Cal Closes Season With Big Clasico

BERKELEY – The California men's soccer team closes the 2022 season when it hosts fifth-ranked Stanford in the Big Clasico on Saturday at Edwards Stadium. Prior to the 2 p.m. match, Cal will celebrate Senior Day.
 
The 12 Bears who will be honored prior to their last home game are George Abunaw, Fernando Andrade, Tate Dolan, Jonathan Estrada, Christian Gomez, Fahmi Ibrahim, Juan Martinez, Togo Nakamura, Arman Samimi, Jack Singer, Collin Travasos and Matthew Westly.
 
The Bears bring a 3-7-6 record (1-5-3 in the Pac-12) into Saturday, while the Cardinal is 10-2-5 (3-2-4 Pac-12).
 
Admission is free for Cal students. Tickets cost $10 for adults and $7 for seniors (ages 65-up) and youth (2-17). Pac-12 Bay Area will broadcast the game, and live stats for are available by clicking here. Fans can also follow Twitter updates for the Bears at @CalMSoc.
 
Last Time: Cal Ties OSU After Narrow Loss To No. 1 UW
Striker Nonso Adimabua scored the equalizer for Cal in a 1-1 tie with Oregon State on Oct. 30 in Berkeley, where the Bears wound up playing 11 vs. 9 after the Beavers collected two red cards.
 
On Oct. 27 at Edwards Stadium, Cal was eight seconds from earning a 1-1 tie with No. 1 Washington when the Huskies scored again, and the Bears lost, 2-1. Fahmi Ibrahim had tied the game with his team-high seventh goal of the year for the Bears when he converted a penalty kick in the 35th minute.
 
Scouting the Bears

• Fahmi Ibrahim leads Cal in points (14) and goals (7)
• Ibrahim is also tied for third in goals and tied for sixth in points in the Pac-12
• Sophomore forward Shoei Honda ranks second in goals (4) and points (9) at Cal
• In the Pac-12, Honda is tied for 10th in goals and tied for 17th in points
• Junior midfielder Wyatt Meyer leads Cal in assists (3)
• Sophomore defender Kevin Carmichael leads Cal in minutes played at 1,385
• Nonso Adimabua earned national distinction when the United Soccer Coaches named him to its list of 30 forwards to watch this season
• Redshirt junior goalkeeper Collin Travasos has three shutouts and a 1.36 goals-against average in 11 starts
• In the Pac-12, Travasos ranks third in saves (48) and fourth in save percentage (.716)
• Evan Davila and Wyatt Meyer have family connections to Cal. Taylor Davila, Evan's brother, patrolled the Bears' midfield from 2018-19, and now plays professionally for the Los Angeles Galaxy II. Jennifer Thomas, Meyer's mother, played for the Cal women's soccer team from 1982-85, and was an assistant coach for the Cal women's team for 11 seasons.
• Cal honored Jennifer Thomas at halftime of its game vs. Oregon State on Oct. 30 as part of Cal Athletics' celebration of Title IX
• Head coach Leonard Griffin returned to Cal in March 2022, after leading Grand Canyon to a 15-4-1 record and to the NCAA tournament in fall 2021. His first head coaching job was at San Francisco from 2019-2021. A UCLA alumnus (class of 2005) and a former Cal assistant coach in 2013, Griffin was part of the Bruins' NCAA championship team in 2002.

Scouting the Cardinal

• In its previous two games, Stanford tied No. 1 Washington, 3-3, on Oct. 30 and blew out Pacific, 7-0, on Nov. 7
• Midfielder Shane de Flores is tied for third in goals (7) and tied for fourth in points (16) in the Pac-12 and leads his team in both categories
• Forward Carlos Agostinelli leads Stanford and is tied for third in the Pac-12 in assists (8)
• Goalkeeper Matt Frank has a 0.96 GAA – ranking fourth in the Pac-12 – and six shutouts – to ranked second in the conference – in 17 starts
• Jeremy Gunn in his 11th year as Stanford's head coach

Last Time Vs. Stanford
Fahmi Ibrahim scored his fourth goal of the season – scoring with his left foot during a goalmouth scrum – to tie Stanford 1-1 on Nov. 29 on the Farm. But the Cardinal wound up winning the first game of the Big Clasico, 5-1.
 
From Boston To Berkeley
Before George Abunaw became a Cal defender, he played as an undergraduate at Boston University from 2018-21. Previously a three-time member of the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll as well as a TV commentator for BU and the Patriot League Network, Abunaw now attends Berkeley Law. Read more about the first-year Bear in this feature on Berkeley.edu.
 
Fer Play By Fernando Andrade
Fernando Andrade posted the latest entry in Fer Play, the Cal men's soccer blog on CalBears.com, on Nov. 2. The Cal midfielder/defender discussed overcoming mistakes – his own and the team's – as the season winds to a close.
 
Earlier this fall Andrade wrote the BeLOnG Blog entry for Sept. 19 on CalBears.com. Entitled Just A Kid From Chula Vista, Andrade's post discusses identity and life as a Mexican American from the San Diego suburb. The busy Bear was also profiled over the summer in this Cal Sports Quarterly feature, Relentless Dedication.
 
Social Media
For more coverage of the Cal men's soccer team, please follow the Bears on Twitter (@CalMSoc), Instagram (@CalMSoc) and Facebook (@CalMSoc).