Lema Named ACC Offensive Player Of The Year

BERKELEY –California senior forward Karlie Lema was named ACC Women’s Soccer Offensive Player of the Year, highlighting a trio of conference postseason honors earned by the Golden Bears on Wednesday. Lema was additionally selected to the All-ACC First Team, while junior goalkeeper Teagan Wy was named Second Team All-ACC.

Lema is the first Golden Bear to earn a major conference award and first team all-conference honor in the same season since Angelina Anderson took home Pac-12 Goalkeeper of the Year in 2019. Her historic year included leading the conference with 16 goals and 38 points, marks that were good for third and second in the nation, respectively, when the regular season ended on Oct. 31. She also paced the ACC in points per game (2.00) and shots on goal per game (2.47), while ranking second in goals per game (0.84) and shots per game (4.21).

Lema’s resume not only competed with the top talents in the nation this year, but it also cemented her place in Cal history. Her 16 goals rank fourth on the program’s single-season scoring list, surpassing two-time FIFA World Cup Champion Brandi Chastain and her 38 points rank fifth, just above one of the best players the game has ever seen, Alex Morgan. Lema’s 31 career goals are tied for sixth on the program’s all-time scoring list.

Lema was a key piece of the Bears’ success this year, leading the team to a 12-5-2 record with an above .500 record of 5-4-1 in the ACC – widely regarded as the top conference in collegiate soccer. This year she had five multi-goal efforts, including her first career hat trick in a 4-1 win over Nevada, and four game-winners. Lema also led the team with six assists. She finishes her collegiate career with two straight all-conference selections being named Third Team All-Pac-12 last year.

Wy, who was also named Third Team All-Pac-12 last season, earned her second all-conference nod despite missing a handful of matches this season to participate in the 2024 U20 FIFA World Cup. Wy served as Team USA’s starting keeper for the entire tournament and helped bring home a bronze medal making key plays down the stretch, including a walk-off PK save that put the Americans into the semifinals.

The Cal goalkeeper showed up big when the lights were brightest, making a career-high nine saves vs. No. 3 North Carolina, including a PK save in that match with just 11 seconds to go. She picked up her first shutout of the season vs. No. 16 Pitt, making five saves in the win and added five more saves in 56 scoreless minutes against No. 1 Duke before leaving the match with an injury.

The Rancho Santa Margarita native ranked in the top 10 of the ACC with a .788 save percentage and 1.14 goals against average for the overall season. In ACC play, Wy ranked fourth with a .794 save percentage, seventh with 4.50 saves per game, and eighth with a 1.246 goals against average. She ended the regular season with a 5-2-0 record.

The Bears will wait for Monday’s NCAA Selection Show to see if their season will continue. The show is set for 1 p.m. PT on NCAA.com.