The California men’s soccer team is set to begin its Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) schedule with a match at Boston College on Sunday. The Golden Bears, holding a 2-1-1 overall record and an undefeated 2-0 mark on the road, will face the Eagles at Newton Campus Lacrosse and Soccer Field in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. The game is scheduled for 1 p.m. PT and will be available for viewing on ACCNX.
Cal recently experienced mixed results at home, losing its opener to San Francisco 2-1, where defender Alfredo Ortiz scored his first goal of the season via a penalty kick. In their following home match against UC San Diego, Cal took an early lead with a goal from Malcolm Zalayet but finished in a 1-1 draw.
Luka Lukic, a graduate transfer from UC Riverside, was named ACC Offensive Player of the Week after scoring three goals in his first two games as a Golden Bear. His contributions include the decisive goal in Cal’s 1-0 win over UCLA and two goals in the season opener against Saint Mary’s. Lukic currently leads the team in goals (3), points (6), and shots (12), sharing the lead in game-winning goals with Cam Wilkerson.
Goalkeeping duties have been split between graduate student Connor Lambe, who has started each first half this season with a 1.00 goals-against average, and sophomore Zack Andoh, who has played all second halves and recorded a 1.50 GAA.
Senior defender Alfredo Ortiz was one of fifteen players named to the ACC Preseason Watch List after finishing fourth on last year’s team in both goals and points. He also scored an important penalty kick during last season’s ACC Championship opener that led Cal to victory over North Carolina.
Head coach Leonard Griffin is entering his fourth year leading Cal after being named Pac-12 Coach of the Year last season. Griffin previously played professionally after being drafted by Chicago Fire in Major League Soccer’s SuperDraft and had stints with teams including Portland Timbers, Columbus Crew, and LA Galaxy. Assistant coaches Ricardo Gutierrez and Jacob Wilson support Griffin; Wilson is also an alumnus of Cal men’s soccer.
Henry Foulk serves as assistant coach specializing in goalkeepers for his twenty-fifth year at Cal. Under his mentorship, several former players have advanced to professional leagues such as MLS or Serie B Italy—these include Stefan Frei (Seattle Sounders FC), Drake Callender (Charlotte FC), David Bingham (Charlotte FC), and Jonathan Klinsmann (Cesena FC).
Boston College enters Sunday’s match with a 2-2 record overall and is 2-1 at home this season. Their recent results include wins over Binghamton and Northeastern at home but losses to Siena at home and Providence away. Midfielder Ask Ekeland leads Boston College offensively alongside Johannes Hanken Tjostheim; both have scored one goal each this season.
In related news, former Cal goalkeeper Jonathan Klinsmann has been called up to participate in training camp for the U.S. Men’s National Team ahead of friendlies against South Korea and Japan next week. Klinsmann played for Cal from 2015 to 2016.
Following their game against Boston College, Cal will remain on the East Coast for a nonconference match against Harvard next Wednesday.
For ongoing updates about California men’s soccer, fans can follow official team accounts on X (@CalMSoc), Instagram (@CalMSoc), or Facebook (/CalMSoc/).
