wins in games to come. The guys understand that's a good result on the road."
 
Just as the two teams were set to kick off, lightning struck in the area, delaying the match a full three hours.
 
When the match finally began, the Spartans wasted no time netting a goal in the fourth minute off the boot of Arnaud Tattevin, who gave host UNCG a 1-0 lead. Only a few minutes would go by before the two teams were once again called back into the locker rooms for another weather delay.
 
Another 30 minutes passed before the two teams took the field again.
 
In the 22nd minute of the contest, senior forward Nonso Adimabua found himself in possession of the ball inside of the 18-yard box. After shedding a few defenders, he played the ball outside to freshman Isaiah Thomas for a nifty one-two before firing in the equalizer. It was the first goal of the season for the Bears and the third of Adimabua's Cal career.

"Nonso showed his experience and did a fantastic job not just on the goal, but throughout the game," Griffin said. "He was difficult for the defenders to deal with. And Isaiah provided a huge spark off bench. He was a handful running at the other team's backline and creating opportunities for us."

After allowing seven shots by the Spartans in the first half, the Bears' defense tightened up in the second and allowed just three more, with just one landing on frame, to preserve the tie.
 
Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Connor Lambe earned his first start between the posts for Cal and had five saves, including a key, diving effort in the 68th minute to keep things knotted at one apiece.

"I'm really happy with Connor's performance," Griffin said. "He was steady all night long and brought a sense of calm and comfort in the back. He was a true leader in terms of communication, and he made the right saves at the right time to keep us in the game."
 
Cal concludes its stay in North Carolina on Sunday, when the Bears face No. 18 Wake Forest at 6 p.m. ET in Winston-Salem.
 
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