Friday Matinee Against The Aggies

STANFORD, Calif. — Having secured its first Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) victory of the season last weekend, Stanford field hockey is back in action to complete nonconference play, trekking to in-state foe UC Davis on Friday, October 16. First strike for Friday’s matinee against the Aggies from the Aggie Field Hockey Facility is slated for 1 p.m. PT. 

FIRST STRIKE

The Cardinal embarks on its second matchup against the Aggies this season having split a weekend pair against ranked ACC opposition last weekend. Stanford opened the weekend slate with a historic win 3-2 overtime win over No. 3 Duke on Friday, dispatching the Blue Devils just 71 seconds into the extra frame to tie the highest ranked win in program history and the secure the first win over a No. 3 ranked team since an unranked Stanford defeated No. 3 Michigan State, 2-1, on The Farm on Aug. 31, 2001. 

The Cardinal completed the weekend with a strong effort against No. 8 Wake Forest, falling 4-1 to the Demon Deacons. Against the Deacs, Stanford showed strong in the second half, but a four-goal deficit through the first half was too much to overcome. Meanwhile, in the bout against Duke, Anya Jackson recorded 10 of her 15 saves on the weekend to keep Stanford in the contest while Mia Clark and Puja Nanjappa secured their first goals of the season before Bea Varley secured the game-winning tally in the 3-2 win. 

Stanford completes the pair of ranked, weekend matchups having secured the best win in the Roz Ellis era as the Cardinal downed No. 3 Duke in overtime on Friday, 3-2. The Cardinal bookended the scoring on the evening with Mia Clark and Puja Nanjappa securing their first goals of the season while Bea Varley’s second tally of the campaign 71 seconds into overtime proved gave Stanford its highest ranked win since 2001. 

Star Horlock continues to lead the Cardinal in both goals and points this season after scoring the lone goal in the bout against Wake Forest on Sunday. Horlock’s seven goals and 15 points sets a new career-high in both categories as the senior returns to Stanford following international duty last season. Jenny O’Grady slots second on the squad in goals with a career-high five on the season after slotting home the game-opening goal in the bout against Virginia two weeks ago.

Natalie Hoppe continues to lead the team in helpers with a career-high six on the campaign while Liv Martin claims second on the team with three on the campaign following an assist on Mia Clark’s attacking penalty corner tally against Duke on Friday. In total, 15 Cardinal have recorded a point while 12 players have secured a goal including nine who have scored multiple times this season.

Defensively, Puja Nanjappa has started all 13 games to lead the Cardinal and is second on the team in minutes played with 638. Natalie Hoppe slots first on the squad in minutes with 698 having started all 12 games she has appeared in. Stanford’s penalty corner defense has showed strong this season as the Cardinal is 48-for-61 on penalty corner clearances while Stanford’s PCA has converted on nine out of 50 attempts.

Between the posts, Anya Jackson has earned the start and decision in each of the 13 games this season, recording her first collegiate shutout in the win over Holy Cross earlier this season. Jackson has posted a new career high in wins (8) while recording a 2.17 goals-against average coupled with a .733 save percentage. Jackson earned a career-high 12 saves in the loss to Northwestern, becoming the third goalkeeper to record 12 saves in a game since the 2019 season (Kelsey Bing: 2019, Daisy Ford: 2025).

Stanford’s battle against the Aggies is the 33rd meeting between the two programs and second this season. Stanford currently owns a 29-3 lead in the series and has won four of the last five meetings including three-straight victories entering Friday’s contest. Stanford was 4-1 victors earlier this season over the Aggies in a game that saw three different Cardinal secure a goal.