STANFORD, Calif. – Stanford field hockey is back.
Coming off the most successful season in program history, the Cardinal returned to the Varsity Turf on Wednesday for the first day of preseason training.
Stanford will look to build on its 2014 campaign in which it claimed its first NCAA Tournament victory in program history, recorded a 19-3 record and achieved a program-high No. 3 national ranking for three consecutive weeks (Oct. 14-Nov. 2). The Cardinal went 4-1 against top-10 opponents and 6-2 against the top 20.
“It feels fantastic to be back,” said Stanford head coach Tara Danielson. “The team is excited to be here and showed up full of fight, ready to get started. Everyone came ready to play today. Practice today was all about seeing where we are and finding some flow and connecting.”
“We’re really excited and the team is hungry. This is going to be an exciting year for us. We have a competitive schedule and a team that’s going to put up a good fight from start to finish. We’re all invested and doing it for the team.”
Senior and 2014 first-team All-American goalkeeper Dulcie Davies was happy with the team’s effort on day one and looks forward to getting the season started.
“It’s good to be back in the sun and with the team and brush the cobwebs off,” said Davies, a team captain this year. “We had good intensity beginning with fitness testing in the morning, which went well. We had skills and games in the afternoon. It was pretty intense for the first day as we get back into it.”
The Cardinal will take on six teams that finished the 2014 season ranked in the top 20 in the country including matchups against two-time defending national champion Connecticut (Sept. 25), NCAA runner-up Syracuse (Aug. 28) and NCAA quarterfinalist Duke (Aug. 30). Stanford’s contest against Syracuse is the season and home opener.
The Cardinal’s matchups against Syracuse, Duke and California (Sept. 18) will be televised on the Pac-12 Networks.
Stanford begins its tenure in the America East this season along with previous NorPac members California, Pacific and UC Davis. The quartet joins current members Albany, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and UMass-Lowell. The Cardinal will not see any of the new members of the league until the America East Tournament on Nov. 5-8.