Oct. 24, 2012
Friday, Oct. 26
3 p.m. - No. 10 Cal (14-3-0, 7-1-0) at No. 2 UCLA (14-0-2, 7-0-1 in the Pac-12)
Drake Stadium - Los Angeles
Coverage: Pac-12 Networks, GameTracker, Twitter
Sunday, Oct. 28
1 p.m. - No. 10 Cal (14-3-0, 7-1-0 Pac-12) at USC (5-8-3, 2-4-2 Pac-12)
Los Angeles Coliseum - Los Angeles
Coverage: Live Streaming, GameTracker, Twitter
THE LAST MEETING
October 7, 2011
Berkeley
No. 18 Cal Plays To Scoreless Draw with No. 2 UCLA
The No. 18 California women's soccer team and No. 2 UCLA played to a scoreless draw in a Pac-12 Conference showdown in front of 600 fans at Edwards Stadium Friday afternoon. The Golden Bears were the first team to hold the Bruins scoreless this season.
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THE LAST MEETING
October 9, 2011
Berkeley
No. 18 Cal Posts 2-0 Shutout of USC
Sophomore Rachel Mercik and freshman Taylor Comeau each scored for the No. 18 California women's soccer team en route to a 2-0 shutout victory over USC Sunday afternoon in front of a season-high home crowd of 648 at Edwards Stadium.
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BERKELEY - With its eight-game winning streak on the line, the No. 10 California women's soccer team hits the road for one of its most challenging weekend slates of the entire season. Though no team in the Pac-12 is a slouch, the Golden Bears (14-3-0 overall, 7-1-0 in the Pac-12) take on their highest ranked opponent in No. 2 UCLA (14-0-2, 7-0-1 in the Pac-12) on Friday, Oct. 26 at 3 p.m. in a Pac-12 Networks broadcast. It doesn't get any easier with a Sunday, Oct. 28 meeting with USC (5-8-3, 2-4-2 Pac-12) at the Coliseum.
Scouting the Bears
• Cal is 14-3-0 overall, 7-1-0 in the Pac-12 and on an eight -game winning streak
• Cal is 7-3 when playing at home and 7-0 on the road
• The Bears are ranked in all three of the available polls - No. 10 according to Top Drawer Soccer and No. 13 in Soccer America and No. 21 in NSCAA
• Cal is now No. 23 in the RPI after last week's No. 29 rating
• Cal has won its past eight games and its most recent seven Pac-12 games
• The Bears have scored at least one goal in each of their last 14 matches
• Cal has tallied more than one goal in the past eight games, scoring three goals in four of the past six games
In the Rankings
In the three available polls this week, Cal hit new heights in each of them. The Bears moved up four sports in the NSCAA poll from No. 25 to No. 21. The Bears earned their highest ranking of the season in the Top Drawer Soccer poll at No. 10. The Bears moved up five spots in the Soccer America poll from No. 18 to No. 13.
Hassett Lands on TDS.com's Team of the Week
In honor of her two goals this past weekend, which allowed the No. 10 California women's soccer team to beat Washington 2-1, Top Drawer Soccer honored senior midfielder Betsy Hassett as a member of its Team of the Week. Hassett put the Bears up 1-0 against the Huskies with a goal in the 32nd minute. After the teams took halftime tied 1-1, the New Zealand Olympian scored again - this one in the 52nd - to put the Bears ahead for good. Hassett is second on the squad with 17 points and six goals with five assists.
Onumonu Scores Gamewinner
A freshman displayed the poise of a senior All-American when Cal women's soccer freshman Ifeoma Onumonu scored two goals -- including the gamewinner - and tallied an assist in front of a season-high crowd of 715 at Edwards Stadium on Sunday. Against the Cougars, Onumonu's first goal tied the game at 2-2, then her second goal was the gamewinner while her assist came on the first goal of the game. In the 64th minute, Onumonu dribbled the ball down the field, sprinting past three Cougar defenders. The WSU keeper came out of the goal - eliciting cheers from the season-high 715 fans in attendance - and Onumonu went cross-cage with a shot to the right side. With the teams tied 2-2 in the 67th, Samantha Walker chipped the ball into Onumonu, who put it in the back right corner for her 10th goal of the year.
Road Warriors
Cal has performed exceptionally well away from home this season - boasting a 7-0 record - thanks to a 3-2 overtime win at Colorado (Oct. 5) and a 3-1 victory at Utah (Oct. 7). Additionally, the Bears have wins at Pacific (3-0, Aug. 17), Cal Poly (4-1, Aug. 31), UC Davis (2-1 in double overtime, Sept. 7) Nevada (3-0, Sept. 23) and ASU (2-0, Oct. 14).
Next Week on the Pitch
Cal closes its regular-season campaign against the toughest opponent of all - rival and No. 1 Stanford. The Bears and Cardinal square off in the annual Bay Area Derby on Nov. 4 at 11 a.m. The game will take place at Edwards Stadium in Berkeley and will be shown on the Pac-12 Networks.
RPI Update
In the latest version of the RPI, Cal has moved up six spots to No. 23. In the fourth edition (Oct. 15), Cal was No. 29; in the third edition (Oct. 8), Cal was No. 32, in the second edition (Oct. 1), the Bears were No. 40 after starting at No. 57 in the inaugural edition. In the first issuing of the RPI, 13 of Cal's 2012 opponents are ranked in the top 85, and the power of the Pac-12 is further illustrated in this ranking system with all 12 schools in the top 85.
Five Goals Best in 15 Games
The five goals scored against San Jose State on Aug. 19 were the most Cal had scored in 15 games. Cal's most recent goal explosion of five goals or more occurred in a 6-1 win over San Francisco on Sept. 18, 2011.
Freshman Pair Score First Goals
In their very first weekend of play, freshmen Celeste Boureille and Ifeoma Onumonu both scored their inaugural career goals. Boureille got her Cal career off on the absolute best foot, scoring the Bears' first goal of the season and her first in the Blue & Gold with a strike in the 44th minute. Her goal was the ultimate gamewinner in the eventual 3-0 victory over Pacific on Aug. 17. In the 55th minute of the Aug. 19 game against San Jose State, Onumonu scored in front of the goal with Kory Lamet assisting.
Cal Opens Season With Two Wins
The Bears began 2012 on a serious high note - defeating Pacific 3-0 on Aug. 17 in Stockton, Calif., and then besting San Jose State 5-2 in the home opener on Aug. 19. Cal is now 25-5-1 in the program's history of season openers. Additionally, the Bears have won 15 of their past 17 lid lifters.
International Golden Bears
Returning to Berkeley freshly off the international pitch are senior midfielder Betsy Hassett and junior defender Ariana Martinez. After playing in last summer's FIFA World Cup, Hassett rejoined the New Zealand National Team for the London Olympics. Last season in Berkeley, Hassett played in all 22 matches with 18 starts in the midfield and was a second-team All-Pac-12 selection. Martinez - who is also a member of the Mexican Senior National Team - played in this summer's U-20 World Cup in Japan as part of the Mexican squad. Martinez transferred to Cal from UCLA and will have two years of eligibility left in Berkeley.
Join the Bears in the Social Media Realm
This season, fans of the prestigious California women's soccer team can get even closer to the Golden Bears - through Facebook, Twitter and the Cal Athletics YouTube channel. By following the California women's soccer team on its social media, fans can get even closer to the team, get breaking-news alerts, see photos and get other inside information. The Cal women's soccer Facebook page features links to CalBears.com stories, polls, insider photos as well as YouTube videos highlighting the Bears. Cal women's soccer Twitter is the best place to find game results, links to stories as well as photos and other insider information. Additionally, Cal women's soccer videos will be posted on the Cal Athletics YouTube channel and then linked on social media.
Remembering Last Season
In 2011, Cal won 12 matches - its most since 2007 - and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Championship. The Bears, who climbed as high as No. 11 in the national rankings during the year, knocked off Santa Clara on the road in the opening round of NCAAs and nearly advanced to the third round of the tournament, falling to No. 16 Boston College in penalty kicks. Four Bears earned All-Pac-12 honors - Danielle Brunache, Betsy Hassett, Lauren Battung and Kaitlyn Fitzpatrick - and a record 13 individuals were named to the Pac-12 All-Academic team, with Hassett also gaining NSCAA Scholar All-American recognition.
A Look at Cal's Schedule
All but two of Cal's home matches (Santa Clara and Washington State) this fall will be televised on the Pac-12 Networks. The 2012 slate features 10 home contests at Edwards Stadium/Goldman Field, with eight set to be televised by the conference's new networks. The demanding fall slate includes five teams - Oregon State, Santa Clara, Stanford, UCLA and Washington State - that earned a berth in the 2011 NCAA Tournament, including the defending NCAA champion Cardinal.
Pac-12 Coaches Predict Cal to Finish Third
The Conference coaches foresee Cal taking third place in the Pac-12, according to the preseason poll. The third-place slating equals the 2007 predication, which was the highest forecast in the past six years. The 12 coaches selected defending national champion Stanford as the preseason favorite.
Cal's Morgan, U.S. Win Gold by Beating Japan
Former Golden Bear Alex Morgan and the U.S. Women's National Team defeated Japan 2-1 to win gold on Aug. 9 at the London Olympics. Morgan - a four-year letterwinner with Cal - assisted on the Americans' first goal. Morgan scored thrice - including one gamewinner - over the course of the London Games, which were the Diamond Bar, Calif., native's first Olympic outing. She had played in the 2011 FIFA World Cup, taking silver with the Americans.
A Golden Olympics for the Golden Bears
A total of 46 Golden Bear athletes, coaches and staff members represented Cal during the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, and together, they brought home a school-record-tying 17 medals (11 gold, 1 silver, 5 bronze). The Bears have won 50 medals over the past three Olympics (16 in 2004, 17 in 2008, 17 in 2012), and they have captured 178 medals all-time (99 gold).
Cal No. 1 Public University in the Country
The University of California is the No. 1-ranked public university in the United States, according to U.S. News and World Report. The faculty has won 22 Nobel Prizes, including nine current members, while 28 alumni have received a Nobel Prize. A National Research Council analysis of U.S. universities concluded that the campus has the largest number of highly ranked graduate programs in the country (48 of 52). Cal also has a long commitment to public service, with more than 4,000 students annually doing volunteer work and more than 3,000 Peace Corps participants all-time.
