BERKELEY - Fresh off a bye week, the California field hockey team returns to the east coast undefeated in America East Conference play at 2-0 with an overall record of 6-3. The Golden Bears head to No. 25 Maine to face the Black Bears on Friday, Oct. 8, at noon PT before heading to Vermont to face the Catamounts on Sunday, Oct. 10, at 9 am PT. Maine will be Cal's fifth ranked opponent this season. 

Through the first nine games of the season, Anne Van Hoof is Cal's leading scorer on 10 points (five goals). Rachel Buttinger is right behind Van Hoof with eight points (four goals). Kiki de Bruijne is Cal's assist leader (3), and eight Bears have tallied at least one point. 

The Golden Bears will play America East Conference games for the rest of the regular season, with only one home game remaining in the back half of the schedule. Cal will play five of the final six games of the season on the road, and four on the east coast.     

Bears Take Two
• Cal won both games in its opening weekend of America East Conference play. The Bears beat New Hampshire, 3-2, behind the first career two-goal effort by Rachel Buttinger. Two days later, Cal emerged victorious with a 1-0 overtime win at UMass-Lowell.    
 
Offense Dominates In Wins
• In Cal's six wins this season, the Bears have outscored its opponents, 12-4, with three shutouts. Twelve of the Bears' 13 goals this season have come in victories. Cal has also out shot its opponents, 87-39, in wins. The Bears have also earned 25 corners to 17 for their opponents. Five of the six wins were one-goal victories, including an OT winner most recently on Sept. 26.   

Cato Tabbed With AE Defensive Honors 
• After helping Cal pick up two wins in the Bears' most-recent contests, including a combined 10 saves and a shutout, Cato Knipping was named the America East Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 28. It was Knipping's second career weekly honor and the Golden Bears' first weekly honor of the 2021 fall campaign. Knipping earned her sixth career shutout - third this season - in Cal's 1-0 overtime win at UMass-Lowell, making four saves. Two days earlier, Knipping made six saves in the Bears' 3-2 win at New Hampshire.
  
Cal All-time Vs. Maine And Vermont
• The Bears are 3-4 all-time against Maine. The Black Bears have won the last two meetings, most recently during the 2021 spring campaign, a 1-0 win for Maine in the 2021 spring America East Conference opener. Cal is 2-1 all-time against Vermont, including a 1-0 shutout victory in the 2021 spring season finale.  

Van Hoof Adds Experience
• A graduate transfer from Wake Forest, Anne Van Hoof has made her presence felt through the first nine games of the season. The native of The Netherlands paces the Bears in points with 10 (5 goals), and with 28 shots, 15 on goal. Most recently, she tallied the OT game winner at UMass-Lowell. She also scored twice in Cal's 4-1 win at Towson, and also in Cal's 1-0 win over Dartmouth and 2-1 win vs. Brown. Van Hoof has started every game in the backfield. She brings veteran experience after Cal lost Yvie Lock and Sara Deck in the backfield after the spring campaign.      

Smart Bears
• A program-record group of 23 Cal field hockey student-athletes were honored with 2020 Zag Field Hockey/NFHCA Division I National Academic Squad laurels. Cato Knipping, Natalie Moore, Sara Stone and Kaiden Stanley were tabbed NFHCA Scholars of Distinction with Knipping earning the honor for the second straight year. Cal was also once again tabbed an NFHCA National Academic Squad. In addition, 22 Bears earned America East Honor Roll accolades, with 16 picking up AE Commissioner's Honor Roll stature (3.5 GPA or better). Earlier this week, Cal won the Newmark Award for the highest GPA (3.603) among Cal's large women's programs.  

Next Up
• Getting closer to home, the Bears will return to the west coast next week for one game. Cal will rekindle its Northern California rivalry against UC Davis on Sunday, Oct. 17, at 1 p.m. in Davis.