Heading to Holy Cross

STANFORD, Calif. — Having secured the best start in the Roz Ellis era, Stanford field hockey is back in action for its first road trip of the season, embarking to the Northeast for a pair of matchups beginning with a bout against Holy Cross on Friday, September 11. First strike against the Crusaders from Hart Turf Field is slated for 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT. 

FIRST STRIKE

Stanford is back in action following a successful 4-0 homestand to begin the 2026 campaign. Stanford, which opened with three wins in four days, most recently defeated Bellarmine last Friday in what was a clinical 5-0 win for the Cardinal. 

Stanford, which received goals from five different scorers on the day, slotted the game-opening goal in the waning stages of the first quarter as Natalie Hoppe secured her first goal of the season off a penalty corner conversion. Though the Cardinal continued to threaten after the Hoppe game-opening tally, Stanford could not find the finishing touches as the one-goal lead stood into the halftime break. 

However, the second half proved fruitful for the Cardinal as a four-goal flurry secured the eventual 5-0 win. Two third quarter tallies from Ella Ganocy and Jenny O’Grady pushed the Cardinal lead to three while Jula Proschel’s first collegiate goal and a sinister backhanded finish from Kate Nemec pushed the Cardinal lead well beyond a comeback. In between the posts, Anya Jackson and Hannah Cutler combined for a no-shot shutout while the latter made her collegiate debut in a 15 minute relief performance. 

Four Cardinal pace the team lead in points so far through four games including Kate Nemec, Star Horlock and Ella Ganocy who have all potted two goals on the season. Natalie Hoppe has four points to her name with one goal and a tied-team-high two assists in three appearances. In total, 10 Cardinal have found themselves on the scoresheet including an already career-high three points for Bea Varley and the first points from freshmen Grace Essalih, Jula Proschel and Opal Sparling. 

Defensively, four players have started all three games on defense with the Puja Nanjappa  leading the team in minutes with 192 on the campaign. Spearheading Stanford’s penalty corner defense, Nanjappa and the Cardinal have gone 12-for-12 on Penalty Corner clearances this season. Between the posts, Anya Jackson has earned the start and decision in each of the four games this season, earning a new career high in wins (4) while posting a 0.80 goals-against average and an .833 save percentage. Jackson tied her career-high for saves in a game with seven in the win over CMU last Monday and has only allowed two field goals.

Stanford takes on the Crusaders for the fourth time in program history and the first time since 2022. Stanford currently leads the series 2-1 and last took a 2-1 win at home on August 26, 2022. Stanford’s lone loss in the series came on the road in what was a 2-1 overtime loss to the Crusaders back in 2008.