Despite an impressive game by Cal field hockey goalkeeper Courtney Hendrickson, the team (3-4, 0-1 NorPac) fell 3-0 to Stanford (6-1, 1-0 NorPac) in Palo Alto on Friday afternoon.
The Bears were on the defensive for most of the contest, with the Cardinal outshooting their opponents 18-1 and dominating the penalty corner advantage 9-0. As a result, the Bears were held scoreless for only the second time in this young season. The loss extended Cal’s losing streak to three games after back-to-back defeats at the hands of No. 12 Northwestern and Ohio. Meanwhile, Stanford extended its winning streak to six games after losing its opener to No. 4 Connecticut.
“They’re a very strong team,” said Cal head coach Shellie Onstead to CalBears.com. “We had a hard time getting our feet under us at first. We allowed our goalie to have a really great game but probably gave them more shots than they needed to have.”
The scoring began after just seven minutes when Stanford midfielder Alex McCawley hit a rocket into the back of the net from the top of the circle to put the Cardinal in front. The goal was McCawley’s first of the season, making her the ninth Stanford player to find the back of the net in the seven games this season. In the 34th minute, McCawley received a yellow card, giving Cal a man advantage for a short period of time.
A second goal came in the 48th minute from defender Kelsey Harbin off a textbook penalty corner. With the game seemingly in the bag, McCawley added to the lead, as she scored later in the 60th minute of regulation to end any hope of a Cal comeback. The goal came off of a rebound after Hendrickson made the save from the initial penalty corner shot.
It took until the 35th minute for Cal’s first shot on goal, which came from forward Nicole Wallstedt; it was the first shot that Cardinal had allowed in over 106 minutes of play. This allowed Stanford goalkeeper Dulcie Davies to have an easy day, making only one save over 70 minutes of play.
While Hendrickson couldn’t keep the Bears in the game, she still shined as one of the best players on the field. She showcased her athleticism alongside her general tactical awareness, as she consistently managed to take up good positions and demonstrated her fast reflexes. With 12 saves, including five in the first half, she set a career high and singlehandedly kept her team competitive against a powerful Stanford performance.
“Courtney is definitely on her game and showing the athletic ability and decision-making that is top-level,” Onstead said to CalBears.com. “I’m really impressed with her. I’m sorry she has to do so much work, but she’s doing great.”
Overall, the loss puts the team at 3-4 for the season — 0-1 in the NorPac conference play and 0-2 away from home. Although it has been a slow opening to the season, the Bears are confident of turning things around and will look to quickly regroup for a two-game series later in the week against Pacific. The Bears also will see the Cardinal later in their regular-season finale on Halloween in Berkeley, by which time Cal will hope to have improved enough to give its rival more of an even game.
Glenn Borok covers field hockey. Contact him at [email protected].