Road Trip Ends Against Cards

STANFORD, Calif. — Stanford field hockey completes its first Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) road trip of the season on Sunday, wrapping up a two-game swing against No. 16 Louisville. First strike from Trager Stadium in Louisville, Ky., is slated for noon ET / 9 a.m. PT. 

FIRST STRIKE

The Cardinal hits the pitch following a high-scoring affair on Friday against No. 11 Virginia as Stanford battled hard before falling 5-2 to the Cavaliers. Jenny O’Grady and Liv Martin bookended the first half scoring as a back-and-forth affair hit the halftime break in a 2-2 deadlock. However, three second-half goals from the hosts pushed the comeback out of reach as Stanford suffered its first road defeat of the season in the 5-2 loss. 

Star Horlock leads the Cardinal in goals and points this season after her second collegiate brace last Tuesday against UC Davis. Horlock’s six goals and 13 points tie her career-high in both categories as the senior returns to the pitch following international duty last season. Jenny O’Grady has also posted a new career high in goals as the junior secured her fifth of the season in the match against Virginia as she has now scored in two of the last three games for the Cardinal to place second on the team in goals. 

Natalie Hoppe continues to lead the team in helpers with a career-high six on the campaign while Caroline Richard, Grace Essalih, Liv Martin and Opal Sparling slot second with two on the season. In total, 12 Cardinal have recorded a point while 10 players have secured a goal including eight who have scored multiple times this season.

Defensively, two Cardinal have started all 10 games this season with Puja Nanjappa and Caroline Richard having earned the starting nod in every bout this season. Defensively, Stanford’s penalty corner defense has showed strong this season as the Cardinal is 38-for-48 on penalty corner clearances while Stanford’s PCA has converted on eight out of 42 attempts.

Between the posts, Anya Jackson has earned the start and decision in each of the 10 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 (7) while recording a 2.11 goals-against average coupled with a .714 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 bout against the Cardinals marks the 10th meeting all-time between the two squads and third-straight since Stanford joined the ACC. Louisville currently holds a 6-3 record in the series including a 4-0 record at home. However, Stanford claimed the victory in last season’s meeting with a 2-1 shootout win on The Farm.