No. 12 Stanford field hockey (9-4, 1-1 America East) searches for a pair of conference wins this weekend when it completes its six-game road game stretch against University of the Pacific (7-6, 1-1) on Friday and Cal (9-4, 4-0) on Sunday.
The Cardinal depart The Farm having split the last two non-conference games with a win against No. 14 Northwestern and a crushing 1-0 loss against No. 16 Michigan. While Pacific will likely prove to be an easier opponent than the Wildcats and Wolverines, Stanford could face some difficulties against Cal, who beat the Cardinal earlier this year in a tough 2-1 overtime loss.
The Cardinal offense will use its high-powered and well-balanced attack in hope of exploiting the inconsistent Tigers defense. Senior midfielder Maddie Secco leads the Cardinal attack with 6 goals on the season. The rest of Stanford’s goals have come from a variety of sources, with 10 total players scoring throughout the season. In particular, the Cardinal midfielders have been particularly adept at scoring goals, finding the back of the net 12 times.
The goal-scoring success of the midfield underscores the true hallmark of the Stanford offense: constant ball movement. The Cardinal have recorded 30 assists this season on 29 goals, a stat that is impossible to achieve without good passing and proper use of space. However, the offense has slightly regressed after a red-hot road trip in which they scored 14 goals in three games against Iowa, Saint Louis and Kent State.
On the other hand, the Stanford defense has allowed 11 goals in the last nine matches, in part because the Cardinal have been able to rely on senior goalkeeper Dulcie Davies, who posts a .815 save percentage, good for third in the country.
Because of the Cardinal’s tight defense, they often find themselves in close matches. Last week’s loss to Michigan was the 11th game the Cardinal have played that was decided by a single goal. With just four games remaining until the NCAA Tournament begins, the Cardinal’s ample experience in close games provides additional experience to a team loaded with upperclassmen.
To ensure the victory on Friday, the Stanford defense will have to stop a Tiger offense that has been scoring 1.85 goals per game. Eleven players on the Tigers team, coming from a range of different positions, are on the scoresheet for the Tigers, and many of the Tigers’ victories have been high-scoring affairs. All but one of the Tigers’ victories this season has seen the Tigers score more than 3 goals.
Pacific is looking to rebound from a tightly-contested conference loss to Cal, in which the Tigers’ offense had the advantage in shots on goal yet could not get past the Golden Bears’ goalkeeper, ultimately losing the match 1-0. This will be the first season matchup against the Cardinal for the Tigers, who will be looking to avenge their 0-2 record against the Cardinal last season.
Cal, on the other hand, is undefeated in conference play, having beaten the Cardinal, UC Davs, Pacific and U-Mass Lowell. Led by Melina Moore and Janaye Sakkas with 5 goals apiece, the Golden Bears offense has scored 29 goals on the season, and the team as a whole has won five of its last six games. Aiding Cal on the defensive end is goalkeeper Kori Griswold, who has the 17th best save percentage (.747) in the country and collects an average of 5.23 saves per game.
During the first matchup this season between the two teams, Stanford was the first to get on the board with a goal in the 16th minute from senior Jessica Chisholm. Cal struck back in the 67th minute to force the game into overtime, during which Sydney Earle score the game-winner in the 81st minute, marking the second game of the season the Cardinal had lost. Yet with that loss, and their most recent defeat to Michigan, fresh in the back of their heads, the Cardinal will look to get revenge and finally beat their Bay Area rival this weekend.
Stanford will take on Pacific in Stockton on Friday, Oct. 16 at 3 p.m. before returning to The Farm to take on Cal in what will technically be considered an away game, as Cal does not have a home field at Berkeley so it plays its home games at Stanford. The Cal-Stanford game will take place on Sunday, Oct. 18 at noon.
Contact Lorenzo Rosas at enzor9 ‘at’ stanford.edu.