The No. 10 Stanford field hockey team (7-3, 0-1 America East) looks to assert itself in conference play this Friday as it travels to UC Davis to take on the unranked Aggies (6-7, 0-1) for the first time this year.
For the Cardinal, it will be their third road game in a set of seven, having already lost 3-2 to No. 1 UConn before defeating UMass Amherst 1-0.
This game represents a crucial point in the season for Stanford. After suffering an upset at the hands of unranked Cal at the beginning of conference play, the Cardinal find themselves in a hole, albeit a small one. While one game is by no means enough to determine the outcome of a season, the team will be looking to right the ship against fellow conference member UC Davis.
Leading the way will be seniors Lauren Becker, Jessica Chisholm and Maddie Secco. Although the three players vary in the positions they play (Becker is an attacker, Chisholm is a defender and Secco is a midfielder), there is one commonality in the players’ respective seasons: they have all produced tremendous results on the offensive end.
Together, the three seniors have scored 12 of Stanford’s 24 goals, and their 34 combined points outrank all of the points scored against Stanford this year (33). They also anchor a starting lineup that is filled with experience from top to bottom: of the 10 Stanford players to start all 10 games this season, only two are underclassmen (sophomores Sarah Hegelson and Millie Stefanowicz).
Even with the strong core of leadership and experience, Stanford will have a difficult opponent to deal with in UC Davis. Although the Aggies’ sub-.500 record might indicate otherwise, the team has plenty of talent. In particular, the Cardinal will have to watch out for senior Jamie Garcia, who leads the team with six goals this season.
If Stanford can manage to leave Davis with a win, the team will find itself right on track with regards to conference play. The Cardinal have just four conference games remaining this year: a pair against University of the Pacific, and one more against both Cal and Davis. These four games, along with two non-conference games against Northwestern and Michigan, will be the final tune-ups for Stanford before the NCAA Tournament begins in November.
The match against Davis will take place Friday at 4 p.m.
Contact Sandip Srinivas at sandips ‘at’ stanford.edu.