Cal Concludes Road Trip At Utah

BERKELEY - California women's soccer will conclude its three-game road trip as the Bears head to Salt Lake City for a Friday night matchup with Utah on the Pac-12 Network. The game will kick off at 6 p.m. PT/7 p.m. MT.
 
Cal enters the match coming off back-to-back losses in the Pacific Northwest. The Bears fell to Washington and Washington State. Utah comes into the match having earned a tie vs. No. 3 UCLA on Thursday before losing to No. 11 USC by a 7-0 scoreline in their most recent matchup.
 
Cal has controlled the all-time series vs. the Utes, leading 9-1-3. The teams have played each of the past 10 seasons with Cal winning six of those 10 including each of the past two.
 
Cal won when the teams played in March, capturing the match, 1-0, as Emma Westin and Keely Roy worked a nice combination for Roy to score the lone goal of the afternoon. The last time, the Utes and Bears squared off in Utah, Cal came back to win 2-1 on goals by Paige Metayer and Westin.
 
The Bears are eighth in the Pac-12 standings, having accumulated four points, while Utah sits in 10th with two points. The Bears will look to mount a run as their next three games come against teams in the bottom three positions in the standings as Cal hosts Arizona and Arizona State next week in its final two home games of the season.
 
STIFLING DEFENSE
Cal has had one of the best defenses in the country this year, allowing only 0.92 goals per game and only 8.3 shots per contest. Cal has controlled possession in the majority of their non-conference contests leading to a massive 15.2-8.3 advantage in shots. The Bears have only permitted opponents to register 37 shots on goal in 12 contests, 3.1 on-target attempts per game.
 
Consequently, the Bears have posted four shutouts in 12 games and have only allowed more than one goal in three games so far this year.
 
IMMEDIATE IMPACT
Cal's No. 1 ranked recruiting class has made waves immediately. Three of the Bears' top four scorers are freshman: Karlie Lema (4 goals, 8 points) leads the team while Ari Manrique (1 goal, 3 points) and Jordyn Young (1 goal, 3 points) have also had an immediate impact.
 
Additionally, Ayo Oke has an assist. Marleen Rohde scored the game-winning goal vs. OSU and is third on the team in shots with 18. Noelle Bond-Flasza, Maya Griffin, Alexis Wright and Velize King have all seen time.
 
DEEP ROSTER
The Bears have a deep roster of contributors that have positively impacted the team this year. The Bears have played 17 or more players in every game this year and have played more than 20 on nine occasions. 28 different players have logged minutes and 23 players have earned starts so far during the 2021 season.
 
15 different players have scored points for the Bears so far. Karlie Lema leads the way with four goals and eight points. Sydney Collins has a team-best four assists.
 
TWIN OUTCOMES
Cal features a set of twins in Amaya and Anysa Gray. The sophomores from East Palo Alto have been constants in the Bears' attack.

Both have played seven games as Amaya has started five and Anysa three. Amaya has three points as she scored the game-tying goal vs. Saint Mary's, which rescued a draw for the Bears. Anysa scored the game-winning goal against Portland in the 83rd minute.
 
 
A-PLUS ANGIE
Angelina Anderson is now fifth on Cal's all-time saves list. She passed Mary Harvey in the 2021 season opener as she recorded three saves vs. UCSD. She now has 174 in her career. Harvey had 156 career saves. Anderson also has 17 career shutouts and is just three away from tying for fifth on Cal's all-time list.
 
Anderson was named National Freshman of the Year in 2019 as well as Pac-12 Goalkeeper of the Year and Freshman of the Year. She was the first player to win both Freshman of the Year and Goalkeeper of the Year in the conference. She earned second-team All-Pac-12 last season as she's proven to be one of the top shot stoppers in the nation.
 
A QUICK INTRO
Makena Smith joined the Bears' soccer team two days before the game vs. Santa Clara on 8/22. She had one day of practice before the junior was introduced to the lineup in goal vs. #2 Santa Clara. Smith was named Pac-12 Goalkeeper of the Week for her performance. Smith is an All-Pac-12 catcher on the Cal softball team, but had experience playing for Legends FC club prior to joining Cal.
 
She stepped into the lineup and recorded seven saves in 110 minutes of action against the defending NCAA champions and helped Cal secure a draw.
 
SENIOR LEADERSHIP
The Bears excellence on defense enjoys the benefit of an experienced backline. Emily Smith is in her fifth-year as a starter, Sydney Collins and Abena Aidoo are both in their fourth year as starters. Collins and Smith are two of the Bears' captains, along with junior goalkeeper Angelina Anderson.
 
The Bears also benefit from the play of holding midfielder Paige Metayer, who sits in front of the backline and breaks up plays. Metayer is in her fourth year in the program, and has been a starter every season.
 
SENIOR CLASS AWARD
California fifth-year player Emily Smith has been named as one of 30 candidates for the women's soccer 2021 Senior CLASS Award due to her notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character, and competition.