Cal Closes Regular Season At UCLA

BERKELEY – The California men's soccer team concludes the spring 2021 regular season with a Pac-12 Conference clash at UCLA on Saturday, April 17, at 2:30 p.m., in a game broadcast on the Pac-12 Networks. The Golden Bears won the first meeting of the two-game season series, 2-0, on March 20 in Berkeley.

Cal improved its record to 4-4-1 (4-4-1 Pac-12) after beating San Diego State on April 10 at Witter Rugby Field. UCLA is 2-7-2 (1-6-2 Pac-12).

Please follow live stats for the game here and follow updates on Twitter @CalMSoc.

Scouting Cal

• Forward Jonathan Estrada leads Cal in goals (3) and points (7).
• Midfielder Evan Davila is second in points (5) after netting two goals and an assist.
• Forward Arman Samimi ranks third with three points from one goal and one assist.
• Forward Nate Carrasco paces the Bears in assists (2).
• Goalkeeper Collin Travasos has a goals-against average of 1.34 and a save percentage of 0.756 through nine games.
• Kevin Grimes (SMU '90) is in his 21st season as Cal's head coach.
• Grimes is Cal's all-time wins leader (208).
• Grimes' staff includes Cal alumni in assistant coach Jacob Wilson (class of 2009), goalkeeper coach Henry Foulk (class of 1984) and volunteer assistant coach Alec Sundly (class of 2013).

Scouting UCLA

• The Bruins lost at Washington, 5-1, on April 8 in their last game.
• Forward Kevin Diaz and midfielder Riley Ferch are tied for the team lead in goals (2) and points (6).
• Defender Tommy Silva leads UCLA in assists (3).
• Goalkeeper Justin Garces has a 2.07 GAA and 0.600 save percentage in 11 starts.
• Ryan Jorden is in his second season as UCLA's head coach.

Gomez Named ASC Scholar-Athlete Of The Week
Redshirt sophomore midfielder Christian Gomez was named the Athletic Study Center Scholar-Athlete of the Week on April 12. The ASC recognized the global studies major for challenging his peers to view obstacles as opportunities for growth and to embrace a mindset of thinking outside the box during their Cal journeys.
 
Gomez is an incredibly gifted individual who plays an instrumental role as a peer advisor for the Scholar-Athlete Freshman Transition Seminars. Within both virtual class sessions and small-group engagement pods, he has empowered students to gain a better understanding of self-efficacy within diverse settings; provided them with clear incentives for setting meaningful goals via campus resources; and encouraged them to pursue authentic leadership opportunities. Beyond campus borders, he has served as a research assistant and documentation specialist and has volunteered with organizations focused on disaster and humanitarian relief projects.

Last Time: Estrada Records Goal, Assist In Win Over SDSU
Three different Golden Bears scored in Cal's 3-1 victory over San Diego State on April 10, as the Bears played their last regular-season home game at Witter Rugby Field. Jonathan Estrada scored the gamewinner and assisted on Cal's final goal.
 
Down 1-0 early, Cal got the equalizer in the 26th minute, with freshman Evan Davila taking a short pass from midfielder Lucas Churchill and blasting the ball past SDSU goalkeeper Tetsuya Kadono from 22 yards out.
 
In the 50th minute, midfielder Francisco Perez was fouled to set up a Cal penalty kick. Estrada converted the PK to give the Bears a 2-1 lead
 
In the 56th minute, Estrada passed the ball to defensive midfielder JJ Foe Nuphaus just outside the box. The veteran Bear fired a rocket past Kadono for his first goal of the season and second of his career.

Last Time vs. UCLA: Davila Nets First Points
Freshman midfielder Evan Davila scored the gamewinning goal and assisted on Cal's second strike in the Bears' 2-0 win over UCLA on March 20 at Witter Rugby Field. Both scores came in the first half, with Jonathan Estrada netting the final goal.
 
The game included the first goal, assist, gamewinning goal and (3) points of Davila's career.
 
Near the top of the UCLA box in the 14th minute, Davila took a shot that was blocked by a Bruin. He got the ball back, eluded three defenders and blasted a sliding shot into the upper right corner of the goal.
 
In the 16th minute, Davila intercepted the ball in midfield, dribbled into the attacking third and passed the ball to Estrada, who was streaking down the other side of the field. The junior forward stuck the ball past UCLA goalkeeper Justin Garces for his second goal of the year.
 
Cal goalie Collin Travasos made four saves to blank the Bruins.

Travasos, Samimi Named Pac-12 Players of the Week in March
Cal goalkeeper Collin Travasos and forward Arman Samimi earned Pac-12 Player of the Week accolades in the month of March. The conference honored Samimi on March 16 for his heroics in Cal's first win of the season at SDSU (see above), while Travasos earned the award on March 31 for shutting out No. 9 Stanford, 0-0, and No. 3 Oregon State, 1-0, in the same week.
 
Travasos, who made five saves in each of those results, was also named the Top Drawer Soccer Player of the Week and earned a spot on the Top Drawer Soccer Team of the Week for his play. Samimi earned honorable mention for the Top Drawer Soccer Team of the Week after the SDSU game.
 
Fer Play
Midfielder Fernando Andrade writes Fer Play, a Cal men's soccer blog on CalBears.com. An aspiring double major in business administration and political science, Andrade gives insight and behind the scenes details about the Bears during this unprecedented spring regular season. Click here to read Fer Play.