Cal Outlasts Utah To Claim Road Win
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - California women's soccer concluded a three-game road trip with a 1-0 win over Utah on Friday Night at Ute Field. Karlie Lema scored her fifth of the season to clinch the victory.
After struggling to gather momentum in the first half, the Bears came out much stronger in the second half. The Bears increased their intensity and it paid off in the 76th minute.
Rilee Harmon won the ball in the Bears' half, played an outlet pass to Ari Manrique, who laid it back to Harmon. Harmon then lofted a long pass over the Utah backline which Lema was able to latch onto. Lema took one touch to set it up and fired it in with a rocket to the near post.
That was all the scoring the Bears would need, as they claimed their fifth shutout of the season.
Utah looked to have an early opportunity in the third minute, but Emily Smith made a great recovery run and blocked the shot, preventing an early Utah opportunity. Utah had another opportunity off a corner kick, but Paige Metayer dropped back to the goal line and was able to keep the ball out.
Angelina Anderson backed up her defense with a fantastic save in the 37th minute as Anna Escobedo fired a shot into the upper corner of the net. Anderson was up to the task with a diving save. Utah held an 8-1 shot advantage in the first half and a 5-0 corner kick advantage.
The Bears turned it on in the second half as they controlled much more of the possession and opportunities. The Bears outshot Utah, 5-3, in the second half. Lema had another opportunity as she turned in the box and fired a snap shot, which was parried out of play. Ayo Oke almost scored as she took a cross and almost redirected it into the net, but had the ball saved off the line.
The Bears will be back in action next week with their final two home games of the season. The Bears will host Arizona on Thursday afternoon with kickoff set for 3 p.m. The Bears will conclude their home slate on Sunday as they celebrate their seniors at Edwards Stadium. Kickoff for the home finale is set for 12 p.m. and both of next week's games will be broadcast on the Pac-12 Network.