STANFORD, Calif. — Following a hard-fought battle on Friday against No. 5 Syracuse, Stanford field hockey is back in action on Sunday, October 12, hosting the Boston College Eagles on Fan Appreciation and Most Valuable Professor Day. First strike from Varsity Turf is slated for 2 p.m. PT.
Stanford (4-7, 1-4) enters Sunday’s contest having dropped a close battle to No. 5 Syracuse on Friday night after a nearly two-week break from regular season action. Mia Clark earned her first collegiate goal in the outing, firing home a shot off a penalty corner that brought the Cardinal level just two minutes into the second half. However, Syracuse’s penalty corner attack was the difference in the contest with both Orange goals coming off of the set piece. Though Stanford threatened late, Syracuse’s defensive corps had an answer to each Cardinal attack as the Orange earned the 2-1 win.
Offensively, Stanford is led in scoring by Kate Nemec who owns the team-lead in goals (3) and points (6) through 11 games this 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 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 500 minutes played this season. Butler also co-leads the Cardinal in shots this season with 16 while Hoppe sits second in freshman scoring with four points which also slots tied for fourth overall on the team.
Between the posts, Anya Jackson and Daisy Ford have both seen time this season with both having appeared in the contest against Syracuse. Jackson, who earned her second win of the season with the penalty shootout victory over Louisville, enters Sunday with a 2-2 record with 18 saves on the year. She currently owns a 1.82 goals-against average coupled with a .692 save percentage in six games played.
Ford, meanwhile, owns a 2-5 record this season and leads the conference in saves per game, averaging 4.86 in eight games. She enters Sunday with a 2.31 goals-against average and .686 save percentage while sitting second in the conference in total saves with 35.
Stanford’s win over No. 16 Louisville last 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 ninth-hardest remaining schedule in DI Field Hockey and the fifth-hardest in the ACC. Currently ranked 27th in the RPI selection rankings, Stanford battles Syracuse who ranks eighth currently before taking on 19th-ranked Boston College.