No. 1 California 3, Oregon State 1
BERKELEY, Calif. -- Three Golden Bears scored to lead top-ranked California to a 3-1 victory against Oregon State in the Pac-12 Conference opener on Thursday on Goldman Field at Edwards Stadium. Stefano Bonomo, Omid Jalali and, on a header, Steve Birnbaum tallied for the Bears, who improved their record to 7-0-1 (1-0-0 in the Pac-12). The Beavers dropped to 7-3-0 (0-1-0 Pac-12).
“It was a great win [against] a very good Oregon State team that came in with a 7-2 record, so we knew this would be a hard-fought match today,” Cal head coach Kevin Grimes said. “All in all we’re pleased with the outcome.”
Senior midfielder Ryan Neil collected two assists on the day, first setting up Bonomo on Cal’s first goal and then assisting Birnbaum on the third. At 21:22, Neil lashed a crossed deep into the Oregon State box, and Bonomo scored on an easy tap in to give Cal the 1-0 lead.
Jalali, scoring his second goal after coming off the bench this year, scored next, at 38:12, to make the score 2-0. Defender Dylan Serrano crossed from one flank to junior midfielder Max Oldham on the other. Oldham found Jalali in the OSU box, and the junior midfielder scored Cal’s second of the game from close range.
Cal took the 2-0 lead into halftime, when the Bears held a 9-3 shots advantage. Neither team recorded a corner kick in the first half.
Neil set up the Bears’ last goal a few minutes into the second half. At 48:48, Neil took Cal’s only corner kick of the day and found Birnbaum. Birnbaum, a senior defender, headed the ball in for his fourth headed goal of the season and his team-leading sixth of the year. Birnbaum also leads Cal in points with 13.
Cal goalkeeper Justin Taillole made one save, in the first half, during his 74:48 minutes in goal Thursday, before making way in the net for backup Alex Mangels.
At 77:27, the Beavers ended the shutout when Brendan Woodfull played a short ball to Mike Reckmeyer in the Cal box, and Reckmeyer scored.
The Beavers didn’t threaten again, though Cal freshman forward Nick Lima, outracing a pair of Oregon State defenders, took a shot that went wide at 86:52.
Oregon State goalie Matt Bersano made six saves in 90 minutes, while Mangels did not record a save in 15 minutes and 12 seconds of work.
No. 3 Washington 3, Stanford 1
STANFORD, Calif. -- Washington (7-0-2, 1-0-0) passed its first big test in Pac-12 play, defeating Stanford (5-2-1, 0-1-0) 3-1 with a pair of late goals. The Dawgs took an early lead, but after giving up the equalizer won it with Taylor Peay and Darwin Jones goals in the final 13 minutes.
The Dawgs struck first with the initial chance from either team. In the 11th minute, Jones chased down a ball headed towards the right-corner flag, controlled and sent a cross into the box. Awaiting the cross was freshman Steven Wright who missed with a header, but was able to control the ball and slide it home with his foot. It was the first goal of Wright’s young career as he was earning just his second start. Jones picked up his second assist of the season, but he would not be done for the night.
After halftime, Washington began to reassert themselves in the game as each side created chances. The Cardinal would take a page out of the Huskies’ book, scoring off a set piece to even up the game. Stanford drew a foul on the left flank and Aaron Kovar bent in a free kick that Matt Taylor was able to head past UW goalkeeper Ryan Herman. It was just the fourth goal allowed by Herman, who would go on to make three saves and stay unbeaten with a record of 4-0-1 as the starter.
Jones took a corner kick in the 78th minute and swung a ball toward the back post and the top of the six-yard box. On the spot was Peay who redirected the cross with his head toward the back post and into the goal for what would turn out to be the game-winner. Peay, a senior defender, scored his fifth goal of the season, despite only being credited with seven shots all year.
Washington wasn’t done, however. Jones would seal the victory with a great goal off a counter-attack. The Husky forward took a pass near midfield and dribbled toward goal, taking advantage of Stanford pushing players forward. Jones pushed the ball to the right, but cut his shot back across the defender and into the far post for the clinching goal. It was the third goal in four games for Jones.
