California Golden Bears men’s soccer team began their 2025 season with a 3-2 win over Saint Mary’s in Moraga on Thursday. Newcomers Cam Wilkerson and Luka Lukic were responsible for all three goals, with Lukic scoring twice and Wilkerson providing the game-winning goal.
The match saw Cal take an early lead in the sixth minute when Kieran Bracken Serra’s corner kick found Lukic, who scored his first goal since transferring from UC Riverside. The score remained 1-0 at halftime.
Saint Mary’s responded early in the second half, equalizing through TJ Dilley’s header from a Sam Danner corner kick. In the 66th minute, Saint Mary’s defender Hubert Deragon received a second yellow card and was sent off, giving Cal a player advantage for the remainder of the match.
Late in the game, both teams traded penalty kicks. Lukic converted for Cal in the 79th minute after a handball in the area, but Bastian Toelhoej quickly leveled for Saint Mary’s with a penalty of his own.
Cal secured victory minutes later when Adrian Jacobs crossed to Wilkerson, who finished at the far post. Wilkerson is a transfer from UCLA. After regaining the lead, Cal maintained possession and did not allow another shot from Saint Mary’s.
Head coach Leonard Griffin commented on his team’s performance: “Saint Mary’s is always a tough team to play especially at their place, and for us to get the lead back after allowing them to tie the game showed a lot of character in the first game of the season,” Griffin said. “We’re excited to come out of here with a win.”
Griffin also credited his staff for integrating new players: “We knew we had some big shoes to fill from last year’s team, and credit to my staff in Ricardo Gutierrez, Jake Wilson and Henry Foulk, who did a great job in the offseason,” he said. “Not only did they do their due diligence in finding guys who fit on the field, they made sure these guys fit right into the culture we’ve been building. We did a good job with the guys we brought in, and we’re very happy to see their contributions and that of all the other new guys and returners as well.”
Transfer player Cordova nearly added another goal for Cal during two set pieces in the first half but was denied by Saint Mary’s goalkeeper Sam Bentley and by hitting the crossbar.
Cal will face UCLA on Sunday for its next match.
For updates on California men’s soccer, fans can follow @CalMSoc on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram (@CalMSoc), or Facebook (/CalMSoc).
