Stymied by Stanford, Cal stumbles in season finale
Josh Kahen/Senior Staff
On a crystal clear day in the Bay Area, Witter Rugby Field was beginning to feel a lot like home for the Cal women’s soccer team. A modest wave of blue and gold a thirty-person audience filled the padded bleachers for the first time this season with brightly colored balloons and bouquets of flowers.
“It was a really special moment,” said redshirt junior defender Kailee Gifford, “We didn’t know if we would even be playing games or training this season, let alone get to directly play in front of friends and family.”
The great California clash: Bears to face Bruins, Trojans
Josh Kahen/File
This week, the prodigal team returns to face No. 4 UCLA and No. 21 USC. The Bears will defend home turf at Witter Rugby Field against the Bruins on Friday, followed by the Trojans on Sunday.
These two matches will mark the first time the blue and gold have faced both Southern California teams this year. After breaking even last weekend with a 1-1 record against Arizona State and Arizona, Cal has a golden opportunity to prove itself against both Los Angeles heavyweights.
This “California Clash” begins Friday against the highly-ranked and extremely competitive Bruins. UCLA has scored a stunning 26 goals this season and leads the conference in save percentage (0.873) as well as goals against-average (0.56).
Saturday, April 10 | 7 p.m. PT | Witter Rugby Field | Berkeley Calif.
Aztec Storylines
• The Aztecs play at Cal Saturday at 7 p.m. This is the second straight Saturday where SDSU has played in the Bay Area.
• SDSU fell to No. 6 Stanford 3-1 last weekend, just their second time losing by more than one goal.
• The Aztecs fell to California 3-2 in their first meeting March 13 despite SDSU outshooting the Golden Bears 13-8. Cal s game-winning goal came in the 81st minute, nine minutes after SDSU was issued a red card forcing them to play a man down for the final 17 minutes.
• After going 0-4-1 in their first pass through the Pac-12, SDSU is 1-1-1 in their three rematches thus far.
Weathering storms: Cal Athletics’ year with COVID-19
Josh Kahen/Senior Staff
Last Updated March 12, 2021
On Nov. 15, the Bears kicked off their abbreviated 2020 season and college sports returned to Cal for the first time in almost nine months. Since then, Cal Athletics has been awash in a wave of returning collegiate sports.
A return of sports during the pandemic, however, requires a litany of tasks that are not obvious to the casual observer. To follow health protocols and safely put on events, Cal Athletics staff have had to shift to new roles during the pandemic, construct plans for every eventuality and adapt previous jobs and activities to safer, outdoor settings.
Undefeated No. 6 Cal to forage for 2 more wins against Colorado, Utah
Josh Kahen/File
After a two-game sweep in the Beaver state, the No. 6 Cal is off to a red-hot start. In a flash, the team moved up eight spots in the national rankings from 14th to 6th place over the span of a weekend.
“To come out in our first two opening games and get two wins is super exciting,” said the Bears’ tri-captain forward Emma Westin. “It gives us a lot of confidence going into these next two games.”
Next up for Cal is Colorado and Utah on Friday and Sunday, respectively. Both matches will be held at Witter Rugby Field in Berkeley and kick off at 3 p.m. PST.