The California field hockey team opens ACC play this weekend with its toughest test of the young schedule against a pair of top-10 opponents. The Golden Bears (3-2) will face No. 2 North Carolina on Friday at 3 p.m. PT and No. 7 Duke on Sunday at 10 a.m. PT. Both contests will air on ACC Network Extra (ACCNX).
 
Cal is 0-9 against North Carolina. The most recent matchup came in a 3-1 loss at Cal on Oct. 6, 2024.
 
Cal is 0-9 against Duke. The most recent matchup came in a 4-0 loss at Cal on Oct. 4, 2024.
 
A win against the Tar Heels or Blue Devils would be Cal's highest ranked win since beating then-No. 5 Penn State, 3-2 (OT) on Sept. 1, 2023.
 
Last Time Out
Cal is coming off one of its most dominant victories in recent memory with a 9-0 win over Ohio. In the game:
 

• Liz Klompmaker registered her second-career hat trick, both of which came this season.
• Freshman Josefina Moyano scored the first two goals of her career.
• The shutout marked the Golden Bears' largest shutout since an 8-0 win at Bryant on Sept. 8, 2017.
• The nine goals scored were the most by the Bears since registering nine goals in a win at Stonehill on Sept. 9, 2023.

 
2025 Trends

• Klompmaker has registered at least one goal in four straight games and has now had a career-high three goals in two games this season (Delaware, Ohio).

 

• 10 different Bears have registered at least one assist on Cal's 20 goals this season.

 

• Cal has had 20+ shots in three games already after having just three such games last season and in four in 2023.

 

• The Bears have only allowed four total shots over the last two games.

 
2024 Recap
Cal finished its inaugural season in the ACC with an overall record of 7-10 after a 6-1 start. The Golden Bears were featured in the Penn Monto/NFHCA DI National Coaches Poll three times throughout the season, marking their first appearance in the rankings since 2018.
 
The Bears advanced to the ACC Championship for the first time in program history and fell 5-0 in the first round to North Carolina, which captured the 2024 ACC Championship. Donna Fong Director of Field Hockey Shellie Onstead secured her 300th career win in a 2-1 regular-season victory against Louisville, which also gave the program its first-ever ACC win.
 
The Bears were led by ACC Freshman of the Year Liz Klompmaker, who led the team in points (31), goals (15) and game-winning goals (5). Klompmaker registered at least two goals in six games during the 2024 campaign. Canisha van Duyn made an immediate impact in her lone season at Cal, leading the Bears in assists (11) and defensive saves (7) while ranking second on the team in points (17). Both Klompmaker and van Duyn were named to the NFHCA All-Region and All-ACC Teams.
 
300 Wins
Onstead is now one of just eight active head coaches in the country to have reached the 300-win club. She is also one of just 23 all-time head coaches to reach the milestone.
 
Fresh Faces
The Golden Bears welcome 11 new players to this year's roster, which includes six freshmen and five transfers. Highlighting this year's newcomers are freshman Emma Becker and graduate transfer Lieve Schalk. Becker was a standout for her club team, the Dusseldorfer Hockey Club, while Schalk was a full-time starter at Iowa and helped the Hawkeyes earn three straight NCAA Tournament bids from 2021-23.
 
Returning Experience
Cal has plenty of experience coming back to the team as it returns six full-time starters from last season, highlighted by Klompmaker, who was named to the Preseason All-ACC Team. Also expected to make an impact is goalkeeper Delphine Ayitey-Hammond, who missed last year due to injury but helped the Suribton Hockey Club win the 2024 EuroHockey Club Championship prior to coming to Cal.
 
About North Carolina
North Carolina is currently 6-0 with four wins coming against top-25 opponents this season. The Tar Heels are the defending ACC champions and made it to the semifinals of last year's NCAA Tournament. UNC features a trio of Preseason All-ACC honorees in Charly Bruder, Sietske Brüning and Ryleigh Heck.
 
About Duke
Duke currently sits at 3-2 and has a win over then No. 4 Maryland this season. Picked to finish second in the ACC in this year's Preseason Coaches Poll, the Blue Devils feature Alaina McVeigh, who was selected to the Preseason All-ACC team.
 
STAY POSTED
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