Cal at Pacific

Sunday, Sept. 30 | 2 PM PT | Pacific Field Hockey Turf | Stockton, Calif.
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California field hockey opens America East conference action this weekend when the Golden Bears head to Stockton, Calif. to face the Pacific Tigers. League play gets underway at 2 p.m. from Pacific's Field Hockey Turf, with a live stream available for the game.

The Bears are coming off two losses to top 15 opponents in Evanston, Ill. last weekend, falling to then-No. 13 Iowa 4-1 and then-No. 14 Northwestern 2-0. The Tigers dropped their last game to Syracuse, 3-2 in overtime, and will also face fellow America East foe Stanford on Friday ahead of their contest with the Bears.

HOW TO FOLLOW: This weekend's game at Pacific includes both a live stream and live stats, with links available on the CalBears.com schedule page. Follow @CalFieldHockey on Instagram and Twitter, plus Facebook.com/CalFH for a behind-the-scenes look at gameday and more.
 

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HEAD COACH SHELLIE ONSTEAD'S TAKE

The nice thing about conference scheduling is that it crystallizes your next month. Our goal is to be the best in the West, and that hasn't changed. 
 

NEED TO KNOW

• Sunday's game at Pacific is the third of a five-game road trip for the Golden Bears.

• Janaye Sakkas scored her first goal of the season in last Saturday's loss to then-No. 13 Iowa.

• Both Cal goalkeepers -- Danielle Mentink and Natalie Dalton -- earned starts last weekend. 

• Mentink is 3-3 in the cage this season, while Dalton is 0-2.

• Six Golden Bears have scored goals this season, with Megan Rodgers pacing the pack with six.

• Three different Bears have a team-best two assists -- Rodgers, Lindsay Mathison and Femke Delissen.
 

SCOUTING THE TIGERS

• Last Meeting: The Bears dropped a 3-2 decision to the Tigers in Stockton, Calif. on Oct. 13, 2017
• Series: Cal leads, 73-24
• Notable: Both Cal and Pacific clinched a share of the America East divisional title last season.
• Kriekie van Wyk leads Pacific with 22 points on 10 goals and 2 assists.
• Rylee Comeau ranks second in points with 4 goals and 2 assists.
• Gaby de Kock leads the Tigers in assists (6), while Nthabi Maine is second (5).
• 10 different Tigers have scored goals this season.
• Marlise van Tonder owns all 10 starts in the cage for Pacific, allowing 15 goals with 56 saves for a 1.44 goals against average. She has three shutouts.
• Pacific ranks second nationally in defensive saves with 8. Maine, Hayley Kilfoil and Justine van Lathem each have two apiece.
 

BEARS TABBED THIRD IN AE WEST

For the third consecutive season, the coaches of the America East have predicted a third-place finish for the Golden Bears (5 points) in the America East, just one point behind second-place Pacific (6 points). The Bears received one first-place vote, while Stanford received three first-place votes to be named the favorite in the West and UC Davis was tabbed last. In the East Division, Albany was predicted as the league's champion.
 

NEXT UP

Cal wraps up nonconference play in Syracuse, N.Y.   next weekend. The Bears start the weekend against Boston College on Saturday, Oct. 6 at noon PT, followed by Syracuse on Sunday, Oct. 7 at 11 a.m. PT. Both games will be played at J.S. Coyne Field on the Syracuse University campus.