DEDHAM, Mass. — Three fourth-quarter goals and a stellar defensive showing propelled the Stanford field hockey team to a sixth-straight win as the Cardinal downed Northeastern on Sunday, 4-1. With the win, Stanford continues its best start since 2021 and completes its first road swing undefeated.
“Northeastern poses good challenges and today we dealt with that along with the game,” said Susan Ewing York Director of Women’s Field Hockey Roz Ellis. “I loved our situational play today with the ups-and-downs during the game and being able to stick to the gameplan and follow through until the end.”
With the match having been moved up due to impending weather, Stanford (6-0, 0-0 ACC) seized momentum early in the first quarter with Jenny O’Grady putting the first of an eventual 14 shots on goal just under five minutes into the contest. However, O’Grady’s bid was steered aside as neither side found the cage through the first quarter of action.
Stanford continued to pester Northeastern (1-4, 0-0 CAA) into the second quarter and capitalized on the counterattack to open the scoring. In transition, Caroline Richard found Summer Knight-Thompson inside the circle as the sophomore connection found the back of the cage with the latter slotting home her second of the season to put the Cardinal ahead 1-0.
Not even a little rain can stop Summer!🌧️
— Stanford Field Hockey (@StanfordFH) September 13, 2026
📺: FloCollege#GoStanford x #MYM pic.twitter.com/DQMCXspWtK
Late in the half, Stanford held firm in its defensive end, stopping the first penalty corner of the match to keep the 1-0 lead into the halftime break.
In what has been Stanford fashion this season, the Cardinal blitzed out of the halftime break, immediately putting the Huskies under pressure. However, the hosts found the lone tally of the frame, piercing Stanford’s penalty corner defense for the first time this season after a netfront scramble brought the hosts level, 1-1.
With the rain continuing to swirl through the first 45 minutes, Stanford showed poise and grit to grab the lead. Having had one penalty corner goal disallowed early in the fourth, Stanford’s PCA broke through twice in the final frame to push Stanford into the driver’s seat.
“Summer tipped the iceberg for us and we needed to pull our weight in the fourth quarter,”said Ellis. “It felt so good to see that even at our most fatigued, the team trusted each other and once that first goal came through we kept going for more.”
Star Horlock secured her second goal of the weekend on a re-awarded penalty corner, firing a shot between the legs of the Huskies’ goalkeeper to give Stanford the lead with under 10 minutes remaining. The Cardinal then doubled-down, earning another penalty corner tally from Ella Ganocy 88 seconds later to double the lead.
“All of our offseason training has paid off,” said Ellis.”All of the mental strength workshops we do in the offseason and the situations we put the players through early to learn to battle through adversity has made us better in those situations.”
With time winding down, Stanford’s relentless attack broke through for the game’s final goal with Natalie Hoppe ending a four-point performance with her second of the season, rifling a shot into the top of the cage to put the exclamation mark on a 4-1 win.
Stanford is back in action on a quick turnaround, heading back to The Farm to host Northwestern on Thursday, September 17. First strike from Varsity Turf is slated for 6 p.m. PT.