The Cal field hockey team started the season ranked outside the top-20, but two games into the season, expectations have already been raised.
The Bears have positioned themselves for a high national ranking with two impressive upsets over No. 16 Louisville and No. 13 Michigan State.
“It raises expectations in a good way,” coach Shellie Onstead said. “I think myself and the players came in here with some higher expectations and we just got confirmation.”
The Bears’ fast start this season surprised many given that last year’s 10-9-0 team struggled with inconsistency throughout its non-conference schedule. Cal finished 3-7-0 against non-conference opponents — including losses to both Louisville and Michigan State — while cruising to a 5-1-0 record and a tie for the regular season championship in the NorPac West Conference in 2010.
“It sets the tone going forward so every practice has a little bit more to it and it’s gotten everybody excited,” Onstead said.
Last year ended with a disappointing loss to rival Stanford in the NorPac Tournament. This has been a recurring theme for the Bears, who have lost to the Cardinal in the NorPac final in each of the last four seasons.
Cal’s postseason woes against Stanford have been surprising given its regular season success against the team. The squad beat the Cardinal in five of their last eight meetings.
This season, the Bears will match up against their longtime rivals on Sept. 23 at Stanford, and at home toward the end of the season.
Onstead’s squad sees these matches as crucial to its conference seeding, but also as important confidence boosters against a team it has struggled against in the postseason.
“Historically, it often comes down to Stanford and Cal, so those games always have a little more going for them,” Onstead said.
Onstead hopes that their practices and preparation will give her team the mental toughness necessary to succeed in tournament play
“It’s like any tournament, it’s one-and-done time so it has its own inherent pressure,” Onstead said.
“What you hope to do as a coach is try to get them under as much pressure as you can during the course of the season so it doesn’t feel any different.”
The rest of the regular season will provide plenty of pressure.
The Bears’ toughest test will likely come on Sept. 17, when Cal travels to Evanston, Ill., to face No. 3 Virginia.
Luckily for the Bears, they have two veteran leaders that promise to push the team in the right direction.
Fifth-year senior defender Erin Magill has been a regular starter for the Bears over the past three seasons, during which she has been named to the All-NorPac second team and netted herself a number of Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week honors.
Magill’s fellow fifth-year senior, goalie Maddie Hand, was a two-time NorPac Defensive Player of the Week last year and a three time member of the NFHCA Division I National Academic Squad.
Early in the season, other members of the team have already begun to step up their game. Sophomore forward Jordan O’Reilly was recently named the NorPac West Co-Offensive Player of the Week for her performance this past weekend in victories over Louisville and Michigan State.
“(They) add in a nice bit of built-in leadership and seasoned experience,” Onstead said. “What’s nice about this team is that everybody has a role and everybody has a chance to lead.”
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