Adriana Ghiozzi

On the road in the Pacific Northwest, however, women’s soccer did not have such luck, falling to the one-two punch of Washington State on Thursday and Washington on Sunday.

For a team that has been struggling as of late, Thursday night’s match against Washington State and Sunday afternoon’s against Washington have the potential to end the season on a high note.

Cal was the first to get on the board in the 16th minute, as senior forward Miranda Nild set up the shot on a textbook cross and junior forward Abi Kim sealed the deal with a header. Kim’s goal was her fourth on the season and tied sophomore forward Emma Westin for the team lead.

Thus far this season, the answer to any such question has been a resounding no. The Bruins are off to their worst start since Franklin Roosevelt was in office, but to what degree is that Kelly’s fault?

Arizona currently sits in eighth place in the conference, but that mark is not necessarily reflective of a team that has gone 8-4-1 overall. In the nonconference portion of the season, the Wildcats outscored opponents by a staggering 21-3 margin.

Squaring up against one of the nation’s most talented offenses in the Trojans, the Bears exceeded expectations. Although they were outshot 23-3 in regulation, steadfast defense in the box combined with an impressive performance from freshman goalie Amanda Zodikoff led to 90 scoreless minutes of regulation.

Just in case they were unsure, the student-athletes of Cal women’s soccer will be staunchly reminded of how tough of a conference they play in, as Pac-12 powerhouses No. 2 USC and No. 12 UCLA come to town this week.

For most Cal fans, it was practically a given that the Bears would improve to 12-0-1 against their NorCal foes, while the Davis faithful were holding out hope to see a “1” in the win column.

With Pac-12 play right around the corner, Cal women’s soccer (4-3) will have one final tuneup when its final nonconference opponent, UC Davis (3-4-1), comes to town Friday.

A weekend doubleheader ended in anguish for Cal women’s soccer (3-2) on Sunday afternoon at Edwards Stadium, as the Bears fell to UCSB in overtime.