Justine Willard / KLC Fotos
WSOC9/24/2024 1:45 PM | By: Cal Athletics
Bears Welcome No. 16 Pitt, Miami To Edwards Stadium
Fresh off its first ranking of the season, the No. 22 California women's soccer returns to Edwards Stadium for its first two ACC home contests. The Golden Bears will face No. 16 Pitt on Thursday followed by a Sunday matinee with Miami.
Cal (8-1-2, 1-1-0), winner of seven of its last nine matches, takes a nine-match unbeaten streak into the weekend. The 16th-ranked Panthers come to California after seeing their six-match win streak ended by No. 8 North Carolina, and the Hurricanes, who play No. 6 Stanford on Thursday, are looking for their first ACC victory.
Match Information
- Date and Time: Thursday, Sept. 26, 4 p.m. PT
- Location: Berkeley, CA – Edwards Stadium
- Live Stream: ACCNX
- Live Stats: Statbroadcast
- Date and Time: Sunday, Sept. 29, 1 p.m. PT
- Location: Berkeley, CA – Edwards Stadium
- Live Stream: ACCNX
- Live Stats: Statbroadcast
A Warm Welcome
Cal's first week of ACC play will be one to remember as the Bears came back from down a goal to North Carolina State to win it 3-1 and came back from down two goals to tie then-No. 13 Wake Forest. Senior forward Karlie Lema powered the Bears to a win in their first ACC match collecting a brace and an assist versus the Wolfpack. Lema assisted on the equalizer before scoring the game-winner and an insurance goal within a span of a minute and 19 seconds. The Demon Deacons, who had defeated No. 2 Virginia and No. 1 Stanford in their previous two matches, scored two first-half goals and had a 2-0 lead up until the 79th minute when senior defender Courtney Boone scored off a corner kick assist from graduate-transfer Julia Leontini. Freshman midfielder Campbell Carroll found the perfect time to score her first collegiate goal, hitting the equalizer in the 85th minute to help the Bears earn a result.
Checking in at No. 22
Following a stellar non-conference slate and the aforementioned successful first week of ACC competition, Cal earned its first ranking of the season Monday. Top Drawer Soccer lists the Bears at No. 22 and they are also receiving votes in the United Soccer Coaches poll.
The Lema Legend
Lema leads the nation with 13 goals and 31 points. She also paces the country in points per game (2.82) and shots on goal per game (3.18) and ranks second in goals per game (1.18). So far this season Lema has a hat trick, four braces, two equalizers and three game-winners. On Sep. 8 she broke into the program's top-10 scoring list and now sits in eighth place with 28 career goals. It took her all of six matches to tie her season-high goal total of six set during her freshman season, and two matches later she had nearly doubled that total.
Wy Takes Home Bronze At U20 FIFA Women's World Cup
Cal keeper Teagan Wy and the U20 US Youth National Team took home the bronze medal at the FIFA Women's World Cup, defeating The Netherlands 2-1 Saturday in Bogota, Colombia. After falling to eventual champion Korea DPR in the semifinals, Wy and the Americans bounced back to take home some hardware. After serving as the backup goalkeeper during the 2022 FIFA Women's World Cup, Wy took over the starting gig this time around and had her presence felt, making several big saves in multiple matches. She collected a walk-off save during the shootout with Germany to push the US through to the semifinals and made two one-on-one saves in the final 15 minutes of the bronze-medal match.
Give It A Chance
Cal has one of the top offenses in the country, ranking eighth with 29 total goals, a mark that is also good for third in the ACC. Much of this offensive success can be attributed to the fact that the Bears put over half of their attempts on frame, ranking second in the conference with a .520 shot on goal percentage. On the individual side, Lema leads the conference in that category, giving .673 of her shots a scoring chance and leads the nation with 3.18 SOG per game. The Bears have eight multi-goal performances this year, all wins, and have not been shut out.
Defending Edwards
The Bears head into conference play an undefeated 6-0-1 at Edwards Stadium and have won five straight home contests. Cal's goal differential at Goldman Field stands at 17-8 and both of the team's shutouts occurred there as well.
Second-Half Surge
Over its first 11 matches Cal did the bulk of its scoring in the second half with 24 of its 29 goals coming in the final 45 minutes. The Bears currently hold a 24-6 second-half goal differential and have yet to be shut out in the period. Eleven goals have been scored in the 75th minute or later and on four occasions the Bears have come back from a goal or two down to earn a result in dramatic fashion.
Lema Named National, Conference Player Of The Week
After an incredible five-goal, one assist week, Lema took home NCAA National Player of the Week, Top Drawer Soccer Player of the Week and ACC Offensive Player of the Week honors on Sept. 11. The senior forward earned her first hat trick in the Bears' 4-1 win over Nevada and added two goals and an assist in Cal's 3-0 shutout of San Diego. She ended the week with a .385 shot percentage and a .769 shots on goal percentage. This was the first national recognition for Lema, who also became the first Bear to take home an ACC weekly honor.
End Of An Era
Alex Morgan - one of the game's greatest players and one of Cal's most successful alumnae - played her final professional match on Sept. 8. Morgan has had an immense influence on the sport and has helped grow the game for over 15 years. She retires as one of the greatest scorers in US Women's National Team history, ranking fifth with 123 goals on the international stage. Her trophy case includes two FIFA World Cup titles, an Olympic gold and bronze medal, a WPS Championship and an NWSL Championship. In her four seasons as a Golden Bear, she tallied 45 goals, which is good for third on the all-time scoring list. She was named a Soccer America MVP in 2010 and took home United Soccer Coaches All-America honors that year as well. In 2011 she was taken with the No. 1 overall pick in the WPS draft, marking the first top draft prospect for the Bears.
Klos Called Game
Junior transfer Alex Klos has had a major influence on the Bears' early season success, scoring the game-winning goal in three straight matches. She currently ranks second in the ACC in that category and is tied for the 11th most in the nation. She was the lone goal scorer in Cal's 1-0 win over Cal State Fullerton, curling a ball off her left foot from outside the 18-yard box in the 80th minute.
McManus Saves 7 In Bear Debut
UCLA graduate transfer Kelly McManus made her first career collegiate start between the posts Aug. 25 and did not disappoint. The former national champion made a career-high seven saves in the 1-1 tie with Gonzaga, including a number of game-saving plays in the final 20 minutes. McManus earned her first win the very next match as the Bears topped San Francisco 6-1.
Stay Posted
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