The Bears love life on the road.
The Cal women’s soccer team (9-3, 2-1 in the Pac-12), currently 4-0 as the visiting team this season, heads into two away games this weekend riding an undefeated road record.
With that road success driving them forward, the No. 15 Bears head to Colorado (6-3-3, 0-2-1 in Pac-12) for a 3 p.m. kickoff on Friday, followed by a noon match on Sunday against Utah (7-2-2, 2-1 in Pac-12).
Last Sunday, Cal soundly defeated No. 12 Oregon State in a 3-1 upset that put the Bear’s season back on track after a mediocre start. Before Sunday’s win, Cal was 1-1 in conference, dropping a game to a lackluster Arizona squad and beating last-place Oregon.
“Last weekend, we brought the team in as captains, and we said we can’t base the season off one game,” defender Amanda Glass said. “We are going to lose every once in awhile, but it’s how we bounce back and fix what’s wrong that makes a difference.”
The upset against No. 12 Oregon State pushed the Bears higher into the national rankings and proved that the squad is a serious contender in the highly competitive Pac-12.
“It was a big confidence booster coming off those wins, and we hope to carry it into this weekend,” Glass said. “We have been playing really well and practicing hard, and we are excited to come into Utah and Colorado and hopefully beat them.”
The Buffs remain in second to last place in the Pac-12 and have not recorded a single conference win thus far — even against last place Oregon.
Colorado tends to spread the field, which plays to Cal’s advantage. The Bears are strong with possession, and the extra space will allow the Bears to pass in and out of the midfield with more ease.
Cal’s game plan is to look to disperse the ball through the midfield and beat the Buffs on the flanks. Cal also has quick outside midfielders who can beat the Colorado defense around the corners and cross the ball back to the forward into the middle.
By employing this strategy, the squad hopes to convert more of its opportunities. The Bears pace the Pac-12 in both shots and corner kicks, and they want to see more of these chances materialize as goals.
“We are focusing on getting two more shutouts and getting a lot of goals,” Glass said. “I don’t think we are converting a lot of corners, I think we need to really focus on finishing those by really going for it in the box.”
While the Bears should be able to handle the Buffs, the Utes look to pose a more serious threat. Utah rests at fourth in the conference standings. However, the Utes did lose to Oregon State, the only common foe with the Bears so far in the schedule.
While the Utes may be the stronger of the two opponents, the Bears are favored to win.
Most teams prefer playing with homefield advantage. But with Cal’s impressive road streak, both the Buffs and the Utes may be wishing they were anywhere but home.
Taylor Brink covers women’s soccer. Contact her at [email protected]
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