The California women’s soccer team secured a 3-2 victory over San Francisco in their home opener at Edwards Stadium on Thursday evening. The win marked head coach Neil McGuire’s 200th career victory with the Golden Bears.
San Francisco opened the scoring in the 29th minute, but California responded five minutes later. After a foul by USF, senior Coco Thistle delivered a free kick to junior Malia McMahon, who scored her first goal of the season with a header.
Near the end of the first half, California capitalized on another set piece. In the 43rd minute, junior Miriam Hils sent a low cross from a corner kick that was punched away by Dons goalkeeper Tyra Bengtsson-Stenseth. The ball landed outside the penalty area for senior Noelle Bond-Flasza, who played it to freshman Mia Van More. Van More turned and scored her first collegiate goal to give Cal a 2-1 lead at halftime.
San Francisco tied the match again early in the second half with a goal in the 49th minute. However, California regained the lead just five minutes later when Lumi Kostmayer took advantage of an error by San Francisco’s defense and scored from inside the box. Kostmayer now leads Cal with two goals this season.
California finished with 11 shots compared to San Francisco’s eight; both teams registered four shots on target. Senior goalkeeper Teagan Wy earned her second win of the year and recorded two saves.
Looking ahead, California will face Pepperdine in an NCAA Championship first-round rematch on Sunday at Edwards Stadium. The match is scheduled for 1 p.m. and will be broadcast on ACCNX.
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