It won’t be easy for the Cal women’s soccer team to improve on its strong performances on the pitch last year. But the team will need to do so if it hopes to make a deep run in the NCAA tournament this year.

The Bears experienced a relatively successful season last year, reaching the second round of the NCAA tournament. The team now finds itself in a great position to improve on last year’s solid foundation. The main reason for this is that Cal head coach Neil McGuire will have 24 returning players, giving Cal a strong chance to best 2014’s 14-6-2 finish.

The Bears scored 47 goals last year, mainly thanks to midfielder Taylor Comeau, senior forward Celeste Boureille, forward Grace Leer and junior midfielder Kelly Fitzgerald, who all notched at least five goals. The quartet’s output and the rest of the squad’s ability to find the back of the net showed that the team didn’t have to rely on only one or two players to score in the double digits.

Unfortunately for Cal, Comeau’s and Leer’s departures mean that the Bears may have a tough time getting on the scoreboard, as the duo notched a combined total of 14 of the team’s 47 goals last year. The Bears will need to have two of their forwards — senior Samantha Witteman and junior Arielle Ship, who each scored four goals last season — rise to the occasion and hope that two or three other players can each contribute at least five goals. Another possible scenario would be if a midfielder or forward channeled her inner Abby Wambach and scored more than 10 goals throughout the course of the season.

If a player does indeed step up to the plate and score several goals a game, McGuire will need to ensure that his squad does not fall into the habit of relying on one or two star players’ performances.

On the other hand, Cal likely won’t have to worry too much about any defensive woes, as its squad from last year is still largely intact. The Bears conceded only 1.14 goals per game last year, and they will hope to improve on the .385 shots-on-goal percentage they suffered.

Cal will need to make sure that its defense remains strong and continues to improve in time to face UCLA, USC and Stanford near the tail end of the season. The team is scheduled to face these Pac-12 powerhouses back to back, and it may prove difficult to walk away with positive results. The Bears lost to the Bruins and the Cardinal, 3-0 and 3-2, respectively, last season. But if Cal manages to come away with a combination of wins and ties, the results could play a crucial role in boosting the team’s confidence in preparation for a possible postseason run.

McGuire will have the opportunity to address the lingering doubts of his squad and work on its depth early in the season by experimenting with different formations and fielding bench players. His squad will be reinforced by four newcomers, including junior Emma Fletcher. The midfielder joined the Bears in January after two impressive seasons with Louisiana State, where she set a freshman record in 2013 by tallying 12 assists. The junior helped Canada reach the semifinals at this summer’s Pan American Games, and her international experience may prove valuable for the Bears.

McGuire, however, could take a slightly safer approach by going with his preferred mainstays in the starting 11. Nevertheless, he will need to find the right balance if he hopes to see his squad reach nationals and best last year’s NCAA Second Round finish.

Manny Flores covers women’s soccer. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @manny_0.