Miranda Nild

Morgan, named team captain in the semifinal, played a key role in helping the U.S. team become back-to-back champions, scoring six goals in the tournament.

Voted Cal women’s soccer’s offensive MVP in 2017, Nild was a mainstay in the Bears’ starting 11 over the past few seasons.

For the Bears, a competitive performance was enough to end the Bears’ 2018 campaign on a positive note, despite the 2-0 scoreline.

The Bears, who have struggled to defend home turf all season, will host the Cardinal in a Friday afternoon game at Edwards Stadium.

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.

Cal women’s soccer suffered a disappointing home defeat Saturday to open its Pac-12 campaign. After the 2-1 loss to Arizona State, the Bears fell to 4-4-1 on the season and snapped a 13-game win streak at home against conference opponents in the process.

After a frustrating end to nonconference play, Cal moves into its Pac-12 schedule against Arizona State. The Sun Devils finished near the bottom of the Pac-12 table in 2017 but irked out a tie against the Bears in Berkeley last season.

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.

The Bears have yet to lose a game at home this season, boasting a five-game win streak on their home turf that carries over from last season.