Cal Bested By No. 22 Santa Clara 2-1

**SANTA CLARA –** Senior forward Karlie Lema scored her third goal of the season on Sunday, but the California women's soccer team fell 2-1 to No. 22 Santa Clara on the road.

With this loss, the Golden Bears' record now stands at 1-1-0, while the Broncos improve to 2-0-0. Santa Clara outshot California 12-9 and placed four shots on target.

Santa Clara took the lead in the 16th minute with a goal off a corner kick. Tori Powell redirected the ball from the right corner to give the Broncos a 1-0 advantage.

In the 42nd minute, a foul by the Bears inside the 18-yard box led to a penalty kick for the Broncos. Kat Jordan converted the spot kick, extending Santa Clara's lead to 2-0.

Despite several strong offensive runs, the Bears were unable to get their first-half shots on target.

Santa Clara’s captain, Sally Menti, received her second yellow card in the 68th minute, resulting in a red card and leaving the Broncos a player short for the rest of the match.

Taking advantage of the numerical superiority, the Bears intensified their offensive efforts, but failed to register a shot on goal until the 84th minute. Julia Leontini drew a foul in the box, and Lema stepped up to convert the resulting penalty, making it 2-1.

The Bears maintained their aggressive play in the final six minutes but were unable to find the elusive equalizer.

Karlie Lema recorded three shots, while Julia Leontini and Velize King each had two. Goalkeeper Teagan Wy played the full match, making two saves.

With the first of three consecutive West Coast Conference (WCC) matchups completed, Cal will return home to host Gonzaga on Thursday at 1:30 p.m., and then travel to San Francisco for a game on Sunday at 5 p.m.