Cal vs. No. 2 UNC

Saturday, Sept. 8 | 10 AM PT | Trager Stadium | Louisville, Ky.
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Cal at No. 11 Louisville

Sunday, Sept. 9 | 11 AM PT | Trager Stadium | Louisville, Ky.
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California field hockey is set for its first road trip of the year, heading to Louisville for a pair of matches at Trager Stadium this weekend. The Golden Bears open their trip with the No. 2 UNC Tar Heels on Saturday at 10 a.m. PT, followed by a tilt with the 11th-ranked hosting Cardinals on Sunday at 11 a.m.

With two ranked opponents on deck, the Bears will look for their first upset of a Top 15 opponent since a win over the then-No. 14 Stanford Cardinal in October 2017. Last season, Cal topped three top 25 opponents, including Stanford, No. 22 UMass and No. 24 Pacific. Additionally, Saturday's contest features a battle of two of the nation's top players in Ashley Hoffman and Megan Rodgers. Hoffman is ranked eighth in the nation in goals per game (1.25), while Rodgers ranks sixth (1.33).

HOW TO FOLLOW: Live stats for both games are available via the CalBears.com schedule page, and Sunday's contest against Louisville airs on ACC Network Extra, accessible via watchESPN.comFollow @CalFieldHockey on Instagram and Twitter, plus Facebook.com/CalFH for a behind-the-scenes look at gameday and more.
 

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HEAD COACH SHELLIE ONSTEAD'S TAKE

We are crashing an ACC weekend, which we will do twice this year. UNC is a program to measure yourself against, and Louisville has become a Top 10 program since joining the ACC. I enjoy playing both of these teams. It's nice of them to let us come to the party and economize travel.
 

NEED TO KNOW

• Megan Rodgers ranks sixth in the nation with an average of 1.33 goals per game. She is the only underclassman ranked in the top 8.

• Cal's shutout of Miami (Ohio) was the squad's first shutout victory since Sept. 8, 2017 -- an 8-0 win over Bryant.

• Danielle Mentink tallied five saves in the shutout of the RedHawks. She was named America East Defensive Player of the Week.

• Cal's last win over a Top 15 opponent came against No. 14 Stanford, 4-2, on Oct. 15, 2017.

• After Saturday's matchup with the Tar Heels, the Golden Bears will have played the last three NCAA Championship runner-up teams to start the season (Maryland -- 2017; UNC -- 2016 & 2015)
 

SCOUTING THE TAR HEELS

• Last Meeting: Cal lost, 4-0, at then-No. 3 North Carolina on Oct. 6, 2013
• Series: UNC leads, 5-0
• Notable: Cal's closest margin of defeat against UNC came in 2010 (1-0) and in 1983 (2-1).
• Yentl Leemans and Erin Matson lead the Tar Heels in assists with 4 apiece, and rank fourth in the nation with 1.00 assists per game.
• Ashley Hoffman ranks 8th in the nation with 1.25 goals per game and leads UNC with five goals.
• Hoffman was named this week's ACC Defensive Player of the Week after helping UNC to two shutouts last weekend and scoring two goals.
• Eight different Tar Heel players have scored this season, with six different players tallying assists.
• Amanda Hendry owns all four starts in the cage, allowing just two goals in 243 minutes for a 0.74 goals against average with 8 saves.
• The Tar Heels have won all four of their 2018 contests by a combined score of 16-2.
• Two of UNC's games have been decided by just one goal -- an OT win vs. Iowa (2-1) and a shutout of Princeton (1-0)
 

SCOUTING THE CARDINALS

• Last Meeting: Cal lost, 1-0, to then-No. 12 Louisville
• Series: Louisville leads, 4-3
• Notable: Cal's last game at Louisville resulted in a 4-0 loss against the then-No. 7 Cardinals on Oct. 18, 2014.
• Erica Cooper leads her squad with two goals, while six other players have scored one goal this season.
• Katie Walsh paces the team in assists with 3 this season. Carter Ayars has 2 assists, and Mackenzie Karl and Maria Gomez have contributed one apiece.
• Ayeisha McFerran has earned all four starts for Louisville, allowing six goals with 10 saves for a 1.49 gaols against average.
• Louisville is fourth in the nation in defensive saves with 2 this season.
• The Cardinals' lone loss this season came as a 3-2 defeat in overtime against Ohio State.
 

MENTINK EARNS AE HONORS

Junior goalkeeper Danielle Mentink picked up this week's America East Defensive Player of the Week honors after her second career shutout. Mentink anchored a Cal defense who held fast through five penalty corners, and the Davis, Calif. tallied five saves to blank the Miami (Ohio) RedHawks, 1-0.
 

ON THE RECORD(S)

Senior Melina Moore is one goal shy of joining Cal's all-time top 10 leaders, with sophomore Megan Rodgers not far behind her.

GOALS
No.    Name        #    SeasonS
1.        Valentina Godfrid    93    2003-06
2.    Lara Kruggel    45    2011-15
    Nora Feddersen    45    2000-04    3.    Ilse Akkermans    36    1992-94
...
9.    Megan Sainsbury    28    1996-99
10.    Melissa Nerone    26    1979-82
    Shellie Onstead    26    1980-82
...
    MELINA MOORE    25    2015-18
    MEGAN RODGERS    21    2017-18
 

NEXT UP

The Bears return to Berkeley to host the Yale Bulldogs on Sunday, Sept. 16. The action begins at noon on Underhill Field.