BERKELEY – The California field hockey team will play its final home contest of the 2023 campaign on Saturday when UC Davis comes to Underhill Field. Saturday's nonconference contest is scheduled to begin at 1:05 p.m. PT and will feature live video and stats.
 
The game against the Aggies will be Senior Day for the Golden Bears. Cal will honor spectacular student-athletes in a pregame ceremony. Playing their final home contest in the Blue and Gold are seniors Kiki de Bruijne, Claire Hind and Sabine Homes, as well as graduate transfers Daniella Rhodes, Merel Hanssen, Maria Cambra Soler, Cato Geusgens, Bente Baekers and Kitty Baccanello.
 
GAME 14 INFORMATION
Date/Time: Oct. 21, 2023 – 1 pm PT   
Opponent: UC Davis Aggies
Site: Aggie Underhill Field (Berkeley)
Live Video: Cal Livestream
Live Stats: CalBears.com
 
 
AT A GLANCE

• The Bears enter this weekend well rested having played just one game last weekend, a 4-1 road win over the Aggies in an America East Clash. Saturday's game against UC Davis is a nonconference contest and will have no bearing on the America East standings. With last Saturday's win, the Bears improved to 6-7 on the year and are 3-3 in conference play.
• Last time Out: After scoring the game's opening goal, the Cal defense looked poise to make the 1-0 advantage stand. However, the Bears scored three times in the fourth quarter – twice on goals from sophomore Morgan Kallmann – to give Cal a 4-1 road win over UC Davis. Bente Baekers and Daniella Rhodes also scored in the contest.
• Scoring Early: Following the goal by Baekers in the first quarter against the Aggies last Saturday, Cal has now scored 18 of its 42 goals in the first period. The Bears have allowed just six goals in the opening period. Baekers leads the squad with five goals in the first quarter.
• Three Away From 100: Bente Baekers scored again for the Bears, giving her 97 for her career. With three more goals, she will become the 14th player in NCAA history to score 100 or more goals. Baekers, a graduate transfer from Northwestern, scored 86 goals for the Wildcats. She is tied with Rhodes for the team lead with 11 goals this season.  
• Dynamic Duo: After scoring a goal each last Saturday at UC Davis, Baekers and Rhodes became the first Cal duo with 11 or more goals since the 2019 season when Megan Rodgers and Katrina Carter finished with 13 and 10 respectively. Rhodes ranks third in the AE and 12th in the nation in goals per game at 0.92. Baekers is fourth in the AE and 16th in the nation averaging 0.85 goals per contest.
• Goals Galore: The Bears rank third in the America East with 41 goals scored as a team this season. The Bears are currently on pace to surpass the 49 goals scored by the 2019 team that is the most goals scored by the Bears in the last 10 seasons. The program record for goals in a single season by the team is believed to be 79 which was set by the 2006 squad. After starting the year with just two goals in the first three contests, Cal has scored multiple goals in eight of the last 10 games.
• Defensive Stalwarts: The Bears' defense has been stellar this season. The Bears have allowed just 27 goals on 136 shots this season – 2.08 goals per game and 10.5 shots per contest. The Bears rank 18th in the nation in defensive saves this season, with Maria Cambra Soler and Cato Geusgens recording two apiece. 
• Looking At The Standings: Entering this weekend the Bears find themselves in fifth place in the America East standings with two matches to play. The top six teams advance to the America East tournament. A win by Vermont over Maine on Friday would cement the Bears' place in the America East Tournament. The Bears are currently two games up on Stanford in the standings with two to play.  

 
ABOUT THE AGGIES  
UC Davis enters Saturday's contest with an overall record of 2-11, and the Aggies are 1-5 in the America East. The Aggies saw their streak of four consecutive games with two or more goals snapped last weekend when Cal held them to one goal at the Aggie Field Hockey Center. As a team, UCD is averaging 1.23 goals per game and 8.5 shots per contest. Their opponents are averaging 4.15 goals per game and 19.5 shots per game.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Saturday will be the 34th meeting between the Bears and Aggies. All-time, Cal owns a 25-7-1 advantage in the series that dates back to 1976. Cal is currently riding a five-match winning streak over UC Davis after defeating the Aggies 4-1 in Davis last weekend. At home, the Bears are 16-1 against UCD and have won 16 straight at home following the 2-0 win by the Aggies on Oct. 30, 1976.
 
 
UP NEXT
The Bears return to the East Coast for their final weekend of America East play. Cal opens the weekend with a contest at New Hampshire on Friday, Oct. 27 in Durham, NH. That match is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. PT. They wrap up the weekend by taking on Maine in Orono, Maine, on Sunday, Oct. 29. That game is scheduled for a 9:00 a.m. PT start.
 
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