Cardinal Returns For Top-Ranked Test

STANFORD, Calif. — Having secured a perfect 2-0 road trip last week, Stanford field hockey returns to Varsity Turf for the first game of a three-game homestand this Thursday, hosting No. 1 Northwestern on September 17. First strike against the Wildcats for Stanford’s Cancer Awareness Night is slated for 6 p.m. PT. 

FIRST STRIKE

Stanford returns to Varsity Turf following a perfect 2-0 start on the road after completing its first trip to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts with a pair of wins over Holy Cross and Northeastern. The undefeated road trip continues the best start in the Roz Ellis era as the Cardinal remains one of seven undefeated DI teams entering Thursday. 

Stanford showcased its grit both defensively and offensively during the road trip, earning a clinical 3-0 win over Holy Cross on Friday before a fourth-quarter flurry secured a 4-1 win over Northeastern on Sunday. Against the Crusaders, Stanford’s pressure opened the scoring with Star Horlock securing a goal off a quick counterattack while Jenny O’Grady’s brace off of a penalty corner strike and subsequent fourth-quarter backhanded sweeper granted the Cardinal the 3-0 win. 

Against Northeastern, three goals in the fourth quarter - including two from penalty corners - secured a perfect road trip for Stanford while Natalie Hoppe’s last minute goal secured a career-high four points on the afternoon to close out the 4-1 win. 

Star Horlock and Natalie Hoppe co-lead the Cardinal in points this season with nine on the campaign following successful road trips. Hoppe recorded five points over the weekend via a 1-3-5 line while Horlock has nine points via a 4-1-9 line after tallying consecutive game-winning goals as she leads the team with four of them this season. Jenny O’Grady and Ella Ganocy slot tied for second on the team in goals (3) with the former earning her first collegiate brace in the win over Holy Cross while posting a new single-season high in goals with three. Hoppe continued to lead the team in helpers with five on the campaign while Caroline Richard and Grace Essalih slot second with two on the season. In total, 12 Cardinal have recorded a point this season while nine players have secured a goal. 

Defensively, three Cardinal have started all five games with Mia Clark leading the Cardinal in minutes played with 293 while Puja Nanjappa slots just behind Clark and Hoppe in minutes played. Stanford’s penalty corner defense was pierced for the first time this season on Sunday as the Cardinal is 21-for-22 on penalty corner clearances this season. Between the posts, Anya Jackson has earned the start and decision in each of the six games this season, recording her first collegiate shutout in the win over Holy Cross on Friday. Jackson has posted a new career high in wins (6) while recording a .70 goals-against average coupled with a .818 save percentage. Jackson tied her career-high for saves in a game with seven in the win over CMU and has only allowed two field goals.

Stanford’s bout against the Wildcats marks the 23rd all-time meeting between the two teams with Northwestern currently holding a 15-7 lead in the series. Northwestern has taken the last four meetings while Stanford’s last win in the series came on the road in Ann Arbor, Michigan on October 29, 2016. Stanford’s lone home win against Northwestern was back on September 17, 1998 when the Cardinal earned a 4-3 win.