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Field Hockey

Year in Review: Field Hockey

STANFORD, Calif. - It was a year of many firsts for Stanford field hockey in 2024, as fourth-year Susan Ewing York Director of Women’s Field Hockey Roz Ellis led the program to an 8-9 record in its inaugural ACC campaign. 

Bringing back nearly all of its roster from the previous season, Stanford improved upon its 2023 record by four wins in the nation's premier field hockey conference. Cara Sambeth registered a team-leading six goals and 13 points to earn All-ACC Second Team and NFHCA Division I All-West Region Second Team honors after returning from her redshirt year, while Daisy Ford enjoyed a career year between the posts with 94 saves and a conference-leading saves per game mark (5.53).

RECAPPING 2024

Stanford started the season on a high note, sweeping a two-game road trip with a 4-1 win over Ohio and a 5-0 shutout against Ball State. Stanford saw seven different goal-scorers in the opening weekend, with Cara Sambeth and Star Horlock leading the offensive attacks with a pair of goals each in the opening weekend. 

The Cardinal kept the hot start going in the home opener, defending Varsity Turf with a 3-1 victory over Kent State to begin the season 3-0. Nadine Brenninkmeyer, Star Horlock, and Allison Kuzyk combined for the trio of Cardinal goals, while Stanford's defense shined with four penalty corner stops and a penalty stroke save from Daisy Ford to secure her third win of the season in net. 

After dropping a hard-fought 1-0 game against Northeastern, Stanford returned to the win column with a 1-0 win of its own against UC Davis on the road. Cara Sambeth buried her third goal of the season off a penalty stroke, while four Daisy Ford saves and a stout defense sealed the Cardinal's second shutout victory of the season. 

The Cardinal blanked Bellarmine, 4-0 the following week as Cara Sambeth continued her impressive start to the year with her fourth score of the season, joining fellow goal scorers Alayna Burns, Scout Butler, and Allison Kuzyk in the contest. The win came with a pair of accolades as it marked the best start to a season in the Roz Ellis era at 5-1, as well as the most goals through six games since 2020 with 17. 

After a stretch of seven consecutive games against top-15 opponents, a span which saw Daisy Ford average eight saves per game, Stanford found its stride down the stretch with a three-match win streak to end the regular season. The stretch began with a 2-1 road victory against Indiana, as Scout Butler and Star Horlock notched goals to down the Big Ten foe.

Back at Varsity Turf, the Cardinal knocked off Wake Forest, 1-0, for the first ACC win in program history. The defense played a pivotal role in the winning effort as Daisy Ford made nine saves and the Cardinal defense went a perfect 12-for-12 on penalty corners to allow Star Horlock to bury the lone goal in the 4th quarter to defeat the Demon Deacons. 

Needing a win to secure the program's first ACC tournament berth, Stanford delivered a 3-1 victory over California in the regular season finale. Daisy Ford impressed again with nine saves while a flurry of goals in the third quarter from Anna Ghuliani, Allison Kuzyk, and Cara Sambeth lifted the Cardinal to victory.

Stanford's season came to a close in the opening round of the ACC tournament, as the Cardinal came back from a two-goal deficit against third-seeded Boston College, but would ultimately fall 3-2 to finish the season with an 8-9 record.

CARA'S CAREER YEAR

Following the conclusion of the 2024 season, redshirt junior defender Cara Sambeth was named an All-ACC Second Team and NFHCA Division I All-West Region Second Team selection. Sambeth enjoyed her best season on The Farm in 2024, posting new career-bests in goals (6), points (12), shots (26), shots on goal (14), and shot percentage (.231).

STANFORD SIGNS FOUR FOR 2025

Head coach Roz Ellis announced the signings of four student-athletes on National Signing Day with the class set to join the Cardinal for the 2025 campaign. The incoming class includes Noa Armelin (Weybridge, England), Natalie Hoppe (Hannover, Germany), Summer Knight-Thompson (Sevenoaks, England) and Tyla Ozgen (Westport, CT). "We are really pleased with our 2025 incoming class,” said Ellis. “They were selected carefully for specific assets and we can’t wait to get them to The Farm and build our 2025 campaign.” The incoming class is set to join a roster that returns all but two student-athletes from 2024's squad.

CARDINAL, WHITE, AND BLUE

Over the summer, former Stanford standout Kelsey Bing represented Team USA in Paris as the starting goalkeeper, becoming just the second athlete in program history to be named to an Olympic roster. Bing recorded 23 saves in five games at Stade Yves-du-Manoir, including a five-save shutout in a 1-0 win over South Africa. 

CARDINAL IN THE CLASSROOM

Stanford racked up numerous academic achievements after the season with 21 student-athletes being named to the NFHCA National Academic Squad. The Cardinal, which produced the second-highest number of players on the National Academic Squad, had three players named NFHCA Scholars of Distinction with Daisy Ford, Anya Jackson and Esther Pottebaum being named to the list. 

The Cardinal also placed 17 student-athletes on the ACC All-Academic Team which was fourth-most in the conference. Those included accumulated at least a 3.0 GPA and appeared in 50 percent or more of games this season. 

AWARDS AND ACCOLADES

Name Honors
Nadine Brenninkmeyer

NFHCA National Academic Squad

ACC All-Academic
Alayna Burns

ACC All-Academic
Scout Butler

NFHCA National Academic Squad

ACC All-Academic
Mia Clark

NFHCA National Academic Squad

ACC All-Academic
Kendall Dowd

NFHCA National Academic Squad
Chantal Eiwanger

NFHCA National Academic Squad

ACC All-Academic
Daisy Ford

ACC Defensive Player of the Week (Nov. 4)

NFHCA National Defensive Player of the Week (Nov. 6)

NFHCA Scholar of Distinction

NFHCA National Academic Squad

ACC All-Academic
Bella Ganocy

NFHCA National Academic Squad
Ella Ganocy

NFHCA National Academic Squad
Anna Ghuliani

NFHCA National Academic Squad

ACC All-Academic
Star Horlock

NFHCA National Academic Squad

ACC All-Academic
Anya Jackson

NFHCA National Academic Squad

NFHCA Scholar of Distinction
Hailey King

NFHCA National Academic Squad
Allison Kuzyk

ACC All-Academic
Liv Martin

NFHCA National Academic Squad

ACC All-Academic
Puja Nanjappa

NFHCA National Academic Squad

ACC All-Academic
Kate Nemec

NFHCA National Academic Squad

ACC All-Academic
Jenny O'Grady

ACC All-Academic
Esther Pottebaum

NFHCA National Academic Squad

NFCHA Scholar of Distinction

ACC All-Academic
Cara Sambeth

All-ACC Second Team

NFHCA D1 All-West Region Second Team

NFHCA National Academic Squad

ACC All-Academic
Tottie Taylor

NFHCA National Academic Squad

ACC All-Academic
Gemma Townsend

NFHCA National Academic Squad
Bea Varley

NFHCA National Academic Squad

ACC All-Academic
Maroussia Walckiers

NFHCA National Academic Squad