STANFORD, Calif. — Following a senior day victory over UC Davis, Stanford field hockey concludes the regular season on Thursday, October 30, heading across the Bay Area to face the California Golden Bears. First strike from Berkeley, Calif., is slated for 6 p.m. Thursday evening.
FIRST STRIKE
Stanford (7-8, 2-5 ACC) heads into Thursday’s standalone having taken care of business in its home finale, dispatching UC Davis, 3-0, on Sunday. The Cardinal started the afternoon scoring early on with Chantal Eiwanger’s second goal of the season, putting the Cardinal ahead on a backhand shot just three minutes into the contest. Though Stanford would outshoot the Aggies, 7-0 through the half, Eiwanger’s first quarter strike remained the lone tally through the first 30 minutes.
However, the floodgates opened in the third quarter as the Cardinal sieged upon the Aggie goalmouth, funneling 12 shots toward the frame. Following a turnover in the midfield, Stanford doubled its lead near the end point of the third quarter with Puja Nanjappa’s first collegiate goal as the junior found free space inside the circle and slotted home a first-time shot. In the fourth quarter, the Cardinal earned the insurance tally as Eiwanger collected her first collegiate brace, slapping home a backhand shot that gave Stanford a 3-0 win. Defensively, Stanford held the Aggies without a shot in the contest with Kendall Dowd earning her first win of the season and earning the combined shutout alongside Daisy Ford.
Following Sunday’s contest, Stanford currently has five players who share the team lead in goals with Natalie Hoppe, Chantal Eiwanger, Gemma Townsend, Kate Nemec and Nadine Brenninkmeyer all having tallied three times this season. With a 3-2-8 line, Hoppe leads the Cardinal in points having assisted on Puja Nanjappa’s first collegiate goal. Lending a helping hand, Hoppe sits tied in assists alongside Mia Clark, Liv Martin, Summer Knight-Thompson and Cara Sambeth who have all earned two helpers during the campaign.
Defensively, Stanford is led in minutes by Scout Butler who serves as one of two Cardinal to have started every game this season (Mia Clark). Butler leads the squad with 812 minutes registered while Cara Sambeth sits second with 719 minutes. Following Sambeth is Natalie Hoppe and Mia Clark who have 714 and 676 minutes, respectively, with Clark registering the lone defensive save this season for the Cardinal.
Between the posts, all three Stanford goalkeepers have seen action this season with Senior Kendall Dowd and Daisy Ford combining for the shutout in the win over UC Davis. Dowd - who made her second appearance of the season in the win - registered the victory and has two saves on the season. Ford, meanwhile, owns a 3-6 record with one shutout on the year. Ford currently sits third in the ACC in saves per game (3.45) and holds a 2.14 goals-against average coupled with a .679 save percentage. Owning a 3-2 record in four starts, Anya Jackson has made nine appearances this season for the Cardinal. Jackson currently holds a 1.70 goals-against average coupled with a .725 save percentage.
Having dispatched both Louisville and Boston College, Stanford has clinched a second-consecutive berth in the ACC Field Hockey Tournament. Thursday’s meeting will decide playoff seeding between Cal and Stanford with the victor claiming the No. 6 seed overall in the ACC Postseason tournament. Stanford can finish no lower than seventh in the standings while Cal can fall to the No. 8 seed with a loss and a Louisville win over Syracuse on Sunday.
Having squared off against No. 5 Wake Forest, 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.