Field hockey opens up conference play with matchup against Cal

Stanford women’s field hockey (6-1) is on a roll. Currently on a six-game win streak, the Cardinal will look to continue their strong play when they kick off their conference schedule on Sept. 18 against Bay Area rival California.

The Cardinal’s strong senior class is led by midfielder Maddie Secco and attacker Lauren Becker (above), who have a combined 20 points on the season so far. (HECTOR GARCIA MOLINA/stanfordphoto.com)

Since a heartbreaking opening-day overtime loss to then-No. 4 Syracuse, the team has been unbeatable, particularly due to excellent play from a core of returning veterans.

Senior midfielder Maddie Secco currently leads the team in goals scored and individual points with 5 and 12, respectively. Senior goalkeeper Dulcie Davies was recently named the America East Defensive Player of the Week and has 47 saves on the year with a 1.46 goals-against average.

This past week has been a dominant one for the Cardinal. Embarking on their first East Coast road trip of the season, the Cardinal walked away with three road victories, with the first against the top-25 Iowa Hawkeyes before they beat Saint Louis 7-0 and Kent State 4-2.

Stanford and Berkeley have a long history with one another, with both schools having some of the strongest NCAA field hockey programs on the West Coast. Stanford has won 16 of the past 20 matchups against the Golden Bears, who are currently 4-3. In last season’s game between the two teams, Stanford walked away with a convincing 4-0 victory.

Controversy has surrounded the home turf of California’s field hockey team. The U.S Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has opened a complaint into potential gender-based discrimination faced by the team, stemming from the campus’ failure to provide the team with a home field for the past year (an ongoing issue). Construction has continued to delay the reopening of Berkeley’s turf, and the team is currently using Stanford’s own field for its home matchups.

The game will take place at 1:30 p.m. on Sep. 18 at Stanford’s Varsity Field Hockey Turf. The match will also be televised on Pac-12 Networks and live stats will be available at GoStanford.com.

Contact Amanda McLean at ammclean ‘at’ stanford.edu.