June 19, 2012

BERKELEY - California's version of the beautiful game will receive an unprecedented amount of exposure on the inaugural Pac-12 Networks in the upcoming fall season, as the conference will air eight Cal men's soccer games - including the Sept. 7 home opener against Central Florida. Overall, the Golden Bears will play an 18-match regular-season schedule, with 10 games slated for the cozy confines of Goldman Field at Edwards Stadium.

The Pac-12 Networks will broadcast the Bears five times at home and three times on the road. One Cal game from each of the six weekends of conference soccer will air on the Pac-12 Networks. Here is the breakdown: vs. UCF on Sept. 7, vs. Loyola Marymount on Sept. 23, vs. UCLA on Sept. 30, at Stanford on Oct. 4, at Washington on Oct. 12, vs. UW on Oct. 19, at UCLA on Nov. 4 and vs. Stanford on Nov. 9.

The Bears will square off against four opponents that participated in the 2011 NCAA Tournament, including Santa Clara in the season opener. The Bears play the Broncos - the West Coast Conference's 2011 runner-up - at Buck Shaw Stadium on Aug. 24 before taking on Atlantic Coast Conference powers Virginia on Aug. 31 in Charlottesville, Va., and Maryland on Sept. 2 in College Park, Md. The Terrapins reached the third round of last fall's NCAA Tournament, while the Cavaliers fell in the first round of NCAAs.

"The 2012 schedule looks to be another outstanding one," Cal head coach Kevin Grimes said. "Traditionally, we have one of the most difficult strengths-of-schedule in the country, and this season looks the same with a number of high quality opponents. The new Pac-12 Networks add a lot of class to our already great conference."

The nonconference slate continues against UCF on Sept. 7, with Cal making its Pac-12 Network debut on Goldman Field. Another postseason participant, UCF advanced to the second round before losing to South Florida last season. After a Sept. 11 home game vs. Houston Baptist, Cal tackles San Francisco - another local WCC rival - on Sept. 16 in Berkeley.

The Bears close out their nonconference schedule when they play Duquesne on Sept. 21 and Loyola Marymount on Sept. 23 at Edwards Stadium in a tournament co-hosted by Cal and Stanford. The match against LMU will mark Cal's second appearance on the Pac-12 Networks.

Cal opens its conference schedule at home with a match against San Diego State on Sept. 28 and a Sept. 30 game against UCLA. The Bears hope to wrest the Pac-12 title away from the defending conference champion Bruins, who lost to eventual national champion North Carolina in the 2011 Men's College Cup semifinal round. The UCLA match marks Cal's seventh straight home game and the Bears' third on conference television.

That Bruin match also marks the first of three straight conference television games for Cal, with the Bay Area Derby at Stanford on Oct. 4 the following week and the Oct. 12 match at Washington the week after that also airing on the Pac-12 Networks. Cal's stay in the Pacific Northwest concludes in Corvallis, Ore., with a game against Oregon State on Oct. 14.

The Bears play UW and OSU again in Berkeley the following weekend, with the second battle with the Huskies also getting the Pac-12 Network nod on Oct. 19. Cal plays the Beavers again on Oct. 21.

The second round of games with the southern California schools begins on Nov. 1, with Cal playing at San Diego State, and ends on Nov. 4, with a Pac-12 Network match at UCLA.

The Bears' Nov. 9 regular-season finale and second game against Stanford will also air on the Pac-12 Networks from Edwards Stadium.

2012 California Men's Soccer Schedule

Fri., Aug. 24	at Santa Clara+	        7 p.m.	        Santa Clara, Calif.
Fri., Aug. 31	at Virginia	        4 p.m.	        Charlottesville, Va.
Sun., Sept. 2	at Maryland	        4 p.m.	        College Park, Md.
Fri., Sept. 7	Central Florida+	4:30 p.m.	Berkeley
Tues., Sept. 11	Houston Baptist	        2 p.m.	        Berkeley
Sun., Sept. 16	San Francisco	        2 p.m.	        Berkeley
Fri., Sept. 21	Duquesne^	        4:30 p.m.	Berkeley
Sun., Sept. 23	Loyola Marymount^+	Noon	        Berkeley
Fri., Sept. 28	San Diego State*	4:30 p.m.	Berkeley
Sun., Sept. 30	UCLA*+	                4 p.m.	        Berkeley
Thurs., Oct. 4	at Stanford*+	        7 p.m.	        Stanford, Calif.
Fri., Oct. 12	at Washington*+	        3 p.m.	        Seattle
Sun., Oct. 14	at Oregon State*	1 p.m.	        Corvallis, Ore.
Fri., Oct. 19	Washington*+	        1 p.m.	        Berkeley
Sun., Ore. 21	Oregon State*	        2:30 p.m.	Berkeley
Thurs., Nov. 1	at San Diego State*	7 p.m.	        San Diego
Sun., Nov. 4	at UCLA*+	        5 p.m.	        Los Angeles
Fri., Nov. 9	Stanford*+	        2 p.m.	        Berkeley
All times PST
^Cal-Stanford Tournament
*Pac-12 Conference Game
+Pac-12 Networks Game