BERKELEY – The California field hockey team ends its 14-year NCAA Tournament drought on Wednesday when it takes on Miami Ohio at Lakeside Field in Evanston, Illinois at noon PT.
 
The winner of Wednesday's match will face No. 2-seed and section host Northwestern on Friday at 10 a.m. PT. Wednesday's contest will have a live video stream and live stats for fans to follow all the action.
 
GAME 20 INFORMATION
Date/Time: Nov. 8 – Noon PT   
Opponent: Miami Ohio RedHawks
Site: Lakeside Field (Evanston, Ill.)
Live Video: TBD
Live Stats: TBD
 
GAME 21 INFORMATION (If Cal Defeats Miami Ohio)
Date/Time: Nov. 10 – 10 a.m. PT   
Opponent: No. 2 Northwestern
Site: Lakeside Field (Evanston, Ill.)
Live Video: TBD
Live Stats: TBD
 
GAME 22 INFORMATION (If Cal Defeats Northwestern)
Date/Time: Nov. 12 – 11 a.m. PT   
Opponent: Iowa/Louisville
Site: Lakeside Field (Evanston, Ill.)
Live Video: TBD
Live Stats: TBD
 
AT A GLANCE

• Cal returns to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2006 season thanks to an eight-game winning streak that started with a win over Bryant on Oct. 8. During that stretch, Cal has outscored its opponents 33-8. The eight-game winning streak is tied for the longest in program history, matching the Bears' run from Sep. 9-Oct. 2, 2004.
• Last Time Out: The Bears won their first America East Tournament title last Sunday with a thrilling 3-2 overtime win over UAlbany. Cal trailed 2-1 late when Bente Baekers scored her first goal of the tournament in the 54th minute before freshman Holly Pears scored the golden goal midway through the overtime period to secure the Bears' NCAA Tournament berth.
• Tournament Time: This is the 11th time in program history the Bears have appeared in the NCAA Tournament and the first time since 2006. Cal is 5-10 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, having advanced past the first round just once, which came in 1982 when Cal defeated San Jose State in the opening round. In 2006, the Bears defeated Ohio in the play-in game before losing to Ohio State 3-1 in the first round.
• Fond Farewell to the America East: With the Golden Bears moving to the ACC in 2024, Sunday's America East Tournament Championship game was the last America East contest for Cal. It was the Bears' seventh appearance since 2015 in the America East Tournament since 2015 and their first tournament title.
• All-Tournament Team: Four Bears were named to the America East All-Tournament Team. Graduate transfer Daniella Rhodes was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player and she was joined by Kiki de Bruijne, Claire Hind and keeper Tina Jolly on the all-tournament team.
• On the Attack: The Bears boast a talented attack, ranking second in the nation averaging 3.26 goals per game. Cal has three players in the top-65 in the nation in goals per game; Rhodes is sixth, averaging 1.06 games per contest, Baekers is 10th at 0.89 goals per game and Kitty Baccanello is 65th, averaging 0.47 goals per contest.
• Revenge Tour Continues?: In Cal's run to the NCAA Tournament, the Bears defeated the only three teams to defeat them in America East Play (Vermont, UMass-Lowell, UAlbany). On Wednesday, they will once again play a team that handed them a loss earlier in the year: Miami-Ohio. The RedHawks defeated the Bears in the 2023 opener on Aug. 25, 2-0 at Underhill Field.
• Defense Wins Championships: As a team, Cal ranks 19th in the nation in defensive saves. Cal's central defenders Maria Cambra Soler and Cato Geusgens are tied for the team lead with three defensive saves each, tied for 23rd most in the NCAA. Keeper Tina Jolly boasts a save percentage of 0.712 which tops the America East and her 4.16 saves per game are fifth best in the America East.

 
ABOUT THE REDHAWKS
Like Cal, Miami Ohio enters the tournament on a hot streak. The RedHawks have won five straight including a 3-1 win over Kent State to clinch the MAC Conference Tournament last week. For the year, Miami is 14-7 and finished 6-1 in the MAC. The RedHawks are 5-3 on the road this year and 1-0 in neutral games. As a team, they have scored 46 goals on the year, averaging 2.19 goals per contest. They have held their opponents to 25 goals this season, 1.19 per contest. Only Maryland has scored more than two goals against the RedHawks this season. Leading the team in scoring is First Team All-MAC forward Claudia Negrete Garcia, who has scored 14 goals. In goal, senior keeper Isabelle Perese earned Second Team All-MAC honors; she boasts a 1.18 goals against average and has 77 saves on the year.  
 
SERIES HISTORY
Wednesday will be the 11th all-time meeting between the Golden Bears and RedHawks. The series is tied 5-5, however, Miami has won two in a row, including a 2-0 win at Underhill on Aug. 25 to start the 2023 campaign. The series dates back to Sept. 22, 1996 when Cal lost to Miami 2-1 in a neutral site game in Evanston, Ill.
 
UP NEXT
With a win, Cal will play host and No. 2-seed Northwestern on Friday at 11 a.m. PT.   
 
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