Cal at America East Tournament

Nov. 1-4 | Varsity Turf | Stanford, Calif.
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Though the regular season is over, California field hockey still has a chance to qualify for the NCAA Tournament this week as the Golden Bears look to clinch an automatic qualifying berth at the America East Tournament, set for Nov. 1-4 at Stanford.

Cal, the West Division No. 3 seed, gets underway against East Division No. 2 seed Maine on Friday at 12 p.m. PT. Should the Bears advance, they'll face Stanford at 12 p.m. on Saturday for a spot in the championship game. All games will be played at Stanford's Varsity Turf.

HOW TO FOLLOW: Every game of the America East Championships will be broadcast live on AE.TV. Information on each game and the full bracket can be found on the America East Championship Central page. Links to wahch, as well as live stats, are available on the CalBears.com schedule page. Follow @CalFieldHockey on Instagram and Twitter, plus Facebook.com/CalFH for a behind-the-scenes look at gameday and more.
 

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NEED TO KNOW

• Four Golden Bears earned end-of-year honors at the America East banquet on Wednesday: Yvie Lock (All-Rookie), Megan Rodgers (All-Conference), Janaye Sakkas (All-Conference) and Brynn Zorilla (All-Conference, All-Rookie).

• This is the third time in four seasons that the Bears are meeting Maine in the America East Tournament. Cal owns a 1-1 record against the Black Bears, advancing in 2016 and losing to Maine in overtime in 2015.

• The Bears have not made it beyond the AE Tournament semifinals since joining the conference in 2015.

• Cal last qualified for the NCAA Tournament in 2011.
 

CAL IN THE AMERICA EAST TOURNAMENT

Cal has never made it to the championship game of the America East Tournament. Last season, West No. 2 seed Cal lost to East No. 3 seed New Hampshire, 3-2. The Bears made it as far as the semifinals in 2016 when the Golden Bears fell to Stanford, 2-0. Cal beat Maine in the opening round, 3-2, before losing to the Cardinal. In their first season in the America East, the Bears lost in the first round of the tournament to Maine, 2-1, in overtime. 
 

FOUR BEARS EARN AMERICA EAST HONORS

A quartet of Golden Bears earned America East honors, combining for five awards that were announced at the league's annual banquet on the eve of the tournament. Brynn Zorilla led the way with two selections, earning spots on both the All-Rookie and All-Conference teams. Yvie Lock, who redshirted in 2017 to recover from an injury, shared a spot on the All-Rookie team with Zorilla. Janaye Sakkas and Megan Rodgers repeated as end-of-year award winners, with Rodgers earning her second consecutive all-conference selection and Sakkas adding to her 2016 selection.
 

ON THE RECORD(S)

Several of California's student-athletes have continued their ascent in the program record books this season, notching single-season and career-high totals.

Senior Melina Moore and sophomore Megan Rodgers jumped into Cal's all-time Top 10 in goals scored in the same game, each notching their 26th career goals against Boston College to tie Melissa Nerone and Shellie Onstead. 

The duo is also nearing the top 10 in career points scored. Andrea Earle (2010-15) and Onstead (1981-82) currently own No. 10  in all-time points with 70 apiece, while Rodgers and Moore are approaching with 66 and 63, respectively.

Rodgers has also made her mark in a number of single-season categories, nearing the top 10 for points and goals.

Junior Femke Delissen nears the program's career top 10 in assists. She has 14 assists in her three years with the Bears, and will tie Lara Kruggel (2011-15), Teela Crosthwaite (2002-05) and Natalie Nurnberg (2006-09) at 10th with three more assists.
 

NEXT UP

Should California win the America East Tournament, the Bears would earn an automatic qualifier berth to the 2018 NCAA Field Hockey Tournament. The tournament field will be announced Monday, Nov. 5. Ten conferences will be awarded automatic qualification. The four lowest automatic-qualification teams will compete for two play-in berths. 

The championship is scheduled for Nov. 16-18 at Trager Stadium in Louisville, Kentucky. Four programs will punch tickets to Kentucky, with semis set for Nov. 16 and the championship game set for Nov. 18.

Cal's last appearance in the NCAA Tournament was in 2011, when the Bears won the NorPac Tournament and appeared in a Play-In game. They finished the season with a 16-4 overall record.