Page One

The Cal women’s soccer team continued its October slump on Sunday, losing 2-0 to the visiting Washington State Cougars. 

The Bears were held scoreless for the second game in a row, the first time since 1996 they have gone two games without scoring. 

The Cougars took a 1-0 lead in the 61st minute when Katrina Stroh headed in a corner kick by Beth Childs. The Bears then scored an own goal when midfielder Ashley Valenzuela headed a Washington State cross into her own net eight minutes later. 

“It was the second half that we went flat,” Cal head coach Kevin Boyd said. “I don’t know what's going on. Two games in a row with no goals? They’re certainly not acting like a team in the Pac-10 part of their season that needs wins.”  

The Bears played the second half of Sunday’s game without the services of leading scorer Laura Schott, who sustained a concussion on Friday against Washington when she collided with Husky goalkeeper Hope Solo. Schott was questionable going into Sunday’s game, but Boyd decided to hold her out after the junior forward was hit in the head with a ball during warmups. 

“She tried to go for the first half,” said Cal coach Kevin Boyd. “She came out at halftime and said she didn’t feel completely there. In talking to her during the halftime, we thought it was unsafe for her to play.”  

After bolting out to an 8-1 record to start the season, the 15th-ranked Golden Bears have gone 2-3-1 since to fall to 10-4-1 overall (2-2 Pac-10). The Cougars’ first Pac-10 victory of the season improved their record to 6-5 (1-2).  

Cal has a shot to wrap up the month on a positive note when it travels to No. 8 Stanford this Sunday. The Bears have won the last three meetings with the Cardinal.