Golden Bears Get Golden Goal, Defeat No. 22 Pepperdine 2-1
MALIBU, Calif.– Exactly 10 years and one day after its last NCAA Championship win, the California women's soccer team got back into the postseason win column Saturday defeating No. 22 Pepperdine 2-1 in double overtime at Tari Frahm Rokus Field. The Golden Bears' golden goal came off the heel of senior center back Courtney Boone in the 106th minute.
Cal's 16th NCAA Championship evoked a bit of déjà vu as the Bears' last road victory in this tournament came in 2012 on the very same field against the Waves.
The match remained scoreless until the 33rd minute when Cal got on the board with a perfectly executed goal. Graduate student Julia Leontini dribbled up the right touchline and served a beautiful cross deep into the penalty area. Senior Karlie Lema drew the attention of the Waves back line and senior Alexis Wright was right on time cutting into the box to meet the cross and fired a shot with her first touch into the lower left corner of the net.
It was the fifth goal of the season and the second in as many matches for Wright, who gave the Bears a 1-0 lead heading into halftime. Cal entered the day with an 8-1-1 record when scoring first and a 5-1-1 record when leading at the break.
The seventh-seeded Waves, who led the WCC in scoring this season to earn a share of the conference title, refused to go quietly scoring the equalizer in the 59th minute. It was Peyton Leonard who found the net for Pepperdine scoring on a header via a well-placed corner kick from Tabitha LaParl.
The final 31 minutes of regulation were intense and physical but despite seven shots in the half for Cal and five for Pepperdine, neither team could find the go-ahead goal. The match headed to the first overtime period where the Waves took the only shot, a great scoring chance that was saved at point-blank range by Cal goalkeeper Teagan Wy.
After 100 minutes on the pitch the two teams were still locked at 1-1 and headed to the second overtime period. The Waves put two shots on goal, but Wy made both saves to keep the Bears' season alive.
In the 106th minute, the Bears earned a corner kick on the right side of the field and Leontini stepped to the corner arc. With her left foot the midfielder sent a ball into the middle of the 8-yard box for Boone, who whiffed on a header attempt and began to fall to the ground. The ball quickly bounced off junior Alex Klos and caught the sole of Boone's right boot as she scorpion-kicked in the golden goal.
It was Boone's third goal of the year and her second straight match with a dramatic, walk-off game-winner. Leontini picked up her second assist of the day giving her a team-leading seven on the season and Klos earned her fifth assist of the season.
The Bears outshot the Waves 15-10 placing five on frame. Wy ended the day with five saves in her first postseason win.
Cal will now head to Fayetteville, Arkansas to take on the second-seeded and fifth-ranked Razorbacks Friday at Razorback Field. The start time has yet to be determined.