The Bears will battle the Broncos in a Bay Area bout of behemoths.
No. 12 Cal women’s soccer will face its first ranked opponent of the season in No. 22 Santa Clara. The Bears (5-0-1) will take on the Broncos (4-2-0) on Thursday evening at Santa Clara’s Buck Shaw Stadium. The 7 p.m. kickoff will mark Cal’s return to the field after almost two weeks without a game. The Bears’ break may prove to have been opportune for the squad, as rested legs and extra prep time can only help when facing a perennially challenging team such as Santa Clara.
“I think we are all really excited to get back on the field,” said senior defender Emi Lawson. “I think that excitement is also in that we feel really prepared to tactically know what they are going to do and know how we are best going to break down their team and go out and get a win.”
Cal typically faces the Broncos at least once a season, with friendly scrimmages occasionally dropped into the schedule as well. In their last official meeting, Santa Clara topped the Bears, 1-0. The scrappy skirmish saw the Broncos cling to their first-half lead despite an onslaught of Cal shots. The Bears outshot the Broncos 16-3 but failed to clinch the equalizer. This year, Cal hopes to capitalize on the established familiarity between the teams and snag a win in its first significant challenge of the season.
“They are a great soccer team and have a front line with a powerful duo that is going to be a lot for us to handle,” Lawson said. “We have played them so often that we know each other really well, so it is going to come down to executing and making sure we are playing at our best on gameday.”
Just as in last year, the Bears slightly outrank Santa Clara. Unlike last year, Cal will head across the bay to take on the Broncos on their home turf. Furthermore, Cal has not yet played a ranked opponent this season, whereas Santa Clara has faced three, including a 2-0 loss to then-No. 1 North Carolina. The Bears remain relatively untested, while the Broncos started the season playing postseason-caliber matchups. Despite these potential disadvantages, Cal is not daunted. Instead, the Bears plan to pressure the Broncos’ defense from the onset in hopes of building an early lead.
“We have been there, and we are prepared to go there and win,” Lawson said, adding, “I expect that we are going to come out with a lot of high energy. We are going to try to get the ball forward early and test them.”
Much of this strategy stems from the aim of getting out ahead of the dynamic Santa Clara offense. Bronco forward Morgan Marlborough enters the Cal clash riding the momentum of a hat trick in her most recent game against Iowa State. The feat earned the senior West Coast Conference Player of the Week honors. Despite being faced with a talented offense, the Bears head into the game confident they can handle the challenge.
“There is no doubt that Santa Clara is going to be one of our toughest opponents this year,” Lawson said. “We are going into this game with the mentality that we are the better team.”
Taylor Brink covers women’s soccer. Contact her at [email protected].