BERKELEY - After playing its first three games in the Bay Area, California hops on a plane this week to face two top-10 squads. The Golden Bears square off with No. 7 Iowa on Friday, Sept. 13, at 1 p.m. PT and No. 2 Duke on Saturday, Sept. 14, at noon PT. Both games will be played on the Iowa campus. 
 
Cal is continuing a stretch of playing seven consecutive ranked opponents, five of which will be played away from Underhill Field. Through three games in 2019, Cal's plus/minus is even having scored six goals and also allowed six goals. 

The last time Cal beat a ranked team was Oct. 15, 2017, a 4-2 win over No. 14 Stanford.

Carter Returns Vs. Michigan
• In Cal's last game, the Bears almost upset No. 7 Michigan, taking a 1-0 lead into halftime before eventually falling, 2-1. Making her season debut, Katrina Carter scored the Bears' lone tally, collecting a rebound off of a shot by Gabi Jimenez, and beat the Wolverine goalie to her left. Carter ranked third on the team in scoring in 2018.  

Bears All-Time Vs. Iowa And Duke
• Cal is 1-12 all-time vs. Iowa and 0-7 all-time vs. Duke. The Hawkeyes have won the last five in a row in the series. The Bears beat Iowa, 3-2, on Sept. 21, 2002, in Berkeley.    

Dalton Solid In The Cage
• Cal goalie Natalie Dalton has made 19 saves this season, playing all 60 minutes in every game. The junior collected six stops vs. Quinnipiac, allowing just one goal, and made eight saves vs. the 15th-ranked Wildcats. With her average of 6.33 saves per game, Dalton ranks tied for 15th in the NCAA rankings in that category. As a team, Cal ranks in the top 30 in saves per game and save percentage.     

Competitive Schedule
• Cal is navigating through a stretch of playing seven consecutive ranked opponents in the NFHCA's current Top-25 poll with two top-10 teams on the docket this weekend. Based on the NFHCA's preseason poll, Cal will face a total of nine ranked foes, including three in Berkeley starting with a 2-1 loss to No. 7 Michigan last Sunday and upcoming matchups against No. 23 Syracuse and No. 18 Stanford). This isn't anything new for the Bears, though, as they had one of the nation's toughest schedules in 2018.   

Sweet Cleat
• Cal's most memorable goal thus far in 2019 was one of Maddie Cleat's two tallies this season. In the season opener against Quinnipiac, she corralled a long downfield pass, juggling the ball on her stick with an emerging goalie coming in fast on her. She maintained possession and slapped a shot past the keeper to put the exclamation mark on Cal's 5-1 win. The play was the America East Conference's Geico Top Play of the Week. 

Shots Aplenty
• Megan Rodgers paces the Bears in shots taken with 11, seven of which have been on goal. She boasted nine shots (six on goal) vs. Quinnipiac. Gabi Jimenez is second with six shots. She posted two last Sunday vs. Michigan, one of which set up the goal from Katrina Carter. Seven Bears have recorded multiple shots in 2019.

Godfrid Headed To Cal Hall Of Fame
• Valentina Godfrid (2003-06), a first-team All-American who is the program's all-time leading scorer, has been elected into the Cal Athletic Hall of Fame, part of the 34th class of inductees that will be enshrined the weekend of Nov. 8-9. Godfrid was a three-time NorPac Conference Player of the Year, as well as the league's Offensive Player of the Year her junior season. She led Cal to four consecutive conference titles and to three NCAA Tournament berths. Information on tickets to the HOF banquet can be found at bigcsociety.org.

Bears Tabbed Second In AE West
• America East coaches predicted a second-place finish in the West Division for the Bears, according to the league's preseason poll. It marked the Golden Bears' best standing in the preseason poll in four years. Now a three-team division in the West, Stanford is the favorite to win the West once again, while Albany was picked to win the East. The Cardinal sits atop the West Division with four points and two first-place votes, followed by the Bears in second with three points and one first-place vote. In 2018, Cal finished 2-4 in conference play with both wins coming against UC Davis.

Red, White, Blue & Gold
• In addition to head coach Shellie Onstead, associate head coach Austin Pile and assistant coach Malachi Mahan holding national team playing or coaching experience, the Golden Bears have a long pipeline of individuals associated with Cal field hockey playing or working with Team USA. Megan Rodgers (U21), Katrina Carter (U.S. Development Squad), Brynn Zorilla (U19, U21) and Megan Conners (U19) have all played for U.S. National teams. 

Next Up
• Cal returns to the Bay Area to renew its rivalry against Stanford. The Bears will face the 18th-ranked Cardinal on Friday, Sept. 20, at 2:30 pm from The Farm. The game will be broadcast live on the Pac-12 Networks.

How To Follow
• All non-televised Cal home games will be streamed for free online at calbea.rs/WatchCalFH. Live stats are available via the CalBears.com schedule page, and follow @CalFieldHockey on Instagram and Twitter, plus Facebook.com/CalFH for a behind-the-scenes look at gameday and more.