STANFORD, Calif. — Having earned its first conference victory of the season on Friday, Stanford field hockey is back in action on Sunday, hosting the No. 3 Virginia Cavaliers at Varsity Turf for Stanford’s Pups at the Pitch match. First strike is slated for noon.
FIRST PUSH BACK
Stanford (4-5, 1-2 ACC) concludes the weekend having earned a monumental win on Friday, edging out No. 16 Louisville in a penalty shootout, 2-1, to earn its first Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) victory. Stanford, which opened the scoring via Jenny O’Grady’s first goal of the season from a penalty corner, held its own for a majority of the game even after the Cardinals leveled the scoreline halfway through the second quarter. However, neither side could find the breakthrough for the remaining 37 minutes as both sides remained tied at the end of regulation.
In overtime, both sides had their chances but it was Stanford’s goalkeeper in Anya Jackson who stole the show in the extra periods, negating Louisville’s one chance on frame while facing three shots to force a penalty shootout. In the shootout, Stanford - which shot second - accumulated a 2-1 lead through the first two rounds as Jackson came up with a save in the second round while Cara Sambeth and O’Grady both potted their tries. From them on out, Jackson stole the show as the sophomore goalkeeper grabbed two more saves before Louisville’s last effort whistled wide in the fifth round as the Cardinal earned the 2-1 win with a 2-1 aggregate in the shootout.
Offensively, 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 and Cara Sambeth lead the Cardinal with two assists this season and while Clark serves one of three Cardinal to have started every game this season (Maroussia Walckiers and Scout Butler). Overall, 13 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 450 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 2-1 record following Friday’s win in her second start this season, owns a 1.67 goals-against average and a .706 save percentage in four games this season.
Stanford’s win over No. 16 Louisville on Friday was the first ranked win for the Cardinal since Nov. 4, 2023 when the Cardinal took down No. 23 Maine in the America East Tournament Semifinals, 3-1.
Heading into the weekend, Stanford owns the seventh-hardest remaining schedule in DI Field Hockey and the fourth-hardest in the ACC. Currently ranked 26th in the first RPI selection rankings this season, Stanford battles Louisville who ranks 23rd currently before taking on the 3rd-ranked Cavaliers. Amid this four-game homestand, the Cardinal take on three opponents ranked inside the top-20 in the first RPI ratings.