Fresh off a bye week, the No. 10 California women's soccer returns to Edwards Stadium to host two of the top programs in collegiate soccer. The Golden Bears host No. 1 North Carolina on Thursday afternoon before facing No. 3 Duke on Sunday afternoon.
 
Cal (10-1-2, 3-0-1 ACC), winner of nine of its last 11 matches, takes an 11-match unbeaten streak into the weekend. This is the best record the Bears have had through their first 13 matches since 2000, when Cal began the year 11-1-1.
 
The two North Carolina-based rivals are both listed as the top team in the country in different polls. The Tar Heels (12-1-0, 5-0-0) rank first in RPI and on Top Drawer Soccer's weekly national poll, while ranking third on the United Soccer Coaches poll. The Blue Devils (9-1-0, 4-0-0) have been dubbed the nation's team to beat by United Soccer Coaches and rank third according to Top Drawer Soccer. Duke's RPI is eighth.
 
Match Information
 
No. 1 North Carolina (12-1-0, 5-0-0)

• Date and Time: Thursday, Oct. 10, 4 p.m. PT
• Location: Berkeley, CA – Edwards Stadium
• Live Stream: ACCNX
• Live Stats: Statbroadcast

 
No. 3 Duke (9-1-0, 4-0-0)

• Date and Time: Sunday, Oct. 13, 1 p.m. PT
• Location: Berkeley, CA – Edwards Stadium
• Live Stream: ACCNX
• Live Stats: Statbroadcast

 
Make-A-Wish Dedication Game
Sunday's match with No. 3 Duke marks Cal's Make-A-Wish Dedication game. The Bears have partnered with Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area to honor the chapter and raise funds and awareness for its mission of wish granting for local children with critical illnesses.
 
Senior Cailin Bloom has led the charge on the partnership, having maintained a personal relationship with Make-A-Wish. Bloom's sister, Samantha Bloom, was diagnosed with cancer in 2015 and in 2016 she was granted a wish. Samantha Bloom wished to be a dolphin trainer and Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area sent her and the Bloom family to the Atlantis Hotel in the Bahamas for a week-long trip that included an opportunity for them to interact with dolphins and care for other marine life. After going into remission in 2016, the cancer returned in 2018, and Samantha Bloom passed away.
 
The match – which features two of the top programs in women's collegiate soccer – will have food trucks, raffles, and a post-match autograph session with the Golden Bears.
 
Bears In The Polls
Despite not playing last week the Bears climbed the RPI ladder and rose in the polls. Top Drawer Soccer lists Cal as the No. 10 team in the nation, up 12 spots from last week. Cal went from receiving votes in the United Soccer Coaches poll to 18th and its RPI moved from 61 to 55.
 
The Lema Legend
Lema leads the nation with 13 goals and 31 points. She also paces the country in points per game (2.38), goals per game (1.00) and ranks third in shots on goal per game (2.77). 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 in eighth place with 28 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 11th with 33 total goals, a mark that is also good for third 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 with a .518 shot on goal percentage. On the individual side, Lema leads the conference in that category, giving .667 of her shots a scoring chance and ranks third in the nation with 2.77 SOG per game. The Bears have eight multi-goal performances this year, all wins, and have not been shut out.
 
Defending Edwards
The Bears head into conference play an undefeated 8-0-1 at Edwards Stadium and have won seven straight home contests. Cal's goal differential at Goldman Field stands at 21-10 and all three of the team's shutouts occurred there as well.
 
Second-Half Surge
Over its first 13 matches Cal did the bulk of its scoring in the second half with 26 of its 33 goals coming in the final 45 minutes. The Bears currently hold a 26-7 second-half goal differential and have yet to be shut out 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.
 
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