Coming off of a pair of season-opening road wins, the 17th-ranked California men's soccer team (2-0) returns to the cozy confines of Edwards Stadium for its first two home games of the season, starting with a Thursday tilt against San Francisco followed by a Sunday match against UC San Diego.
 
Admission to Edwards Stadium is free.
 
Here are more details for both games:
 
Vs. USF (1-1-0)
When: Thursday, Aug. 28, 4 p.m. PT
Where: Edwards Stadium, Berkeley, Calif.
Watch: ACCNX
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
 
Vs. UC San Diego (0-2-0)
When: Sunday, Aug. 31, 4 p.m. PT
Where: Edwards Stadium, Berkeley, Calif.
Watch: ACCNX
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
 
The Golden Bears' game with UCSD is part of a doubleheader with the Cal women's soccer team, which hosts Arizona at 1 p.m. PT on Sunday.
 
Cal Earns National Ranking In First Poll
The Bears claimed their No. 17 ranking in Thursday's first United Soccer Coaches poll of the regular season. Cal is one of 10 ACC teams ranked in the pool, including No. 3 Pitt, No. 4 Stanford, No. 5 Wake Forest, No. 6 Clemson, No. 8 NC State, No. 9 Duke, No. 11 Virginia, No. 12 Virginia Tech and No. 15 North Carolina.
 
Lukic Named ACC Offensive Player Of The Week
Cal forward Luka Lukic was named the ACC Offensive Player of the Week for the first week of the season, the conference announced Tuesday, after he scored three goals in his first two games as a Golden Bear. One of those goals came in Cal's 1-0 win over UCLA on Sunday, when the 6-3 Lukic headed in the gamewinner in the final minute of the game. The Belgrade, Serbia, native also scored a brace in the season opener against Saint Mary's last Thursday
 
A graduate student transfer from UC Riverside in his first season at Cal, Lukic leads the Bears in goals, points (6) and shots (8) and is tied for the lead in game-winning goals.
 
In the sixth minute at Saint Mary's, he headed in a corner kick from Kieran Bracken Serra to give Cal a 1-0 advantage. In the 79th minute with the game tied 1-1, Lukic scored off of Cal's first penalty kick of the season to give the Bears a 2-1 advantage. Cal eventually won 3-2, with Cam Wilkerson netting the game-winning goal.
 
At the 89:42 mark of Sunday's game in Los Angeles, Cal capped a strong second-half performance when another Bracken Serra corner kick set up Lukic's strike to beat the Bruins.
 
Ortiz Named To Preseason Watch List
Senior defender Alfredo Ortiz was one of 15 players named to the ACC Preseason Watch List. In his first season at Cal in 2024, Ortiz ranked fourth in goals (3) and points (7) on the team and added one assist, while playing in 16 games and starting 13. He also contributed one of Cal's biggest goals of the season in the ACC Championship opener last November in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The Bears were tied 1-1 with host and 14th-ranked North Carolina when they were awarded their first penalty kick of the season. Ortiz converted what turned out to be the game-winning goal in the 78th minute, as Cal won 2-1 and advanced to the ACC quarterfinal round.

Scouting USF, UCSD
In his first game as a Don, forward Jaggar Judkins scored his first collegiate goal to lead San Francisco to a 1-0 win over UC Davis in its season opener last Thursday night at Negoesco Stadium. The Dons then fell at No. 11 Indiana 3-2 on Sunday, despite Brayden Beason scoring in the eighth minute and David Raphael scoring on a 19th-minute penalty kick to give USF a 2-0 lead.
 
UCSD dropped a pair of matches in Durham, North Carolina, to open the season 0-2-0. The Tritons fell to Furman 3-0 last Thursday and then lost to host and then-No. 15 Duke 1-0 on Sunday.

Next Time
Cal travels to Massachusetts to take on Boston College in its ACC opener on Sept. 7.
 
Stay Posted
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