No. 13 Stanford field hockey (11-5, America East 3-2) celebrates Senior Day on Friday evening as the team faces off against the Pacific Tigers (10-6, 4-1) at home in its final game of the regular season.
When these schools last met, Pacific came away with a 1-0 victory despite Stanford having led in both shots and penalty corners. The Cardinal seek revenge, and they hope to close out their regular season with a win and keep the momentum going into the NCAA tournament.
After a pair of tough losses at the start of October, Stanford has had to fight its way back toward the top of the division. The team has resurged since its loss to Pacific on Oct. 16, winning both of its last two games by a margin of four goals each. Friday’s game will prove the difference between a second-place finish for the Cardinal and a chance to share the America East West Division title with Pacific.
Pacific, for its part, is coming off a 2-1 victory over California on Wednesday, and with sole possession of the West Division title on the line, the team is sure to bring its A-game to the South Bay. Leading the attack will be sophomore forward Savannah Burns, the Tigers’ leader in goals (7), assists (6) and points (20), alongside freshman forward Rylee Comeau, who scored the game-winning goal in Pacific’s last matchup against Stanford.
The Cardinal will look to their senior class to generate another dominant performance. In particular, senior goalkeeper Dulcie Davis has been outstanding, ranking third in the nation with a .827 save percentage. On Monday, she was named the America East Defensive Player of the Week for the second time this season, due to her excellent play against Cal and UC Davis.
Offensively, senior midfielder Maddie Secco poses a major threat to the Tigers, as she leads Stanford in goals (6), assists (8) and points (20) and is tied with senior defender Jessica Chisholm in game-winning goals (2). However, the team has established a well-balanced attack recently. In its 5-1 victory over UC Davis last Friday, each goal was scored by a different Stanford player, and over the course of the season, 12 players have put points on the board.
Regardless of the outcome, it will be a bittersweet night as the team’s six seniors are honored before the game and say a final goodbye to their home field. The game begins Friday, Oct. 30, at 6 p.m. on the Varsity Turf. Live statistics will be available at GoStanford.com.
Contact Olivia Hummer at ohummer ‘at’ stanford.edu.