BERKELEY - After taking two out of three on its most-recent road trip, California returns to Berkeley to face No. 14 Syracuse on Friday, Oct. 4, at 3 p.m., followed a matchup against Central Michigan on Sunday, Oct. 6, at 3 p.m. with both games being played at Underhill Field. The Golden Bears will play four of the next seven contests in the friendly confines of Underhill Field.  
 
Cal is continuing a stretch of facing numerous ranked opponents, with Friday's meeting against the Orange the seventh out of the last nine games against ranked foes. Head coach Shellie Onstead has been pleased with how well her squad has stepped up to so many tough opponents.  
 
How To Follow
All non-televised Cal home games will be streamed for free online at calbea.rs/WatchCalFH. Live stats are available via the CalBears.com schedule page, and follow @CalFieldHockey on Instagram and Twitter, plus Facebook.com/CalFH for a behind-the-scenes look at gameday and more.

Bears Victorious At The Nook
• Competing at the home of USA Field Hockey at The Nook, California overcame a 3-1 deficit in the second half and defeated Penn State, 4-3, in overtime last Thursday. Femke Delissen posted three assists, including earning a helper on the game winner that was scored by Brynn Zorilla in overtime. Fionna Jensen, Gabi Jimenez and Katrina Carter scored the other Cal goals, with Carter's goal tying the game at 3 with just over 10 minutes left in regulation. Natalie Dalton made eight saves, including six in the second quarter

Bears All-Time Vs. Syracuse and Central Michigan
• Cal is 1-4 all-time vs. Syracuse, and the Orange have won the last two meetings. Cal's lone win against Syracuse came in 2005, a 3-1 win in Berkeley. Cal is 2-0 all-time against Central Michigan, with the last meeting taking place in 2004, a 4-3 win for the Bears. The last time Cal beat a ranked team was when the Bears beat Stanford on Oct. 15, 2017, a 4-2 win over the 14th-ranked Cardinal.     

Rodgers Moves Up In Record Book
• With her goal and assist last Sunday at Drexel, Megan Rodgers is tied for seventh in school history for career goals (33). Her 71 career points ranks 10th all-time at Cal, as well.  She and Maddie Cleat are tied for the team lead in points (8) and they're also tied with Katrina Carter for the team lead in goals (3). She got the Bears on the board fist in Cal's 2-1 win over the Dragons, and later assisted on Cleat's goal, which proved to be the game winner. The 2018 team leader in goals and points, Rodgers scored her other two goals this season at Iowa and against Duke.      

Bears Hold Off Late Surge By Drexel
• In Cal's most-recent game, the Bears overcame hot and humid conditions in their third road game of the weekend to beat Drexel, 2-1. The Dragons brought offensive pressure in the fourth quarter, and Megan Connors recorded a defensive save with a sliding stick to prevent Drexel from tying the game.     

Delissen Delivers
• Femke Delissen recorded three assists in Cal's 4-3 OT victory over Penn State, including garnering an assist on the game-winning goal in overtime. She also added a defensive save vs. the Nittany Lions. She secured an assist at Delaware to give her four for the weekend. Delissen now boasts 18 for her career, which ties her for 10th all-time at Cal with Shellie Onstead. Elizabeth Harkins is eighth with 21. Delissen leads her squad in assists with five and defensive saves (3) in 2019.    

Competitive Schedule
• Cal is navigating through a stretch of playing seven ranked opponents in its last nine games based off the NFHCA's current Top-25 poll. Cal will face a total of nine ranked foes based off the NFHCA's preseason poll, including three in Berkeley starting with a 2-1 loss to No. 7 Michigan on Sept. 8 and upcoming matchups against No. 14 Syracuse and No. 16 Stanford).  

Godfrid Headed To Cal Hall Of Fame
• Valentina Godfrid (2003-06), a first-team All-American who is the program's all-time leading scorer, has been elected into the Cal Athletic Hall of Fame, part of the 34th class of inductees that will be enshrined the weekend of Nov. 8-9. Godfrid was a three-time NorPac Conference Player of the Year, as well as the league's Offensive Player of the Year her junior season. She led Cal to four consecutive conference titles and to three NCAA Tournament berths. Information on tickets to the HOF banquet can be found at bigcsociety.org.

Next Up
• Cal heads back to the east coast for another trio of games next weekend. First is Brown on Thursday, Oct. 10, at 1 pm PT.  

Bears Tabbed Second In AE West
• America East coaches predicted a second-place finish in the West Division for the Bears, according to the league's preseason poll. It marked the Golden Bears' best standing in the preseason poll in four years. Now a three-team division in the West, Stanford is the favorite to win the West once again, while Albany was picked to win the East. The Cardinal sits atop the West Division with four points and two first-place votes, followed by the Bears in second with three points and one first-place vote. UC Davis rounds out the division in third. In 2018, Cal finished 2-4 in conference play with both wins coming against the Aggies.

Red, White, Blue & Gold
• In addition to head coach Shellie Onstead, associate head coach Austin Pile and assistant coach Malachi Mahan holding national team playing or coaching experience, the Golden Bears have a long pipeline of individuals associated with Cal field hockey playing or working with Team USA. Megan Rodgers (U21), Katrina Carter (U.S. Development Squad), Brynn Zorilla (U19, U21) and Megan Connors (U19) have all played for U.S. National teams.