Color Clash on Friday

STANFORD, Calif. — Having completed its 2026 nonconference slate last weekend, Stanford field hockey embarks on its final Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) road trip of the season, heading to the Northeast for a pair of bouts beginning with a matchup against No. 14 Syracuse on Friday, October 23. First strike against the Orange from J.S. Coyne Field is slated for 5 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. PT. 

FIRST STRIKE

Stanford hits the road following a standalone win last Friday to complete the nonconference slate, earning a 2-0 win over UC Davis on the road. In what was a grudging affair through the first half, Stanford finally grabbed the breakthrough five minutes into the second half as Star Horlock tabbed her eighth of the campaign to put the Cardinal ahead, 1-0. Holding on to the lead with the lion’s share of shots and chances, Kate Nemec put the game out of reach with her third of the season with under two minutes to play to secure the 2-0 win. With the win, Anya Jackson recorded her second shutout of the season while the Cardinal completed nonconference action with an 8-1 record.

Star Horlock continues to lead the Cardinal in both goals and points this season after scoring her team-leading fifth game-winning goal in the 2-0 win over UC Davis on Friday. Horlock’s eight goals and 17 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 while Kate Nemec joins Summer Knight-Thompson and Ella Ganocy with three on the campaign following her tally against the Aggies.

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 two weeks ago 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 14 games to lead the Cardinal and is second on the team in minutes played with 697. Natalie Hoppe slots first on the squad in minutes with 758 having started all 13 games she has appeared in. Stanford’s penalty corner defense has shown strong this season as the Cardinal is 48-for-63 on penalty corner clearances while Stanford’s PCA has converted on nine out of 59 attempts.

Between the posts, Anya Jackson has earned the start and decision in each of the 14 games this season, recording her second collegiate shutout in the win over UC Davis last Friday. Jackson has posted a new career high in wins (9) while recording a 2.01 goals-against average coupled with a .740 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). The junior currently leads the conference in saves with 77 on the campaign. 

Stanford’s duel against the Orange marks the 13th matchup between the two programs in a series that dates back to 1997. Syracuse currently leads the all-time series 12-1 including taking last season’s meeting in California, 2-1. Stanford’s lone win in the series came back on October 5, 2019 when the No. 16 Cardinal dispelled the No. 14 Orange in Berkeley, Calif., 3-2.