After battling North Carolina on the road last week, the California men's soccer team (3-5-1, 0-3-1 ACC) returns to the cozy confines of Edwards Stadium to host Louisville in an Atlantic Coast Conference match Thursday at 3 p.m. PT.
 
Here are the details for the match:
 
Vs. Louisville (4-3-2, 0-2-2 ACC)
When: Thursday, Oct. 3, 3 p.m. PT
Where: Edwards Stadium, Berkeley, Calif.
Watch: ACC Network Extra
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
 
The game is being broadcast on ACC Network Extra (ACCNX) and ESPN+ via the ESPN App. Access to the ACC Network and ACCNX is determined by your pay TV provider (cable, satellite, telco or streaming service). Even if you do not have access to ACC Network, you can still access games via a subscription to ESPN+. Viewers with access to ACCNX can view the streaming channel on the same device (smart TVs, smartphones, tablets, connected streaming devices or espn.com/watch) where they view ACC Network. ESPN+ is a subscription-based streaming channel that can also be viewed on any streaming device.
 
Admission
Here are the ticket prices for men's soccer home games at Edwards Stadium this season: Adult - $10, Senior (65+) - $7, Youth (24 months to 12th grade) - $7.
 
Bears Fall At UNC Despite Adimabua Goal
Cal held a 1-0, second-half lead over third-ranked North Carolina on Saturday night on the Tar Heels' home field. But UNC scored the equalizer eight minutes later and netted the deciding goal in the 80th minute to send the Golden Bears to a 2-1 defeat.
 
The teams played to a relatively even first half. Cal goalkeeper Marco Brougher and UNC goalie Andrew Cordes made two saves each to keep the game 0-0 at halftime.
 
Cal forward Nonso Adimabua scored his second goal of the season – an impressive strike from about 20 yards out – to give the Bears a 1-0 lead in the 59th minute.
 
In the 67th minute, UNC found Ahmad Al Qaq deep in the Cal box, and the forward fired the ball over Brougher from close range to tie the game 1-1. Al Qaq scored his second goal in the 80th minute. With Cal defender Giancarlo Mota pressuring him on the flank, the Tar Heel sent a shot towards the Bears' goal and the ball carried into the upper corner of the far post to seal Cal's fate.
 
Scouting Cal

• Cal lost its only previous match against Louisville 3-0 on Sept. 10, 2000
• Junior goalkeeper Marco Brougher, who's started all nine games, leads the ACC in saves (32, which is also tied for 52nd in the nation) and saves per game (3.56), ranks second in the ACC in save percentage (0.762, which ties him for 53rd in the nation) and is 11th in the conference in goals-against average (1.17)
• Brougher is also tied for fifth in the ACC with two shutouts
• Freshman forward Malcolm Zalayet leads Cal in points (6), is tied with senior forward Nonso Adimabua and junior forward Alfredo Ortiz for the lead in goals (2), and is tied with Arik Duncan for the team high in assists (2)
• Adimabua and Ortiz (2 goals, 1 assist each) are tied for second at Cal in points (5)
• Zalayet, sophomore midfielder Justin Knighton and sophomore defender Giancarlo Mota each has scored one game-winning goal
• Adimabua, a member of the All-Pac-12 Second-Team and the United Soccer Coaches All-Far West Region Third Team last year, is playing in his fifth season, with his career including two previous years at Cal (2022, 2023) and two seasons at San Francisco (spring 2021, fall 2021)
• Cal's 5-0 rout of Dominican on Sept. 16 in Berkeley was the first game in which any other Bear besides Brougher played in goal this season (Thomas Grimes and Ryan Savoie)
• Senior defender Kevin Carmichael and senior midfielder/defender Wyatt Meyer – both All-Pac-12 First-Team selections last season and both draft picks by Nashville SC in the MLS SuperDraft last December – are co-captains in their final season at Cal
• Carmichael, who was chosen to the ACC Preseason Watch List, was recently profiled in Seizing The Opportunity, a Cal Sports Quarterly magazine feature
• Meyer – the 2023 Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year and a member of the United Soccer Coaches All-Far West Region Second Team – was named to the United Soccer Coaches Players to Watch List for defenders and garnered a spot on the TopDrawerSoccer Preseason Best XI Team this fall
• Leonard Griffin – who won the NCAA championship as a UCLA player in 2002 – was named the Pac-12 Coach of the Year last season and is in his third year as head coach of the Golden Bears
• A former professional player who was drafted No. 11 overall by the Chicago Fire in the 2004 MLS SuperDraft, Griffin made MLS stops in Portland, Oregon, in Columbus, Ohio, and in Los Angeles with the Galaxy
• The Cal coaching staff includes alumnus and long-time assistant coach Henry Foulk, who has mentored numerous Bears who've played professionally including current pros Stefan Frei (Seattle Sounders FC, MLS), Drake Callender (Inter Miami CF, MLS), David Bingham (Charlotte FC, MLS) and Jonathan Klinsmann (Cesena FC, Italy Serie C)

Scouting Louisville

• Louisville is on a four-game winless streak, including two ties and two losses
• In their last two games, the Cardinals lost to UAB at home 2-1 on Sept. 24 and tied Boston College 1-1 in an ACC match in Massachusetts
• Midfielder Sander Roed leads Louisville in points (8) and is tied for team highs in goals (3) and assists (2)
• A three-time All-ACC selection, Roed was named to the ACC Preseason Watch List
• Forward Gage Guerra, who ranks second in points (7), scored the Cardinals' goal at BC and netted the game-winner in a 2-1 victory at Tulsa on Aug. 28
• Goalkeeper Harvey Sellers has posted a 1.15 GAA and 0.733 save percentage in seven starts, though AJ Piela has started the last two games and owns a 1.50 GAA and 0.750 save percentage
• John Michael Hayden is in his sixth season as head coach of Louisville

Next Time
Cal travels to Pennsylvania for an ACC match against Pitt, which is currently ranked No. 1 in the United Soccer Coaches poll.
 
Stay Posted
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