BERKELEY, Calif. – Closing out their two-game road stretch with their second Pac-12 matchup of the season, the University of San Francisco women's soccer team (1-1-1) was unable to find their rhythm offensively on Thursday afternoon, falling to California (3-0-2), 1-0, at Edwards Stadium.
 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

• Aiming to defend their home turf from the start, the Golden Bears game out firing against the Dons to begin, logging the first five shots of the match for either team for the initial eleven minutes of play. Denying the opposing attack, goalkeeper Molly Eby saved both shots on goal to keep Cal off the board early.
• At the 11:21 mark, USF recorded their first shot of the afternoon when Kalean Teufel ripped her first attempt, but the Dons were unable to strike first as the ball sailed wide of the cage.
• Despite the two teams exchanging shots throughout the remainder of the first half, neither USF and Cal could not score in the initial 45 minutes of action. At the break, the Dons and Bears were knotted at 0-0.
• Moving into the second half, Ana Gorlach and Isabelle Esparza would fire off shots for USF out of the gates, but ultimately could not find the back of the net on the attack.
• In the 55^th minute, the Bears tallied what would end up being the game's only goal on a strike from forward Karlie Lema to take a 1-0 lead.
• Down the stretch, the Dons had three opportunities to even the score, which included shots from Elle Soleau, Cassidy George and Kaya Pigoni. Unfortunately, the Bears woud lock down on defense when it mattered most, turning away the USF offense and keeping the Dons off the scoreboard.
• Remaining perfect on the young season, Cal would hang on to secure their third shutout in five games by defeating USF by a final score of 1-0. 

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:

• For Eby, the Portland, Ore. native has now recorded at least two saves in fifteen consecutive appearances, which dating back to the beginning of the 2019 season.
• Serving as a focal point of the Dons attack, Marissa Vasquez logged her ninth consecutive match with at least one shot.
• Notably, Esparza, George and Gorlach all notched their first shot of their collegiate careers against the Bears on Thursday. 

UP NEXT:
USF will return home to Negoesco Stadium this Sunday, Sept. 5 to host UC San Diego at 1:00 pm. Fans have the opportunity to stay postgame and receive autographs from the 2021 Dons. Tickets for the match are available here. Live streaming and live stats links will also be available via the team's schedule page.
 
FOLLOW US:
For updates and more information on the USF women's soccer program, be sure to follow @USFDonsWSoccer on Twitter, @USFDonsWSoccer on Instagram and @USFDonsWSOC on Facebook.