Cal Battles Florida in NCAA Second Round Friday

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- For only the second time in program history, California meets Florida as the Golden Bears and regional No. 2-seed Gators face off in NCAA Tournament Second Round play. The action is set for 4 p.m. PT at Florida’s Donald R. Dizney Stadium.

The match will be televised live on the SEC Network+, with scoring updates provided on the @CalWomensSoccer Twitter account.

The winner of Cal vs. Florida will advance to the third round to meet the winner of Auburn vs. Texas Tech. The Tigers and Red Raiders meet earlier in the day at 3 p.m. on Dizney Stadium.

GOLDEN BEARS IN THE POSTSEASON
Cal’s 2014 postseason run is its 11th consecutive postseason appearance, with the streak dating back to 2004. Cal has advanced to the second round of the tournament in eight of the last 12 seasons, failing to advance in 2013, 2010, 2008 and 2004.

The Bears have not advanced to the third round since 2005. Cal’s highest finish in the tourney came in 1987 and 1988, where the Bears tied for third after losing to North Carolina in the semifinals both years.

PAC MENTALITY
This year, a league-record nine Pac-12 teams earned spots in the NCAA Tournament, the most of any conference in the country. UCLA and Stanford led the way with a pair of No. 1 seeds, and Washington is a No. 4 seed. Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, USC and Washington State also earned berths.

Following the first round, another league-record seven Pac-12 teams still remain. Only USC and Washington failed to advance.

FAMILIAR FACES IN THE FIELD
Cal is 3-5-1 against teams in the 2014 tournament field, with wins against USC (2-1), Arizona State (1-0) and Colorado (4-2). Cal’s losses came from No. 1 regional seed UCLA (3-0), Washington State (1-0), No. 3 seed Texas Tech (1-0, 2OT), fourth-seeded Washington (2-1) and No. 1 regional seed Stanford (3-2). Cal tied Arizona 1-1 in Tucson earlier this year. In Cal’s quadrant, the Bears could potentially meet Texas Tech, Washington or Stanford for a rematch en route to the semifinals.

FIRST ROUND RECAP
In a reverse decision of Cal’s previous NCAA Tournament game against San Diego State in 2012, where the Golden Bears led by one goal before the Aztecs rallied to a 2-1 win, the Golden Bears overcame a 1-0 deficit before the end of regulation ended in a 2-2 tie. Aliyah Utush put one on the board for San Diego State at 10:21, but Cal used goals from Grace Leer and Samantha Witteman within a six-minute span to take a 2-1 lead heading into halftime. The Aztecs tied it up in the 58th minute after scoring on a free kick, and the score held through 90 minutes to send the game into overtime. The elusive golden goal finally came at 104:25 on the foot of Arielle Ship, who tapped in a cross from Witteman as the Bears earned their spot in the second round. It was the first time Cal hosted an NCAA Tournament game in Berkeley since 2000.

WITTEMAN GRACES TOPDRAWERSOCCER.COM TEAM OF THE WEEK
With one goal and the game-winning assist on Arielle Ship’s golden goal against San Diego State, Samantha Witteman was selected to this week’s TopDrawerSoccer.com Team of the Week. Witteman is the fourth Bear to be recognized by the soccer site this season. Earlier in 2014, Lorin Hom was recognized for her performance in the opening week of play, and Taylor Comeau earned a spot with two assists against Colorado. That same week, Karly Graf was a TDS.com honorable mention selection.

NO STRANGER TO THE SOUTH
With Auburn, Florida and Texas Tech in Gainesville for this weekend’s play, head coach Neil McGuire is no stranger to his Southern opponents. He directed a rebuilding effort for Southeastern Conference foe Mississippi State from 2000-03, amassing a 36-40-5 and earning SEC Coach of the Year accolades in 2001. McGuire moved on to coach at Texas Tech in 2005 and 2006, where he was 8-29-2 with the Red Raiders.

NEIL'S NEARLY THERE
California head coach Neil McGuire is just two wins shy of 100 wins as the Golden Bears’ head coach. He checks in second all-time for wins as a Cal coach behind Kevin Boyd, who was 124-63-20 during his tenure in Berkeley from 1997-06. McGuire is 142-120-26 (.538) all time, including a 36-40-5 record at Mississippi State from 2000-03 and an 8-29-2 record at Texas Tech from 2005-06.

LAST YEAR IN THE NCAA TOURNEY
The Bears were booted early in the tournament after meeting Santa Clara for the second time in 2013. The Broncos hosted the first round at Buck Shaw Stadium in Santa Clara, and claimed an early lead at 22 minutes in. Cal’s equalizer came from senior defender Emi Lawson at 47:24, but the Broncos regained their lead with a go-ahead goal from lethal Sofia Huerta in the 69th minute and Cal could not recover. Senior goalkeeper Emily Kruger notched six saves in the loss, becoming the program’s all-time career saves leader with 279. The Bears finished the season 11-5-5.

SCOUTING FLORIDA

Florida enters Friday’s game with home field advantage thanks to a No. 2 regional seed from a 15-4-1 record against a strong schedule in 2014. Sophomore Savannah Jordan is already nationally known for her success on the field, tallying 40 points from 17 goals and six assists this season. She ranks ninth nationally for goals scored this season. Defender Tessa Andujar has 10 assists, while Havana Solaun checks in at second for goals (6), assists (9) and points (21). A four-year starter in the net for the Gators, Taylor Burke holds a goals against average of .086 and has started every match.

LAST MEETING: Cal’s only other meeting against Florida also took place in Gainesville, when the Bears met the Gators in Florida’s regular venue, James G. Pressly Stadium, on Nov. 14, 2008. Playing without sophomore forward Alex Morgan, the Bears scored just four minutes into the game when Natasha Richardson net her first collegiate goal. The Gators evened it up 16 minutes in on a free kick from Megan Kerns, and Florida pulled away for good at 50:22 with a goal off of Ameera Abdullah. Despite the loss, Cal outshot UF 14-8 and had a 7-3 edge in corner kicks. Golden Bear goalie Gina Pellegrini notched four saves in the 2-1 defeat.