The California men's soccer team returns home to host Syracuse in an ACC match at Edwards Stadium. The Golden Bears are coming off a split on a road trip to the Carolinas that ended with a 1-0 nonconference win at UNC Asheville on Tuesday.
 
Cal sports a 4-3-2 record (1-1-1 ACC), while Syracuse is 3-4-2 (0-2-0).
 
Vs. Syracuse (3-4-2, 1-1-1 ACC)
When: Saturday, Sept. 27, 3 p.m. PT
Where: Edwards Stadium, Berkeley, Calif.
Watch: ACCNX
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Admission: Free
 
Cal Falls To Tigers, Beats Bulldogs
In its most recent trip to the East Coast, Cal beat UNC Asheville 1-0 on Tuesday after falling at No. 14 Clemson 3-1 last Friday.
 
Senior defender Alfredo Ortiz scored his second goal of the season to propel Cal to the win against the Bulldogs. On the scoring play, Cal's Malcolm Zalayet headed a ball down to fellow forward Luka Lukic at the top of the Bulldogs' penalty area. Lukic played a short pass to the onrushing Ortiz, who fired the ball between defender Benian Yao and goalkeeper Lucca Barros and into the net to give the Bears the lead. On UNC Asheville's last shot of the game, Rinta Takagi fired a ball that was deflected towards Cal's goal, and Marco Brougher – in the senior goalkeeper's first minutes of the season – made the save at the 88:28 mark to preserve the 1-0 win.
 
Against Clemson, Cal freshman winger Callen Lewis scored his first collegiate goal in the 65th minute to trim the Bears' deficit to one goal at 2-1. The Tigers tacked on another goal to beat the Bears 3-1.
 
Scouting the Bears

• 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) and shots (26) 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)
• Graduate student goalkeeper Connor Lambe, who started Cal's first eight games this year, has compiled a 1.60 goals-against average
• Senior goalkeeper Marco Brougher, who played the full 90 minutes against UNC Asheville in his first action of the season, has a 0.00 GAA and one shutout
• 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

• 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 Orange

• Syracuse snapped a four-game winless streak with a 3-0 win over Colgate in its last game at home Tuesday
• Midfielder Carlos Zambrano scored a hat trick to power the Orange past the Raiders
• Zambrano leads Syracuse in goals (3) and points (6) and is tied for the team high in game-winning goals (1)
• Goalkeeper Tomas Hut has played every minute for the Orange and posted a 0.89 GAA and four shutouts
• Ian McIntyre is in his 16th season as Syracuse's head coach

 
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 plays at SMU in an ACC match on Oct. 3.
 
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