The 2022 Schedule Begins With Games On Thursday and Saturday
BERKELEY – California women’s soccer will open the 2022 season on the road as they take on UC Irvine in the first contest of the new year on Thursday, August 18. Cal will then return home for an exhibition contest against the Chinese National Team on August 20.
The Bears return 30 players to the squad and add three impact players for the 2022 season. The 2021 team made a three-win improvement on the 2020 season, while boasting a young squad featuring the No. 1 recruiting class in the country, according to TopDrawerSoccer. Now, with a year of experience the 13-person class looks to make an impact in 2022.
Last year, Cal boasted a fantastic defense led by three-time All-Pac-12 goalkeeper Angelina Anderson. Anderson returns for her fourth season after recording seven shutouts and allowing less than a goal per game in 2021. The Bears also had a 337-minute shutout streak that spanned more than three games as the Bears secured shutout victories over Utah, Arizona and Arizona State.
Cal is 11-1-1 against UC Irvine all-time. The two teams played during the 2021 season, despite Cal creating the majority of the chances, UC Irvine scored a winner in double overtime to claim a 1-0 win.
The match against UC Irvine will be televised on ESPN+, while the exhibition against China will not be available on stream. Fans who are interested can come to the exhibition free of charge at Edwards Stadium.
STIFLING DEFENSE
Cal has had one of the best defenses in the country in 2021, allowing only 0.94 goals per game and only 9.67 shots per contest. Cal has controlled possession in the majority of their contests leading to a 13.3-9.7 advantage in shots. The Bears have only permitted opponents to register 69 shots on goal in 18 contests, 3.83 on-target attempts per game.
Consequently, the Bears posted seven shutouts in 18 games and only allowed more than one goal in five games last year.
A-PLUS ANGIE
Angelina Anderson is now fifth on Cal’s all-time saves list with 200 in her career. Anderson also has 20 career shutouts and is tied for fourth on the school’s all-time shutouts list after recording seven shutouts in 2021.
Anderson was named National Freshman of the Year in 2019 as well as Pac-12 Goalkeeper of the Year and Freshman of the Year. She was the first player to win both Freshman of the Year and Goalkeeper of…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at California Golden Bears Athletics…