California Golden Bears Athletics
Thursday, October 17
South Bend, Ind.
4:00 PM
California
at
Notre Dame
Photo by: Robert Edwards/KLC fotos
No. 25 Bears Head East To Face No. 12 Notre Dame, Louisville
10/15/2024 2:29 PM | Women's Soccer
Bears Set For Final Regular-Season Road Trip
After dropping back-to-back matches for the first time this season the No. 25 California women's soccer team will look to get back on track during this week's ACC road trip. The Golden Bears (10-3-2, 3-2-1 ACC) take their talents to South Bend, Indiana, to face No. 12 Notre Dame on Thursday before making the trip down to Louisville, Kentucky, to take on the Cardinals on Sunday. This is the second and final trip east for the Bears during the regular season.
Match Information
No. 11 Notre Dame (8-1-3, 2-0-3 ACC)
Louisville (6-5-3, 1-4-1 ACC)
Last Week
The Bears suffered a pair of tough losses last week to two programs that were dubbed the top team in the nation by different publications. After 89 scoreless minutes, North Carolina, which was ranked first by Top Drawer Soccer and second by United Soccer Coaches, drew a foul inside the penalty area to set up a penalty kick. The initial shot was saved on a diving effort by Cal goalkeeper Teagan Wy, but the rebound bounced right back out to the shooter, Tar Heel forward Bella Sember, who tapped in the game-winner on a second try. Wy made a career-high nine saves.
The Duke Blue Devils, who were dubbed the team to beat by United Soccer Coaches and third by Top Drawer Soccer, fell behind in the first half thanks to a goal from Cal's Karlie Lema. An equalizer in the 71st minute and a game-winner in the 87th saw the team that is now the unanimous No. 1 earn the victory.
Bears In The Polls
Despite dropping a pair of matches to the nation's top two teams, the Bears stayed put at No. 10 on the Top Drawer Soccer poll. Cal's RPI rose two spots from 55 to 53 but dropped from 17tht to 25th in the United Soccer Coaches poll.
ACC Championship Picture
With just over two and half weeks to go in the regular season the ACC Championship picture is beginning to form. The Bears currently sit tied for the sixth and final spot of the postseason conference tournament with 10 points. Reigning national champion Florida State and Pitt share the spot with Cal with identical records of 3-2-1. Stanford and Wake Forest sit just above them tied for fourth with 13 points each and Notre Dame and Virginia are on the outside looking in with nine points. This week's matchup with the Fighting Irish and the Bears' regular season finale at rival Stanford will be pivotal contests for the three programs.
The Lema Legend
Lema ranks third in the country with 14 goals and second with 33 points. She also ranks second in the nation in points per game (2.20) and fourth in goals per game (0.93). All those marks are good for first in the ACC. So far this season Lema has a hat trick, four braces, two equalizers and three game-winners. On Sep. 8 she broke into the program's top-10 scoring list and now sits tied for seventh place with 29 career goals. It took her all of six matches to tie her season-high goal total of six set during her freshman season, and two matches later she had nearly doubled that total.
Give It A Chance
Cal has one of the top offenses in the country, ranking 20th with 33 total goals, a mark that is also good for fourth in the ACC. Much of this offensive success can be attributed to the fact that the Bears put over half of their attempts on frame, leading the conference and ranking 16th in the nation with a .543 shot on goal percentage. On the individual side, Lema leads the conference in that category, giving .672 of her shots a scoring chance, and ranks eighth in the nation with 2.60 SOG per game. The Bears have eight multi-goal performances this year, all wins, and have only been shut out once.
Second-Half Surge
This season Cal has done the bulk of its scoring in the second half with 26 of its 34 goals coming in the final 45 minutes. The Bears currently hold a 26-10 second-half goal differential and have only been shut out twice in the period. Twelve goals have been scored in the 75th minute or later and on four occasions the Bears have come back from a goal or two down to earn a result in dramatic fashion.
A Warm Welcome
Cal's first week of ACC play will be one to remember as the Bears came back from down a goal to North Carolina State to win it 3-1 and came back from down two goals to tie then-No. 13 Wake Forest. Senior forward Karlie Lema powered the Bears to a win in their first ACC match, collecting a brace and an assist versus the Wolfpack. Lema assisted on the equalizer before scoring the game-winner and an insurance goal within a span of a minute and 19 seconds. The Demon Deacons, who had defeated No. 2 Virginia and No. 1 Stanford in their previous two matches, scored two first-half goals and had a 2-0 lead up until the 79th minute, when senior defender Courtney Boone scored off a corner kick assist from graduate-transfer Julia Leontini. Freshman midfielder Campbell Carroll found the perfect time to score her first collegiate goal, hitting the equalizer in the 85th minute to help the Bears earn a result.
Wy Takes Home Bronze At U20 FIFA Women's World Cup
Cal keeper Teagan Wy and the U20 US Youth National Team took home the bronze medal at the FIFA Women's World Cup, defeating The Netherlands 2-1 on Sept. 21 in Bogota, Colombia. After falling to eventual champion Korea DPR in the semifinals, Wy and the Americans bounced back to take home some hardware. After serving as the backup goalkeeper during the 2022 FIFA Women's World Cup, Wy took over the starting gig this time around and had her presence felt, making several big saves in multiple matches. She collected a walk-off save during the shootout with Germany to push the US through to the semifinals and made two one-on-one saves in the final 15 minutes of the bronze-medal match.
Lema Named National, Conference Player Of The Week
After an incredible five-goal, one assist week, Lema took home NCAA National Player of the Week, Top Drawer Soccer Player of the Week and ACC Offensive Player of the Week honors Sept. 11. The senior forward earned her first hat trick in the Bears' 4-1 win over Nevada and added two goals and an assist in Cal's 3-0 shutout of San Diego. She ended the week with a .385 shot percentage and a .769 shots on goal percentage. This was the first national recognition for Lema, who also became the first Bear to take home an ACC weekly honor.
End Of An Era
Alex Morgan - one of the game's greatest players and one of Cal's most successful alumnae - played her final professional match on Sept. 8. Morgan has had an immense influence on the sport and has helped grow the game for over 15 years. She retires as one of the greatest scorers in US Women's National Team history, ranking fifth with 123 goals on the international stage. Her trophy case includes two FIFA World Cup titles, an Olympic gold and bronze medal, a WPS Championship and an NWSL Championship. In her four seasons as a Golden Bear, she tallied 45 goals, which is good for third on the all-time scoring list. She was named a Soccer America MVP in 2010 and took home United Soccer Coaches All-America honors that year as well. In 2011 she was taken with the No. 1 overall pick in the WPS draft, marking the first top draft prospect for the Bears.
Stay Posted
For more coverage of the Cal women's soccer team, please follow the Bears on X (@CalWSoc), Instagram (@calwsoc), Facebook (/CalWSoc) and TikTok (@calwsoc).
Match Information
No. 11 Notre Dame (8-1-3, 2-0-3 ACC)
- Date and Time: Thursday, Oct. 17, 4 p.m. PT
- Location: South Bend, IN – Alumni Stadium
- Live Stream: ACCNX
- Live Stats: Statbroadcast
Louisville (6-5-3, 1-4-1 ACC)
- Date and Time: Sunday, Oct. 20, 9 a.m. PT
- Location: Louisville, KY – Dr. Mark and Cindy Lynn Stadium
- Live Stream: ACCNX
- Live Stats: Statbroadcast
Last Week
The Bears suffered a pair of tough losses last week to two programs that were dubbed the top team in the nation by different publications. After 89 scoreless minutes, North Carolina, which was ranked first by Top Drawer Soccer and second by United Soccer Coaches, drew a foul inside the penalty area to set up a penalty kick. The initial shot was saved on a diving effort by Cal goalkeeper Teagan Wy, but the rebound bounced right back out to the shooter, Tar Heel forward Bella Sember, who tapped in the game-winner on a second try. Wy made a career-high nine saves.
The Duke Blue Devils, who were dubbed the team to beat by United Soccer Coaches and third by Top Drawer Soccer, fell behind in the first half thanks to a goal from Cal's Karlie Lema. An equalizer in the 71st minute and a game-winner in the 87th saw the team that is now the unanimous No. 1 earn the victory.
Bears In The Polls
Despite dropping a pair of matches to the nation's top two teams, the Bears stayed put at No. 10 on the Top Drawer Soccer poll. Cal's RPI rose two spots from 55 to 53 but dropped from 17tht to 25th in the United Soccer Coaches poll.
ACC Championship Picture
With just over two and half weeks to go in the regular season the ACC Championship picture is beginning to form. The Bears currently sit tied for the sixth and final spot of the postseason conference tournament with 10 points. Reigning national champion Florida State and Pitt share the spot with Cal with identical records of 3-2-1. Stanford and Wake Forest sit just above them tied for fourth with 13 points each and Notre Dame and Virginia are on the outside looking in with nine points. This week's matchup with the Fighting Irish and the Bears' regular season finale at rival Stanford will be pivotal contests for the three programs.
The Lema Legend
Lema ranks third in the country with 14 goals and second with 33 points. She also ranks second in the nation in points per game (2.20) and fourth in goals per game (0.93). All those marks are good for first in the ACC. So far this season Lema has a hat trick, four braces, two equalizers and three game-winners. On Sep. 8 she broke into the program's top-10 scoring list and now sits tied for seventh place with 29 career goals. It took her all of six matches to tie her season-high goal total of six set during her freshman season, and two matches later she had nearly doubled that total.
Give It A Chance
Cal has one of the top offenses in the country, ranking 20th with 33 total goals, a mark that is also good for fourth in the ACC. Much of this offensive success can be attributed to the fact that the Bears put over half of their attempts on frame, leading the conference and ranking 16th in the nation with a .543 shot on goal percentage. On the individual side, Lema leads the conference in that category, giving .672 of her shots a scoring chance, and ranks eighth in the nation with 2.60 SOG per game. The Bears have eight multi-goal performances this year, all wins, and have only been shut out once.
Second-Half Surge
This season Cal has done the bulk of its scoring in the second half with 26 of its 34 goals coming in the final 45 minutes. The Bears currently hold a 26-10 second-half goal differential and have only been shut out twice in the period. Twelve goals have been scored in the 75th minute or later and on four occasions the Bears have come back from a goal or two down to earn a result in dramatic fashion.
A Warm Welcome
Cal's first week of ACC play will be one to remember as the Bears came back from down a goal to North Carolina State to win it 3-1 and came back from down two goals to tie then-No. 13 Wake Forest. Senior forward Karlie Lema powered the Bears to a win in their first ACC match, collecting a brace and an assist versus the Wolfpack. Lema assisted on the equalizer before scoring the game-winner and an insurance goal within a span of a minute and 19 seconds. The Demon Deacons, who had defeated No. 2 Virginia and No. 1 Stanford in their previous two matches, scored two first-half goals and had a 2-0 lead up until the 79th minute, when senior defender Courtney Boone scored off a corner kick assist from graduate-transfer Julia Leontini. Freshman midfielder Campbell Carroll found the perfect time to score her first collegiate goal, hitting the equalizer in the 85th minute to help the Bears earn a result.
Wy Takes Home Bronze At U20 FIFA Women's World Cup
Cal keeper Teagan Wy and the U20 US Youth National Team took home the bronze medal at the FIFA Women's World Cup, defeating The Netherlands 2-1 on Sept. 21 in Bogota, Colombia. After falling to eventual champion Korea DPR in the semifinals, Wy and the Americans bounced back to take home some hardware. After serving as the backup goalkeeper during the 2022 FIFA Women's World Cup, Wy took over the starting gig this time around and had her presence felt, making several big saves in multiple matches. She collected a walk-off save during the shootout with Germany to push the US through to the semifinals and made two one-on-one saves in the final 15 minutes of the bronze-medal match.
Lema Named National, Conference Player Of The Week
After an incredible five-goal, one assist week, Lema took home NCAA National Player of the Week, Top Drawer Soccer Player of the Week and ACC Offensive Player of the Week honors Sept. 11. The senior forward earned her first hat trick in the Bears' 4-1 win over Nevada and added two goals and an assist in Cal's 3-0 shutout of San Diego. She ended the week with a .385 shot percentage and a .769 shots on goal percentage. This was the first national recognition for Lema, who also became the first Bear to take home an ACC weekly honor.
End Of An Era
Alex Morgan - one of the game's greatest players and one of Cal's most successful alumnae - played her final professional match on Sept. 8. Morgan has had an immense influence on the sport and has helped grow the game for over 15 years. She retires as one of the greatest scorers in US Women's National Team history, ranking fifth with 123 goals on the international stage. Her trophy case includes two FIFA World Cup titles, an Olympic gold and bronze medal, a WPS Championship and an NWSL Championship. In her four seasons as a Golden Bear, she tallied 45 goals, which is good for third on the all-time scoring list. She was named a Soccer America MVP in 2010 and took home United Soccer Coaches All-America honors that year as well. In 2011 she was taken with the No. 1 overall pick in the WPS draft, marking the first top draft prospect for the Bears.
Stay Posted
For more coverage of the Cal women's soccer team, please follow the Bears on X (@CalWSoc), Instagram (@calwsoc), Facebook (/CalWSoc) and TikTok (@calwsoc).
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Soccer
MF
/ Women's Soccer
F
/ Women's Soccer
MF
/ Women's Soccer
GK
/ Women's SoccerWednesday, November 13
Sunday, November 03
Thursday, October 31
Monday, October 21
