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No. 1 Cal Faces USD on Goldman Field on Friday

by calbears.com
Oct 22, 2013

Friday, Oct. 25
3:30 p.m. – No. 1 Cal (10-0-2, 4-0-1 Pac-12) vs. San Diego (3-6-4, 0-3-3, WCC)
Goldman Field/Edwards Stadium - Berkeley
Series Record vs. USD: 6-8-1
Last Time vs. USD: W, 2-0, 8/31/07 at USD
Coverage: Live Stats, Twitter
Tickets: Adults $10, Seniors (65 and older) $5, Youth (12th grade and under) Free, Cal Students Free

BERKELEY – Top-ranked California rides a three-game winning streak into Friday’s nonconference match against the visiting San Diego Toreros on Goldman Field at Edwards Stadium. The Golden Bears improved their record to 10-0-2 (4-0-1 in the Pac-12) after topping Stanford, 1-0, on Oct. 20 at Goldman. USD brings a 3-6-4 record into Friday’s match, which is slated for a 3:30 p.m. start.

Following the Game

Fans can keep track of Cal home games by following live stats and by following the team on Twitter @CalMensSoccer. Each game’s live stats link will appear on the team’s CalBears.com schedule on the day of the game.

Pole Position

Cal is ranked No. 1 in the NSCAA, Soccer America, TopDrawerSoccer.com and CollegeSoccerNews.com polls this week.

Scouting the Bears

  • Senior defender Steve Birnbaum tallied his Pac-12 leading eighth goal of the season when he scored in the 86th minute of Cal’s 1-0 win over Stanford on Oct. 20 in Berkeley; his eight goals tie him for 20th-most nationally
  • Birnbaum also leads the conference with 17 points and 0.67 goals-per-game and is tied for the lead in points-per-game at 1.42; nationally, he is tied for 36th in points, tied for 30th in points-per-game and tied for 17th in goals-per-game
  • Redshirt junior goalkeeper Justin Taillole, who made six saves against the Cardinal, improved his goals-against average to a conference-best 0.65 and his save percentage to .810, which ranks second in the Pac-12, after the Stanford game
  • Taillole is tied for the second-most shutouts in the Pac-12 with four
  • Nationally, Taillole ranks 16th in GAA and tied for 40th in save percentage
  • Senior midfielder Ryan Neil and junior midfielder Seth Casiple are tied for the team high in assists (4)
  • Senior midfielder Alec Sundly paces the Bears and is tied for the Pac-12 high in gamewinning goals (3)
  • As a team, Cal tops the Pac-12 in GAA (0.71) and goals allowed (9)
  • Cal’s co-captains are Birnbaum, Sundly and Casiple
  • Kevin Grimes is in his 14th season as head coach at Cal; the former SMU All-American (class of 1990) claimed five Pac-10 Coach of the Year awards (2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2010) before the conference became the Pac-12 in 2011
  • Against ranked opponents, Grimes has a 40-37-16 all-time record at Cal; his record vs. ranked foes is 3-0-1 in 2013

Scouting the Toreros

  • Junior midfielder Connor Brandt leads USD in goals (3), assists (5) and points (11)
  • In its last two games, both at home, San Diego lost to San Francisco, 2-0, on Oct. 18 and tied Saint Mary’s, 0-0, in two overtimes on Oct. 20
  • Senior goalkeeper Michael D’Arrigo has a 1.39 GAA and .760 save percentage in 13 games
  • Seamus McFadden is in his 35th year as head coach of USD

Next Time

Cal returns to Pac-12 play when it hosts San Diego State on Nov. 1 and UCLA on Nov. 3. The match against the Bruins will air on the Pac-12 Networks. That match will begin after the conclusion of the Senior Day festivities, in which Cal will honor seniors Steve Birnbaum, Luis Fuentes, Robby Gogatz, Ryan Neil and Alec Sundly prior to their last regular-season game in Berkeley.

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