BERKELEY – The California field hockey team wraps up a season-long four-game homestand Friday when No. 5 Penn State comes to Underhill Field. Friday's contest against the Nittany Lions will be the third consecutive game against teams in the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Top-20 poll.
 
Friday's contest is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. PT and will be streamed live on the Cal Live Stream. Greg Silver and Dr. Ty Douglas will call the action live. Fans can also follow the action live via live stats which can be accessed at Statbroadcast.com.
 
 
GAME 4 INFORMATION
Date/Time: Sep. 1, 2023 – 4 p.m. PT   
Opponent: #5 Penn State
Site: Underhill Field (Berkeley)
Live Video: Cal Livestream
Live Stats: Statbroadcast.com
 
 
AT A GLANCE

• The Golden Bears are coming off a tough opening week. Cal went 0-3, which included back-to-back losses against teams in the top 20. On Sunday, Cal fell to #3 Maryland 3-1. On Monday, the Bears battled but fell to No. 16 Rutgers 2-1.
• 27th to 200: With her goal against Rutgers on Monday, graduate transfer Bente Baekers became the 27th player in NCAA history to score 200 career points. The former Northwestern player has 87 career goals and 47 assists. With four more points, she will surpass Kelly Dostal (2001-04) from Wake Forest for 24th all-time in NCAA history. Baekers is 20 points shy of former Bear Valentina Godfrid (03-06), who ranks 17th all-time in NCAA history with 220 career points.
• DEFENSE! DEFENSE!: After three matches, the Cal defense has made a big impact. The Bears rank first in the nation in defensive saves. Graduate transfers Maria Cambra Soler and Cato Guesgens both notched saves against the Scarlet Knights on Monday.
• Penalty Corners Galore: Cal ranks 15th in the nation in penalty corners through three games in 2023. The Bears are averaging 8.0 penalty corners a contest. Against the Scarlet Knights the Bears had eight penalty corners – seven in the second half.
• Between the Pipes: Sophomore goalkeeper Tina Jolly had a solid opening week. Making her first three career starts, Jolly finished the week ranked 40th in saves per game (3.67), 51st in goals against average (2.67) and 52nd in save percentage (.579). Against the Scarlet Knights, she tallied a career-high five saves – including one on a penalty shot just before halftime to keep the game tied at 1-1.

 
ABOUT THE NITTANY LIONS
Penn State enters Friday's contest with a 1-1 overall record. The Nittany Lions lost to No. 6 Virginia 2-1 in their season opener and rebounded to defeat American 3-2 in overtime on the road. As a team, they average 2.0 goals per contest and 20.5 shots per game. Senior midfielder Mackenzie Allessie is coming off a two-goal scoring game against American. The two goals give her the team lead. Keeper Brie Barraco boasts a 1.96 goals-against average and is 15th in the nation in saves per game, averaging 6.50.  
 
SERIES HISTORY
Friday will be the sixth meeting between these two historic teams with Penn State making its first trip to Berkeley. The Nittany Lions own a 3-2 all-time advantage in the series that dates back to 1980. The first-ever meeting between the two teams was in the AIWA Championship game in Carbondale, Illinois, on Nov. 11. Penn State came away with the 2-1 that day. The last time these two teams met was on Sept. 26, 2019, at the home of USA Field Hockey, The Nook in Manheim, Pennsylvania. In that contest, Cal overcame a 3-1 halftime deficit to win 4-3 in overtime. Current assistant coach Katrina Carter scored the equalizer midway through the fourth quarter and former Golden Bear Brynn Zorilla scored the game-winner on a penalty corner in the 64th minute.
 
UP NEXT
The Bears will head out on the road for the first time next weekend when they travel to Hempstead, New York, for a pair of neutral-site non-conference matches. On Friday, the Bears will take on LIU at 11 a.m. PT. They wrap up the weekend against Stonehill on Sunday; that game is also slated for an 11 a.m. PT start.
 
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