Duke on Deck

STANFORD, Calif. — Following its first Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) road swing of the season, Stanford field hockey returns to The Farm to continue conference play with a pair of bouts this weekend beginning with a matchup against No. 3 Duke on Friday, October 9. First strike for Student Night from Varsity Turf is slated for 6 p.m. PT. 

FIRST STRIKE

The Cardinal heads back out on Varsity Turf following a pair of bouts out East, returning home after falling in both contests. Stanford started the road trip with a back-and-forth affair against No. 11 Virginia, battling the Cavaliers hard, but falling in the Friday thriller, 5-2. The Cardinal then ended the trip with a close contest against Louisville, pushing to equal the road trip record against the Cardinals but could not find the elusive game-tying goal, falling in the weekend finale on Sunday, 1-0.

Star Horlock continues to lead the Cardinal on both goals and points this season after snatching a brace in the win over UC Davis in September. Horlock’s six goals and 13 points tie her 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 five on the season after slotting home the game-opening goal in the bout against Virginia. The five goals sets a new career-high as the junior has tallied in two of the last four games. 

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, 13 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 11 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 39-for-50 on penalty corner clearances while Stanford’s PCA has converted on eight out of 46 attempts.

Between the posts, Anya Jackson has earned the start and decision in each of the 11 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 2.00 goals-against average coupled with a .738 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 Blue Devils is the 10th meeting all-time between the two programs and third-straight since the Cardinal joined the ACC. Duke currently leads the series but Stanford looks to earn the win in the rubber match on The Farm after falling on the road in last season’s tilt, 2-0.