The California men's soccer team returns home to host Wake Forest on Saturday in an ACC battle at Edwards Stadium. The match is the Golden Bears' second-to-last home game of the season.
 
Cal has a 4-5-2 record (1-3-1 ACC) entering the weekend, while the Demon Deacons are 5-3-3 (0-3-1). The Bears have a 1-2-1 record in the all-time series against Wake Forest including the most recent match in the series in 2023. In that nonconference game in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Cal tied the then-No. 18 Demon Deacons 1-1 thanks to Kevin Carmichael's 43rd-minute equalizer.
 
Vs. Wake Forest (5-3-3, 0-3-1 ACC)
When: Saturday, Oct. 11, 3 p.m. PT
Where: Edwards Stadium, Berkeley, CA
Watch: ACCNX (PxP: Phillip Hall; Analyst: JT Thomas)
Live Stats: Sidearm
 
Scouting the Bears

• Cal fell 4-0 at SMU in its previous game last Friday
• Newcomer Luka Lukic – a graduate transfer from UC Riverside – was named the ACC Offensive Player of the Week for the first week of the season after the forward scored three goals in his first two games as a Golden Bear, including the game-winning goal in a 1-0 victory at UCLA on Aug. 24 and a brace in a 3-2 win at Saint Mary's in the Aug. 21 season opener
• The Belgrade, Serbia, native leads Cal in goals (5), points (11) , shots (32) and shots on goal (16) and is tied with Alfredo Ortiz (who scored the game-winning goal at UNC Asheville), midfielder Cam Wilkerson (a UCLA transfer who netted the GWG at Saint Mary's) and sophomore forward Malcolm Zalayet (who tallied the winner at BC) for the lead in game-winning goals (1)
• Zalayet ranks second in points (5) and is tied with Ortiz for second in goals (2)

• Ortiz (4), who ranks third in points, was one of 15 players named to the ACC Preseason Watch List this summer, after ranking fourth in goals (3) and points (7) for the Bears in 2024
• Ortiz contributed one of Cal's biggest goals of 2024 in the ACC Championship opener last November in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, converting Cal's lone penalty kick of the season to give the Bears a 2-1 win over the host Tar Heels

• Midfielder Kieran Bracken Serra paces the Bears in assists (3) and is tied with Wilkerson (1 goal, 1 assist) and midfielder Noe Morales (1 goal, 1 assist) for fourth in points (3)
• Senior goalkeeper Marco Brougher, who has started in two of three games played, has a 0.95 GAA and one shutout
• Graduate student goalkeeper Connor Lambe, who has started nine games, has compiled a 2.00 goals-against average
• Sophomore goalie Zack Andoh has notched a 1.26 GAA after starting the second halves of five matches

• Freshman winger Callen Lewis is the son of former MLS and USMNT star Eddie Lewis, who played for the San Jose Clash (now Earthquakes) and Los Angeles Galaxy along with several English clubs (Fulham, Preston North End, Leeds United and Derby County) and tallied 82 caps for the United States
• Callen Lewis – who has one goal and two points – scored his first collegiate goal in the Sept. 19 match at Clemson

• Leonard Griffin – who won the NCAA championship as a UCLA player in 2002 – was named the 2023 Pac-12 Coach of the Year last season and is in his fourth 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 staff includes assistant coaches Ricardo Gutierrez – who worked with Griffin in the latter's previous stops at Grand Canyon and USF – and Jacob Wilson, a Cal men's soccer alumnus
• Henry Foulk – another Golden Bear alum and assistant coach – is in his 25th year of mentoring the goalkeepers at his alma mater
• Foulk and Cal have produced several talented goalies who have matriculated to the professional ranks, including current pros Stefan Frei (Seattle Sounders FC, MLS), Drake Callender (Charlotte FC, MLS), David Bingham (Charlotte FC, MLS) and Jonathan Klinsmann (Cesena FC, Italy Serie B)

 
Scouting the Demon Deacons

• In its last match, Wake Forest lost to No. 3 Stanford 2-0 at home last Saturday
• Wake is on a two-game losing streak, including a 4-3 loss to Clemson on Sept. 26 at home
• Midfielder/forward Tate Lorentz leads Wake in goals (6) and points (15)
• Midfielder Cooper Flax (4 goals, 5 assists, 13 points) leads the Demon Deacons in assists and ranks second in points
• Flax has also taken the most penalty kicks for his team this season, going 3 for 3
• In 11 games, goalkeeper Jonah Mednard has posted a 1.49 GAA with three shutouts
• In three games, goalie Owen Barnett has registered a 2.15 GAA
• Bobby Muuss is in his 11th season as head coach at Wake Forest

 
Bears In The Pros
Cal has continued its tradition of producing talented alumni who move onto the professional ranks, with 15 erstwhile Golden Bears playing in the pros in the United States and abroad in 2025. Two Cal alums play in Europe in goalkeeper Jonathan Klinsmann (Cesena FC, Italian Serie B) – who was named to a pair of USMNT friendlies in September – and midfielder JJ Foe Nuphaus (Thisted FC, Denmark Second Division). The erstwhile Bears playing in MLS are goalkeeper David Bingham (Charlotte FC), goalkeeper Drake Callender (Charlotte FC), goalkeeper Stefan Frei (Seattle Sounders FC), defender Sam Junqua (Real Salt Lake), defender Nike Lima (San Jose Earthquakes) and defender Wyatt Meyer (Nashville SC).
 
Two former Cal teammates play in MLS NEXT Pro, with striker Nonso Adimabua on the roster for The Town FC and defender Kevin Carmichael with Huntsville City FC. Four former Bears play in the USL Championship in brothers Taylor and Evan Davila – both are midfielders with Louisville City FC – midfielder Jose Carrera Garcia (Forward Madison FC) and midfielder Jack Singer (Las Vegas Lights FC). Rounding out the list is forward Jonathan Estrada, who plays for Irvine Zeta FC in the NISA.
 
Next Time
Cal returns to the East Coast to play a nonconference match at Radford on Oct. 22 and an ACC game at Virginia Tech on Oct. 26.
 
Stay Posted
For more coverage of the Cal men's soccer team, please follow the Bears on X (@CalMSoc), Instagram (@CalMSoc) and Facebook (/CalMSoc/).