BERKELEY- The California women's soccer team earned its fourth shutout of the season in its conference home opener Thursday, blanking Arizona 2-0. Junior forward
Ari Manrique earned a brace with two second-half goals to give the Golden Bears their third-straight win.
Cal improved to 5-3-1 with a 2-0-0 conference record while the Wildcats fell to 4-3-3 overall with a 1-1-0 Pac-12 mark.
The Bears came out aggressive earning four corner kicks on their first trip down to the Wildcats' defensive third but were outshot 4-2 in the first period. Arizona placed three shots on frame, but sophomore
Teagan Wy picked up a pair of saves and Cal added a team save to keep the Wildcats off the board.
In the 53rd minute, the Arizona backline stymied a Bear scoring chance and began to make their way up the field, but Manrique refused to believe that the play was over. Attacking the Wildcat defender, the junior picked the ball clean and saw Arizona's keeper way up out of the box. Manrique quickly chipped the Wildcat keeper and found the back of the net to give her team a 1-0 lead.
Insurance came in the 77th when once again Manrique caught the defense by surprise and stripped a Wildcat defender as the rest of the visiting team was making its way up the field. This time Manrique had to hustle with two defenders on but was able to dribble into the 18-yard box and fire a roller just inside the right post for her third goal of the season.
This is the second-straight contest that the Bears have won despite being outshot by their opponents. Cal put up just five shots in the match but all five were on frame. Arizona tallied nine shots with five on goal as well.
Wy had four saves in the match and broke up a handful of other Wildcat attempts to earn her fifth career win and fourth shutout.
Up Next
The Bears are back at Edwards Stadium this Sunday to host Arizona State. Kick-off is set for 1 p.m. PT on Pac-12 Insider.
