BERKELEY – The 2018 Cal women's soccer schedule features 11 home games and 10 matches against teams that reached the NCAA Tournament in 2017, the Pac-12 announced on Wednesday. The Golden Bears' full schedule for the 2018 season can be found here.

Coming off the program's 14^th consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament, the Bears open the 2018 campaign on Friday, August 17, welcoming Utah Valley University to Goldman Field at Edwards Stadium for a 4 p.m. PT kickoff. Cal then heads south for an August 20 tilt vs Bay Area rival Santa Clara. The Bears and Broncos squared off twice last season, splitting the series with a pair of 2-1 results for each side.

The Bears then return to Berkeley for a three-game homestand featuring matches against Harvard, San Diego State, and UC Santa Barbara. The September 2^nd matchup between the Golden Bears and Gauchos will be broadcast live on Pac-12 Networks, the first of nine televised games for Cal this season.

Cal's non-conference slate also features a trip to the Sooner state, where the Bears will take on Oklahoma State and Oklahoma on September 7 and September 9, respectively. The Bears started their series vs the Big 12 powers last season, earning a 2-0 win over the Sooners and a 3-0 victory over the then-14^th-ranked Cowgirls.

After closing out the non-conference campaign vs UC Davis, Cal will begin its 2018 Pac-12 campaign on Saturday, September 22, hosting Arizona State at 1 p.m. PT. The Bears will remain in Berkeley for home matches vs USC (Sep. 27) and UCLA (Sep. 30), before a three-game road swing vs Oregon State (Oct. 4), Oregon (Oct. 7), and Arizona (Oct. 13).

Other home Pac-12 matches for the Bears include contests vs Colorado and Utah, while Cal faces both Washington and Washington State on the road. Cal will close out the regular season at home on November 2, hosting rival Stanford a 3 p.m. PT.

The winningest coach in program history, head coach Neil McGuire is entering his 12^th season in Berkeley. McGuire returns 22 players from last season's squad that went 13-6-1, reaching the NCAA tournament for the 14^th consecutive year.

The Bears bring back their top four scorers from last season in Miranda Nild, Abi Kim, Luca Deza, and Mia Corbin. Nild and Kim led the Bears with seven goals apiece in 2017 and have each gained valuable international experience this spring. Nild helped the Thailand Women's National Team qualify for the 2019 Women' World Cup in France with a fourth-place finish at the 2018 AFC Women's Asian Cup.  A mainstay on the Under-20 U.S. Women's National Team, Kim helped the U.S. qualify for this summer's FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in France and recently scored in a tune-up friendly vs Germany. Deza earned Pac-12 All-Freshman honors after leading the Bears in assists last season as a rookie, while Corbin has been a valuable contributor in Golden Bear midfield during her first two seasons in Berkeley.

Defensively, the Bears will be led by sophomore Emily Smith, who earned Third-Team All-Region and All-Pac-12 recognition as a freshman. Smith, who spent time with both the United States Under-18 and Under-19 National Teams this past year, started all 20 games for the Golden Bears in 2017, helping post 10 clean sheets and allowing just 11 goals on the season, tying the program single-season record.

In addition to 22 returners, the Golden Bears' 2018 roster features will feature 10 newcomers to the program, who bring a breath of both international and club-level success.
 
For more information and updates throughout the year, follow the Bears on Twitter (@CalWSoc), Instagram (@CalWSoc), and Facebook (Facebook.com/CalWSoc).