Oct. 24, 1999

BERKELEY, Calif. - Senior forward Megan Sainsbury and the No. 16 California field hockey team dominated the visiting Cardinal Sunday afternoon at Kleeberger Field, shutting out Stanford 2-0 in Cal's final home game of the season.

California (10-4 overall, 5-0 in the NorPac Conference) struck quickly, forcing the ball deep into Stanford territory. Seizing the opportunity, Sainsbury connected with sophomore forward Amber Stockstill for the early go-ahead goal.

Late in the second half, it was Sainsbury all over the ball again. Breaking through the Cardinal defense, sophomore Elizabeth Harkins streaked down the right side of the field, turning past the lone Stanford defender and passing the ball over to a waiting Sainsbury, who promptly raised the California advantage to 2-0.

"That is Megan for you," said California head coach Shellie Onstead. "She can rise up for you at anytime. She's just thriving on all this success."

With the win, California finishes the regular season with a perfect 5-0 NorPac Conference record, a game ahead of second places Stanford, who drops to 4-1.

"They weathered the downswings when the other team put pressure on the ball," said Onstead. "They did a great job staying focused. Harkins came off the bench and gave me the spark I love to see."

In addition, No. 16 California entered Sunday's match with its first NCAA national ranking since 1993, meeting another of the team's season goals.

"It's a goal they set at the beginning of the season and they accomplished it today," said Onstead of Cal's NorPac standing. "It's just so important for their confidence."

California will now prepare for the NorPac Conference Tournament to be held at Stanford on Nov. 5-7. The Bears will enter the tournament with the No. 1 seed, taking a bye on the first day of competition. They will face the winner of the No. 4 and 5 seeded game on Nov. 6.

Field Hockey Result
At Berkeley, Calif.
Kleeberger Field
Stanford 0 0 - 0
California 1 1 - 2
Scoring:
First Half
C - Stockstill (Sainsbury) 32:25
Second Half
C - Sainsbury (Harkins) 12:15