STANFORD, Calif. — Following a narrow defeat on Friday against one of the nation’s top programs, Stanford field hockey is back in action on Sunday, closing a two-game swing with a matchup against the Davidson Wildcats. First strike is slated for 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT.
FIRST STRIKE
Stanford (5-8, 2-5 ACC) heads into the weekend finale having dropped a close contest to conference leaders Wake Forest as the No. 5 Demon Deacons earned a 3-1 win over the Cardinal on Friday evening. The Deacs stormed out to an early 1-0 lead just under five minutes into the frame off of a penalty corner before doubling their lead in the waning moments of the first quarter. However, Stanford stopped the momentum in the second quarter to enter the halftime break down, 2-0.
Looking to turn the tide, Stanford pounced on the Deacs in the third quarter, earning two penalty corners in the frame to try and cut into the deficit. However, Wake Forest negated both opportunities and found an insurance tally late in the frame to enter the fourth quarter up, 3-0. Stanford would not go away quietly though as Gemma Townsend and the offense came to life in the fourth with Townsend earning her third goal of the season with under three minutes to go in regulation. Though the Cardinal had ample opportunity to trim the deficit to one goal, Wake Forest held strong defensively, earning the eventual 3-1 win.
Following her third collegiate goal, freshman Natalie Hoppe leads the Cardinal in scoring this season with seven points through 13 games. Sitting tied with Hoppe for the team lead in goals, Kate Nemec and Gemma Townsend have both found the back of the cage three times, slotting themselves second in points with six on the campaign. Summer Knight-Thompson sits tied with Nemec and Townsend in points following an assist on Friday, earning a 2-2-6 line through 13 games. Lending a helping hand, Mia Clark and Cara Sambeth are both tied with Knight-Thompson for the team lead in assists with all three earning two on the season. Offensively, Stanford has 13 players who have recorded a point this season including 10 players who have scored a goal.
Defensively, Stanford is led in minutes by Scout Butler who serves as one of three Cardinal to have started every game this season (Mia Clark and Maroussia Walckiers). Butler leads the squad with 717 minutes registered while Hoppe sits second with 627. Following Hoppe is Cara Sambeth and Mia Clark who have 624 and 598 minutes, respectively, with Clark registering the lone defensive save this season for the Cardinal.
Between the posts, Daisy Ford and Anya Jackson have both split time in recent weeks with the former recording the decision in Friday’s contest against Wake Forest. Ford enters the weekend with a 3-6 record and sporting a 2.27 goals-against average coupled with a .679 save percentage. Ford also leads the conference in saves per game at 3.80. Jackson, meanwhile, has served as a second-half specialist in recent weeks, earning a 2-2 record in eight appearances in 2025. Jackson boasts a 1.83 goals-against average and .730 save percentage while making three starts this fall.
Stanford currently sits seventh in the ACC standings with one conference game remaining for the Cardinal. Having dispatched both Louisville and Boston College - who both sit below the Cardinal without a conference win - Stanford needs at least one more ACC win to inch closer toward a second-consecutive trip to the ACC Tournament. Following Boston College’s loss to Duke on Friday, Stanford is one win and/or one Boston College loss from clinching a postseason berth. The Cardinal can finish as high as fifth barring other contests.
Having squared off against No. 5 Wake Forest on Friday, Stanford has played nine ranked opponents - including five in the top-five - in 13 games this season. The nine ranked matchups this season is the most since the 2019 season when the Cardinal faced 11 Top-25 teams including four in the top-five. Stanford is slated to play Cal in two weeks with the Golden Bears currently ranked 19th in the nation.
Heading into the weekend, Stanford owned the 10th-hardest remaining schedule in the country as it took on the Deacs on Friday who currently rank seventh in the latest RPI. To end the ACC slate, the Cardinal take on Cal which ranks 17th in the latest RPI rankings following a win over Syracuse last week.