California’s men’s soccer team, ranked 17th nationally, played to a 1-1 draw against UC San Diego on Sunday at Edwards Stadium. The match saw Cal take the lead late in the first half, but UCSD equalized in the second period.
Cal now holds a 2-1-1 record after this nonconference game, while UC San Diego stands at 0-2-1. The contest was part of a doubleheader event that also featured a win by the Cal women’s soccer team over Arizona.
Throughout the match, California dominated possession and outshot UCSD 15-4, including an 8-2 advantage in the opening half. Midfielder Cam Wilkerson provided an assist for Cal’s only goal just before halftime. His cross into the penalty area found forward Malcolm Zalayet, who redirected it off the post and into the net at the 44:11 mark.
UC San Diego tied the game in the 73rd minute when Keenai Braun set up Evan Wellestein for a close-range finish. Despite Cal generating three more shots after that point—two of which were saved by Tritons goalkeeper Nolan Premack—the teams finished level.
“We did enough to win the game when you look at 15-4 in shots and chances created, but at the end of the day you have to put one more in the back of the net,” said Cal head coach Leonard Griffin. “Credit to them for being very disciplined, organized and hard to break down defensively. We’re going to be disappointed not getting out of here with a win. A tie, at the end of the day, is not the worst thing, but we’ve got to do better in terms of finishing our chances. We’ll learn from it, and we’ll get some rest here before we go on a road trip next week to Boston.”
The Golden Bears are scheduled to begin their Atlantic Coast Conference play with an away match against Boston College on September 7 before facing Harvard on September 10.
For updates about California men’s soccer, fans can follow team accounts on X (@CalMSoc), Instagram (@CalMSoc), and Facebook (/CalMSoc).
