Cal’s defense dominated the field this Halloweekend, as the Bears accumulated two shutouts against Colorado and Utah.

The Bears started off the week on the right paw as they set a season high of 4-0 against the Buffs. Sophomore Noelle Bond-Flasza was the first to light up the board when she scored in the 24th minute after a pass from Ayo Oke. The game proved monumental for Bond-Flasza as the sophomore marked her first career goal.

Bond-Flasza sent a wake-up call to the Bears, with Keely Roy scoring five minutes later. Roy was set up to take a penalty kick and, for the first time in the season, Roy missed a penalty shot as the Buffs’ goalkeeper blocked the kick. Colorado’s keeper, however, set the ball loose on the field, allowing Roy to score after a pass from Oke, into an unguarded net.

Three minutes later, double trouble returned as Oke passed to Roy, who catapulted the ball into the net to mark her 11th goal of the season. Oke tallied her ninth assist of the season and became the star of the match as she singlehandedly assisted three of the four goals scored.

As the second half began, the Bears stood at a high advantage, but that did not stop Karlie Lema from elevating Cal’s score even higher. Roy launched a corner kick in the 63rd minute that Lema tapped in to mark her fourth goal of the season.

Twenty-two Bears came out of hibernation to battle it out against the Buffs; the only Cal player to remain on the field for the entirety of the match was Courtney Boone. The blue and gold outdid themselves during this game as they dominated possession and kept their opponents on their feet, firing a stunning 25 shots compared to the Buffs’ five.

Goalkeeper Angelina Anderson only needed to make one vital save in the 68th minute, which brought her to 26 career shutouts — an impressive feat.

The Utah Utes made their way onto Edwards Stadium on Oct. 30 to attempt to garner a win against the Bears. The Utes have not won against Cal since they faced off in 2018 in a match that ended in 2-1. For the first time in four years, the Bears tied against the Utes 0-0.

Despite controlling the ball the majority of the game and outshooting Utah 16-3, the Bears were unable to score against the Utes. Cal created numerous opportunities throughout the game, starting off strong in the first three minutes as Bond-Flasza made a swift pass to Roy, who stood at the edge of the box — but the ball was tapped over the net.

For the first half of the game, the Utes remained paralyzed as the Bears kept them from taking any shots. Cal, on the other hand, managed to cram in nine shots alongside six corner kicks.

The Bears’ best shot at breaking the deadlock came up in the 70th minute, when Utah keeper Evie Vitalie was given a yellow card for committing a foul inside the box. Oke was put up to take the kick, but Vitalie flicked the ball out to preserve the score at 0-0. This also marked the first time this season for Roy to not take a penalty.

As the Bears and the Utes fought hard during the remaining minutes of the game to find the shot that would put their team on top, the whistles went off and the game ended at a stalemate.

Now, only one game lies ahead for the Bears, and it’s a big one — the big one. This weekend, Cal women’s soccer will play Stanford at home to cap off its season. With an overall record of 10-4-5 on the season, the Bears have a good chance to add another victory onto their win column.