Bears Battle From 2 Down To Tie No. 13 Wake Forest

Sunday, September 22

Winston-Salem, NC

9:00 AM

California

8-1-2, 1-0-1

Wake Forest

7-2-2, 2-1-1

Team	1	2	Final F
California	0	2	2
Wake Forest	2	0	2

September 1, 2024; Berkeley, California, USA; WSOC: Cal vs. Cal State Bakersfield at Edwards Stadium. Karlie Lema, Campbell Carroll (Photo credit: Al Sermeno/KLC fotos)

Photo by: Al Sermeno/KLC fotos

9/22/2024 1:39 PM | Women's Soccer

Box Score

Cal Scores 2 Late Goals To Keep Unbeaten Streak Alive

By: Cal Athletics

WINSTON-SALEM, NC – Despite trailing by two with under 11 minutes to go, the California women's soccer team battled back to tie No. 13 Wake Forest 2-2 on the road Sunday afternoon. Senior defender Courtney Boone scored her first goal since 2022 in the 79th minute, and freshman Campbell Carroll found the net for the first time in her career in the 85th to earn the Golden Bears a point in the ACC standings.

Late-game heroics once again saved the Bears (8-1-2, 1-0-1) who extended their unbeaten streak to nine matches and escaped their first shutout of the season. The Demon Deacons (7-2-2, 2-1-1), who earned shutout victories over No. 2 Virginia and No. 1 Stanford in their last two contests, took their first ACC draw of the year.

Wake Forest got on the board early with a goal from Emily Murphy in the 10^th minute and made it a 2-0 contest in the 36th minute with a penalty kick from Emily Colton.

As they have all season, the Bears found new life in the second half and held the Demon Deacons to just three shots after allowing nine in the first period. That defensive stubbornness allowed for the Cal offense to do what it does best – score late goals. Graduate-transfer Julia Leontini aided in the first score playing a corner kick into the middle of the 18-yard box where only Boone could find it. The senior defender got under the ball, connected on the fly with the inside of her right foot, and chipped Wake Forest goalkeeper Valentina Amaral. It was Boone's second career goal and her first score in two years and 18 days.

For your consideration, @espn! ??#SCTop10 #SCTop10 #SCTop10 #GoBears ?? pic.twitter.com/u3DrkBJVF2
— Cal Women's Soccer (@CalWSoc) September 22, 2024

In the 85th minute the Bears earned a free kick from about 20 yards outside of the penalty area and once again it was Leontini that set the play in motion. Her free kick went just through the arms of Amaral, ricocheted off of Cal senior Karlie Lema's head, and bounced out to Carroll who fired it into the left half goal with her left foot.

The Bears have scored in the second half of every match this season, with 24 total goals, and now have 11 goals in the final 15 minutes. It was the fourth time this season that Cal has erased a deficit to either win or draw and the first time the team has come back from down a pair.

Cal now returns home for its ACC home opener this Thursday vs Pitt followed by a Sunday showdown with Miami.