Cal Heads East This Week For First Road Trip
BERKELEY - After opening the season with three games in the Bay Area, including two in Berkeley, the California field hockey team flies east this week for the first of four regular season east coast trips. The Golden Bears (2-1) will face Towson on Friday, Sept. 10, at noon PT before facing No. 7 Maryland on Sunday, Sept. 12, at 11 a.m. PT. Sunday's match will mark Cal's third ranked foe in five games this season.
Cal hits the road with some momentum, having played two ranked teams and boasting a record over .500 through three games. The Bears defeated Dartmouth, 1-0, in their most-recent contest last Sunday at Underhill Field.
"We have to make sure we're tuning up our defense, it's going to be a great trip with two really good games coming up," said the Donna Fong Director of Field Hockey Shellie Onstead. "We need to be a good road team, being in the America East, so we're looking forward to getting that going."
Bears Sneak Past Dartmouth, 1-0
• Anne Van Hoof's fourth-quarter goal pushed Cal past Dartmouth, 1-0, last Sunday in Berkeley. The Bears brought offensive pressure all afternoon, and maintained control of the contest after a quiet first quarter. The win marked Cal's first home win of the season, and also the Bears' second 1-0 victory in the campaign.
Pair of 1-0 Wins
• Both of Cal's wins this season have been by the score of 1-0. Maddie Cleat scored in the third quarter in the Bears' season-opening win at Stanford. Last Sunday, Anne Van Hoof collected a rebound off of a shot by Cleat and put the rebound in to give Cal a 1-0 win over Dartmouth in Berkeley. Cato Knipping earned her fourth and fifth shutouts in both contests. Cal fell to Liberty, 3-0, in the second game of the season. Through three games this season, Cal has yet to play a game in which both teams have scored.
Lots Of Offensive Pressure
• Cal brought consistent offensive firepower all afternoon in their 1-0 win over Dartmouth. The Bears out shot the Big Green, 19-1. Anne Van Hoof scored in the fourth quarter, ending the day with seven shots, five on goal. The Bears posted five shots in the second quarter, nine in the third quarter and five in the fourth. Cal also earned eight corners to one for Dartmouth. Cleat garnered four shots, while Kaiden Stanley collected two shots on goal and Brynn Zorilla recorded three shots.
All-Time Vs. Towson and Maryland
• The Bears have only met Towson once before, and it was a 1-0 win for Cal in the 2009 season opener. The Bears have never beaten Maryland in 11 meetings, the last of which occurred during the 2018 campaign.
Van Hoof Adds Experience
• A graduate transfer from Wake Forest, Anne Van Hoof has made her presence felt through the first three games of the season. The native of The Netherlands paces the Bears with nine shots, five on goal. She scored in Cal's 1-0 win over Dartmouth and recorded two shots against Liberty in the home opener. Van Hoof has started all three games in the backfield. She brings veteran experience after Cal lost Yvie Lock and Sara Deck in the backfield after the spring campaign.
Smart Bears
• A program-record group of 23 Cal field hockey student-athletes honored with 2020 Zag Field Hockey/NFHCA Division I National Academic Squad laurels. Cato Knipping, Natalie Moore, Sara Stone and Kaiden Stanley were tabbed NFHCA Scholars of Distinction with Knipping earning the honor for the second straight year. Cal was also once again tabbed an NFHCA National Academic Squad. In addition, 22 Bears earned America East Honor Roll accolades, with 16 picking up AE Commissioner's Honor Roll stature (3.5 GPA or better). Earlier this week, Cal won the Newmark Award for the highest GPA (3.603) among Cal's large women's programs.
Next Up
• Cal returns to Berkeley for two matches at Underhill Field next weekend. The Bears face Brown on Friday, Sept. 17, at 6 p.m. before hosting Northwestern on Sunday, Sept. 19, at noon.