The California men’s soccer team will continue its Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) campaign with a match against Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas on Friday. The game is set for 5 p.m. PT at Washburne Soccer and Track Stadium and will be available to watch on ACCNX.
Cal enters the contest with a 4-4-2 overall record, including a 1-2-1 mark in conference play. On the road, the Golden Bears have won four out of six games this season. SMU holds a 4-2-3 record (1-2-0 ACC) and has lost just once at home.
Last season, Cal hosted SMU in Berkeley but fell short, losing 2-1 after forward Malcolm Zalayet scored his first collegiate goal to tie the match before SMU secured victory with a late goal.
Luka Lukic, who transferred from UC Riverside as a graduate student, was recognized as ACC Offensive Player of the Week during the opening week of this season. Lukic leads Cal in goals (5), points (11), shots (31), and shots on target (16). He shares the lead for game-winning goals with Alfredo Ortiz, Cam Wilkerson, and Malcolm Zalayet.
Zalayet is second in points for Cal this season and tied with Ortiz for second-most goals scored. Ortiz, named to the ACC Preseason Watch List after his performance last year, contributed one of Cal’s most important goals during last year’s ACC Championship opener by converting a penalty kick that gave Cal a win over North Carolina.
Midfielder Kieran Bracken Serra leads Cal in assists while Wilkerson and Noe Morales are tied with him for fourth in total points. In goalkeeping duties, senior Marco Brougher has played two full matches recently with a 1.00 goals-against average and one shutout. Graduate Connor Lambe started eight games earlier this year, posting a 1.60 GAA; sophomore Zack Andoh has also appeared regularly off the bench.
Freshman Callen Lewis joins Cal as the son of former MLS player Eddie Lewis, who played domestically and internationally—including appearances for Fulham and Leeds United—and earned 82 caps for the U.S. Men’s National Team.
Head coach Leonard Griffin is now in his fourth year leading Cal after being named Pac-12 Coach of the Year last season. Griffin previously played professionally following selection by Chicago Fire as an MLS SuperDraft pick and had stints across several teams including Portland Timbers and LA Galaxy. His staff includes Ricardo Gutierrez—who worked alongside Griffin previously—and Jacob Wilson, an alumnus of Cal men’s soccer. Assistant coach Henry Foulk marks his 25th year mentoring goalkeepers at Cal; under his guidance several players have advanced to professional leagues such as Stefan Frei (Seattle Sounders FC), Drake Callender (Charlotte FC), David Bingham (Charlotte FC), and Jonathan Klinsmann (Cesena FC).
SMU comes into Friday’s match following an away victory over No. 21 Notre Dame where Milton Lopez scored twice to secure their win; Lopez shares team leadership in goals scored with Mukisa Emmanuel while Daniel Escorcia leads in assists. Goalkeeper duties have rotated between Soren Russell—who started early-season games—and Martin Dominguez—who has been featured more recently—with both posting solid statistics under head coach Kevin Hudson’s leadership.
Cal continues its tradition of sending alumni into professional soccer ranks: fifteen former Golden Bears are playing professionally across leagues such as MLS, USL Championship, NISA, Danish Second Division, Italian Serie B, and MLS NEXT Pro clubs.
After facing SMU on Friday night in Dallas, Cal will return home to host Wake Forest on Oct. 11 at Edwards Stadium for another conference matchup.
For ongoing updates about California men’s soccer follow their official accounts on X (@CalMSoc), Instagram (@CalMSoc), or Facebook (/CalMSoc/).
