History
1980s
The program began play in 1982 with an undefeated season. The Bears went 6–0–0, but were not invited to the inaugural NCAA Tournament. Bill Merrell took over the team in 1983 and they finished 10–2–3 and advanced to the Quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament. [2] The team bettered its NCAA result as the Golden Bears reached the Semifinals in 1984, but lost the third place match against Massachusetts. After a season of not qualifying for the tournament in 1985, Merrell was replaced by Peter Reynaud. Reynaud would only coach for one season, where the Golden Bears went 16–3–1, and reached the Quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament. Jean-Paul Verhees coached the team in 1987 and 1988, to great success. The Golden Bears posted a 16–1–0 record in 1987 and a 16–5–2 record in 1988. In both years, they reached the Semifinals of the NCAA Tournament. They only loss in 1987 was to National Champion, North Carolina in the Semifinals of the NCAA Tournament. Bill Merrill took back over the team in 1989 to close the decade. The Golden Bears finished 14–3–1, but did not qualify for the NCAA Tournament.
1990s
Bill Merrell's last season coaching the Golden Bears was 1990, where the team finished 11–6–2 and was not invited to the NCAA Tournament. Andy Bonchonsky took over the team in 1991 and was the head coach for six seasons. [3] Bonchonsky's tenure yielded lower win totals and only one NCAA qualification: a first round exit in 1993. The Golden Bears had double-digit win totals in every year except 1982 until 1991. From 1991 to 1996, they only had two seasons with at least ten wins, 1993 and 1996. They set a program record for lowest wins, at five, in 1994. In 1995, the Golden Bears began league play in the Pac-12 Conference, which was then known as the Pac-10. They finished their first season 3–4 in conference play. 1996 was a high mark for Bonchonsky, when the team finished 13–3–2 and 5–2–0 in conference play to finish in second place. However, that was not enough to prevent a coaching change, as Kevin Boyd took over in 1997. [4] Boyd went 11–7–1 in his first season and 6–3–0 in conference play to finish in fourth place. The Golden Bears had thirteen wins in both 1998 and 1999, and broke a four-year drought of qualifying for the NCAA tournament in 1998. However, they were unable to advance past the First Round. 1998 was the only time that the Golden Bears won a conference regular season title, when they finished with a share of the Pac-10 title.
2000s
The decade started out with a bang, as the Golden Bears set a program record for wins in 2000 with seventeen. They tied their best conference record at the time with a 7–2–0 finish, and finished second in the conference. They advanced to the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament that year, for the first time since 1988. The Golden Bears finished with twelve total wins in the next two years, and qualified for the NCAA tournament in both years, but could not advance past the Second Round. The Golden Bears only finished 7–8–4 in 2003, finishing under .500 for the second time in team history. They also broke a streak of five consecutive NCAA Tournament qualifications. The downturn did not last long as the team finished 11–6–3 in 2004, and qualified for the NCAA Tournament, but could not advance past the First Round. In 2005, the Golden Bears finished with sixteen wins, and had their best conference record in the Pac-12, finishing 7–1–1, however, they finished in Second Place. They made the Third Round of the NCAA Tournament, their best finish since 1988. 2006 was Kevin Boyd's final season, and the team finished 12–5–5 and extended their streak of NCAA qualifications to three in a row. Neil McGuire was hired in 2007 and lead the team to instant success as they finished 15–5–1 in his first season. The successive seasons in 2008 and 2009 didn't reach as great heights, but the team continued to qualify for the NCAA tournament and finished both seasons with double-digit wins.
2010s
McGuire was the coach throughout the 2010s and the team enjoyed general success during the decade. It began with their first single digit win total since 1993, when the team finished with nine wins in 2010. However, the team still finished above .500 at 9–6–5. They continued to qualify for the NCAA Tournament, but were eliminated in the First Round. Win totals improved in both 2011 and 2012 with twelve and sixteen respectively. Their sixteen wins in 2012 were the most since 2000, and tied for the second most in program history. The team qualified for the NCAA Tournament in both years, and reached the Second Round both times. The Golden Bears finished third in the Pac-12 standings both years. In 2013, the team finished 11–5–5, and 4–4–3, in Pac-12 play, halving their Pac-12 wins from the year prior. They reached the First Round of the NCAA Tournament in 2013. 2014-2017 were very similar years as the team finished with thirteen wins in 2015, 2016, and 2017, and had fourteen wins in 2014. They finished tied for fourth, fifth twice, and sixth in the Pac-12 over this span. The Golden Bears qualified for the NCAA Tournament in each year, and were eliminated in the First Round in all but 2014, where they reached the Second Round. 2018 was a departure from the steady norm as the team finished 5–12–2 and 1–9–1 in Pac-12 play. This was their lowest conference win total in program history, and tied for the lowest number of overall wins with 1994. They ended a streak of fourteen straight NCAA Tournament qualifications. The decade closed with a quick rebound, as the team finished 13–5–3, 5–3–3 in Pac-12 play to finish in fifth place. They qualified for the NCAA Tournament, but were eliminated in the First Round.
2020s
The decade started with a season shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic. The team played a shortened non-conference schedule, and played ten games in Pac-12 play instead of the usual eleven. The Golden Bears finished 3–7–0 in Pac-12 play to tie a program worst finish of eleventh place. In 2021 the team finished above .500 again, finishing 8–7–3 and tied for seventh in Pac-12 play. They resumed qualification to the NCAA Tournament in 2022 when they finished 10–5–6 and 5–3–3 in Pac-12 play to finish in fourth place. They were eliminated in the [2022 NCAA Division I women's soccer tournament|First Round of the NCAA Tournament]]. In their final season in the Pac-12 they finished 7–6–6 and 4–3–4 to finish in a tie for fifth place, they were not invited to the NCAA Tournament. In 2024, the Golden Bears played their first season in the Atlantic Coast Conference. [5] The team finished with more than ten wins for the first time in the decade, finishing 13–6–2. In the first ACC conference season, they finished 5–4–1, and tied for seventh place. This was one spot out of qualifying for their first conference tournament in program history. They were selected to the NCAA Tournament and qualified for the Second Round for the first time since 2014.
Bullying lawsuit
Former player Renee Thomas, and four other plaintiffs sued Neil McGuire, the UC Regents, UC Berkeley administration, and Athletic Director Jim Knowlton. McGuire is accused of sexual harassment and the other defendants are accused of creating a culture of "pervasive sexual harassment" along with failing to investigate accusations. According to court records, at least nine women have complained about McGuire since 2016. Many of these allegations came to light in 2020 in a local TV investigation published by KTVU. [6] Lawsuits were later filed in both federal and state courts and as of 2025, cases are ongoing. [7] [8] [9] [10]
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2025 California Golden Bears women's soccer team 
