The Bears are back in town.
After two weeks on the road, the No.12 Cal women’s soccer team will look to extend its winning streak in back-to-back matches at Edwards Stadium.
The Bears will battle Washington at 3:30 p.m. on Friday and Washington State at 12 p.m. on Sunday.
Cal (12-3, 5-1 Pac-12) enters the weekend riding a six-game winning streak. The Bears stand in third place in the Pac-12 and have only dropped their first conference match against Arizona.
Since then, the Bears have been flawless, steadily moving up in the rankings and garnering national attention. The last time Cal had five straight conference wins was in 2007.
Now, the Bears’ streak stands at six and counting.
“Our streak gives us motivation,” said sophomore Kory Lamet. “It gives us mentality that we need to find a way to close out the season strong.”
Washington (9-4-2, 2-3 Pac-12) runs in the middle of the pack in the conference standings after starting the season with six wins but dropping half of its Pac-12 matchups.
In last year’s conference tilt, the Huskies forced the Bears to score an equalizer to force overtime. After two overtime periods, the match remained a stalemate and resulted in a draw.
“Based on last year, they are a strong team and a good possession team,” said Lamet.
Though the squad does not underestimate the Huskies, the weekend’s main challenge will come against Washington State.
The Cougars are only one place behind the Bears in the conference standings. Washington State had a confidence booster earlier this season when it played No. 2 UCLA to a draw.
However, the Huskies also suffered losses to unranked Utah and Arizona State, both of whom the Bears handled easily.
“In the past they have proved to be a challenge for us,” said Lamet. “But the fact that they are right behind us doesn’t make us worry about them any more than any other team.”
Washington State has a major weapon in junior Micaela Castain. Castain is second in the Pac-12 in goals scored and has developed a penchant for scoring in game-winners.
With her leading the Cougars’ attacks, the Bears’ defense need to be in top form.
“We know who she is, and she has proven to be really talented,” said Lamet. ”But our defense has handled some really good forwards all season.”
If Cal’s defense can limit the Cougars’ offensive charge, the Bears’ own offense should be able to put the game away. Cal is second in the conference in goals, trailing Stanford by only two.
In additional testament to the Bears’ capacity to create offensive opportunities, the squad also leads the conference in corner kicks, with 14 more than the next closest team.
If the Bears emerge victorious from both of the weekend’s matches, they will be poised as a serious contender for the conference title.
“These two games are just getting us that much closer to reaching our goal of being Pac-12 champs, and we will use that goal as momentum to take us through the weekend,”said Lamet.
Taylor Brink covers women’s soccer. Contact her at [email protected]
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