STANFORD, Calif. — Stanford field hockey returns to the friendly confines of Varsity Turf this weekend, hosting Louisville and Virginia on Friday, September 26 and Sunday, September 28, respectively. Stanford takes on the No. 16 Cardinals at 5 p.m. on Friday while Sunday’s matchup against the No. 3 Cavaliers is slated for noon.
FIRST PUSH-BACK
Stanford (3-5, 0-2 ACC) heads into the second weekend of Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) action having begun conference play last weekend in North Carolina. The Cardinal battled hard in its first conference matchup last Friday, falling to No. 7 Duke, 2-0, before battling a tough North Carolina squad ranked second in the nation on Sunday, capitulating to the Tar Heels, 8-1.
Against Duke, the Cardinal did well to negate a majority of Duke’s presence in the offensive zone but ultimately gave up the game-opening goal late in the first quarter off of a penalty corner. With neither side able to capitalize for the remainder of the first half, it was Stanford who came out of the break as the aggressor, earning a penalty stroke halfway through the third quarter. However, the chance went begging as two minutes later the Blue Devils doubled their advantage and took a 2-0 lead into the fourth quarter. Though Stanford threatened in the final frame, outshooting the hosts 5-0 and earning two penalty corners, the Blue Devils held strong to eke out the 2-0 win.
Against the Tar Heels, the Cardinal battled hard but found chances at a premium for a majority of the afternoon in Chapel Hill. With UNC earning the first three goals of the afternoon, Stanford’s lone reply came off the stick of Summer Knight-Thompson who nabbed her second goal of the season to cut into the Tar Heel lead and push the scoreline to 3-1. However the Tar Heels grabbed two more goals in the half to take a 5-1 lead through 30 minutes. In the second half, relief goalkeeper Anya Jackson held strong to limit UNC to only three goals in the half as her and starting goalkeeper Daisy Ford both earned seven saves in the 8-1 loss.
Stanford is led in scoring by Kate Nemec who owns the team-lead in goals (3) and points (6) at the halfway mark of the season. Following suit, Liv Martin and Summer Knight-Thompson sit second with five points a piece courtesy of a 2-1-5 line. Lending a helping hand, Mia Clark leads the Cardinal with two assists this season and is one of three Cardinal to have started every game this season (Maroussia Walckiers and Scout Butler). Overall, 12 players have recorded a point this season for the Cardinal.
Defensively, the Cardinal is led by Scout Butler and Natalie Hoppe who have both eclipsed 400 minutes played this season. Butler also leads the Cardinal in shots this season with 15 while Hoppe sits second in freshman scoring with four points which also slots tied for fourth overall on the team.
Between the posts, Daisy Ford and Anya Jackson have seen action this season with the former starting seven of Stanford’s eight matches this season. Ford, who owns a 2-4 record with one shutout this season, leads the conference in saves with 34 and in saves per game (4.86). Ford also boasts a 2.34 goals-against average coupled with a .694 save percentage. Jackson, who sits with a 1-1 record that includes a shootout loss to No. 6 Harvard, owns a 2.40 goals-against average and a .667 save percentage in three games this season.
Heading into the weekend, Stanford owns the seventh-hardest remaining schedule in DI Field Hockey and the fourth-hardest in the ACC. Currently ranked 27th in the first RPI selection rankings this season, Stanford battles Louisville who ranks 23rd currently before taking on the 3rd-ranked Cavaliers. Amid the upcoming four-game homestand, the Cardinal take on three opponents ranked inside the top-20 in the first RPI ratings.