Thursday, August 22
Berkeley, CA
4:30 PM
California
vs
Denver
Adrian Guzman returns for his fifth season as Cal begins the 2024 season in Berkeley.
Photo by: Robert Edwards/KLC fotos
8/20/2024 6:07 PM | Men's Soccer
BERKELEY – The California men's soccer team starts its third season under head coach Leonard Griffin with nonconference games against Denver on Thursday and Sacramento State on Sunday at Edwards Stadium.
Denver holds a 2-1-1 all-time series lead vs. Cal, while the Golden Bears lead the all-time series with Sac State 13-3-3.
In their first season in the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Bears are looking to improve on a 2023 in which they more than doubled their win total of 2022, produced the Pac-12 Coach of the Year in Griffin and the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year in Wyatt Meyer, and saw two players – Meyer and Kevin Carmichael – selected in the MLS SuperDraft in December.
Here are the details for the upcoming games:
Vs. Denver (0-0-0)
When: Thursday, Aug. 22, 4:30 p.m. PT
Where: Edwards Stadium, Berkeley
Watch: ACCNX/ESPN+
Live Stats: Statbroadcast
Vs. Sacramento State (0-0-0)
When: Sunday, Aug. 25, 2 p.m. PT
Where: Edwards Stadium, Berkeley
Watch: ACCNX/ESPN+
Live Stats: Statbroadcast
Thursday's match vs. the Pioneers is part of a doubleheader with the Cal women's soccer team, which hosts Gonzaga at 1:30 p.m. at Edwards Stadium.
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, Cal Student - Free with a valid student ID.
Carmichael, Meyer Named To Preseason Watch Lists
Kevin Carmichael and Wyatt Meyer – who were both chosen in the 2023 MLS SuperDraft by Nashville SC – were named to a pair of watch lists heading into the 2024 season.
In early August, Meyer was named to the United Soccer Coaches Players to Watch List for defenders and more recently garnered a spot on the TopDrawerSoccer Preseason Best XI Team. The 6-foot-2 central defender and defensive central midfielder collected a bevy of accolades for the 2023 season – he was named the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year and was selected to the All-Pac-12 First Team, United Soccer Coaches All-Far West Region Second Team and College Sports Communicators Academic All-America Team. Along with Carmichael, the Berkeley native led a Cal squad that produced a 1.06 team goals-against average, which was the Golden Bears' best defensive performance since 2013 (0.97 GAA). Meyer was also a contributor to the attack, scoring his first goal since 2021 in the season finale at Stanford and posting two assists. Cal's ironman led the Bears in minutes played (1,577).
Carmichael, also 6-2, was chosen to the ACC Preseason Watch List in mid-August. The talented central defender is coming off of a 2023 season in which he garnered All-Pac-12 First-Team status and posted career highs with three goals and seven points in 18 starts for the Golden Bears. One of his goals was the game-winner in a 2-1 victory at Washington, while he also scored in a 1-1 tie at No. 18 Wake Forest. A dependable member of the backline, Carmichael ranked second in minutes played for Cal (1,548).
Scouting Cal
Cal heads south to play two more nonconference matches at LMU on Aug. 29 and at CSUN on Sept. 1.
Stay Posted
For more coverage of the Cal men's soccer team, please follow the Bears on X (@CalMSoc), Instagram (@CalMSoc) and Facebook (/CalMSoc/).
Denver holds a 2-1-1 all-time series lead vs. Cal, while the Golden Bears lead the all-time series with Sac State 13-3-3.
In their first season in the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Bears are looking to improve on a 2023 in which they more than doubled their win total of 2022, produced the Pac-12 Coach of the Year in Griffin and the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year in Wyatt Meyer, and saw two players – Meyer and Kevin Carmichael – selected in the MLS SuperDraft in December.
Here are the details for the upcoming games:
Vs. Denver (0-0-0)
When: Thursday, Aug. 22, 4:30 p.m. PT
Where: Edwards Stadium, Berkeley
Watch: ACCNX/ESPN+
Live Stats: Statbroadcast
Vs. Sacramento State (0-0-0)
When: Sunday, Aug. 25, 2 p.m. PT
Where: Edwards Stadium, Berkeley
Watch: ACCNX/ESPN+
Live Stats: Statbroadcast
Thursday's match vs. the Pioneers is part of a doubleheader with the Cal women's soccer team, which hosts Gonzaga at 1:30 p.m. at Edwards Stadium.
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, Cal Student - Free with a valid student ID.
Carmichael, Meyer Named To Preseason Watch Lists
Kevin Carmichael and Wyatt Meyer – who were both chosen in the 2023 MLS SuperDraft by Nashville SC – were named to a pair of watch lists heading into the 2024 season.
In early August, Meyer was named to the United Soccer Coaches Players to Watch List for defenders and more recently garnered a spot on the TopDrawerSoccer Preseason Best XI Team. The 6-foot-2 central defender and defensive central midfielder collected a bevy of accolades for the 2023 season – he was named the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year and was selected to the All-Pac-12 First Team, United Soccer Coaches All-Far West Region Second Team and College Sports Communicators Academic All-America Team. Along with Carmichael, the Berkeley native led a Cal squad that produced a 1.06 team goals-against average, which was the Golden Bears' best defensive performance since 2013 (0.97 GAA). Meyer was also a contributor to the attack, scoring his first goal since 2021 in the season finale at Stanford and posting two assists. Cal's ironman led the Bears in minutes played (1,577).
Carmichael, also 6-2, was chosen to the ACC Preseason Watch List in mid-August. The talented central defender is coming off of a 2023 season in which he garnered All-Pac-12 First-Team status and posted career highs with three goals and seven points in 18 starts for the Golden Bears. One of his goals was the game-winner in a 2-1 victory at Washington, while he also scored in a 1-1 tie at No. 18 Wake Forest. A dependable member of the backline, Carmichael ranked second in minutes played for Cal (1,548).
Scouting Cal
- Kevin Carmichael and Wyatt Meyer are co-captains in their final season at Cal
- Striker Nonso Adimabua, a member of the All-Pac-12 Second-Team and the All-Far West Region Third Team, is back for his fifth season
- Adimabua notched a goal, three assists and five points last year, when he often paired with fellow 6-4 forward Arik Duncan (2 goals, 1 assist, 5 points)
- Adimabua was recently highlighted on CalBears.com in this Back in Camp feature
- Two other Bears who each recorded two goals, one assist and five points in 2023 were midfielders Adrian Guzman, another fifth-year senior, and Rohan McEligot, a junior
- All three Bears who played in goal last season return, including Marco Brougher (0.69 goals-against average), Connor Lambe (1.06 GAA, 2 shutouts) and Zack Andoh (1.28 GAA, 1 shutout)
- Cal boasts a large class of newcomers, including transfers Gaku Nishimura (San Jose State), a midfielder, Thomas Grimes (Wilmington College), a goalkeeper, Alfredo Ortiz (Cerritos College), a defender, and Nikolas Laredo (Pomona-Pitzer), a midfielder
- Freshman midfielder/forward Malcolm Zalayet scored a goal in the Aug. 11 preseason game against UC Davis and had an assist in the 2-0 preseason win at San Francisco on Friday, while first-year midfielder Kieran Bracken Serra logged 57 minutes against USF and his older brother, Dons midfielder Gabriel Bracken Serra
- Cal was picked to finish 13th in the ACC Preseason Coaches Poll
- Leonard Griffin – who won the NCAA championship as a UCLA player in 2002 – is in his third season 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 Pioneers posted a record of 12-3-5 and reached the second round of the College Cup last season
- Denver was selected as the 2024 preseason favorite in the Summit League coaches poll
- Denver received six votes in the 2024 United Soccer Coaches preseason rankings
- Two Pioneers collected TopDrawerSoccer Best XI status – goalkeeper Isaac Nehme (0.94 GAA in 2023) is on the first team, while midfielder Sam Bassett – a United Soccer Coaches Second-Team All-American in 2023 – is on the second team
- Jamie Franks is in his 10th season as Denver's head coach
- The Hornets host Utah Valley in their season opener on Thursday
- Sacramento State posted a record of 4-10-4 in 2023
- Freshman forward Ethan Kelley was named to the TopDrawerSoccer Preseason Best XI Freshman Team
- Michael Linenberger is in his 35th year as Sac State's head coach
Cal heads south to play two more nonconference matches at LMU on Aug. 29 and at CSUN on Sept. 1.
Stay Posted
For more coverage of the Cal men's soccer team, please follow the Bears on X (@CalMSoc), Instagram (@CalMSoc) and Facebook (/CalMSoc/).
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