BERKELEY – The California field hockey team heads back on the road this week with a pair of contests in New England. The Golden Bears open the week in Lowell, Massachusetts, taking on No. 17 UMass-Lowell on Friday at noon PT. On Sunday, the Bears will travel to Smithfield, Rhode Island, for a date with Bryant. Sunday's game against the Bulldogs is scheduled for a 9 a.m. PT start.
 
GAME 11 INFORMATION
Date/Time: October 6, 2023 – Noon PT   
Opponent: No. 17 UMass-Lowell River Hawks
Site: Wicked Blue Field (Lowell, Mass.)
Live Video: AE.tv
Live Stats: CalBears.com
 
GAME 12 INFORMATION
Date/Time: Oct. 8, 2023 – 9 a.m. PT
Opponent: Bryant Bulldogs
Site: Beirne Stadium (Smithfield, R.I.)
Live Video: TBD
Live Stats: CalBears.com
 
 
AT A GLANCE

• The Bears are coming off a home and road split against rival Stanford last week. Cal defeated the Cardinal 5-1 at Underhill on Friday evening before falling to Stanford 4-3 down on The Farm. Cal enters this week with a 4-6 overall record and is 1-2 in the America East.
• Last time Out: After leading 3-1 at halftime, three second-half goals, including two in the fourth quarter, stunned the Bears as Stanford came back to win 4-3 on Sunday. The win by the Cardinal snapped a four-match winning streak by the Bears over their rivals. Cal got goals from Bente Baekers, Sophie Everett and Hollie Pears, but they wouldn't be enough.  
• Impact Transfers: The Bears struck gold in the transfer portal this offseason with their six newcomers. In nine consecutive games, at least one of the grad transfers has scored a goal. Against Stanford on Friday, defender Cato Geusgens scored a brace. On Sunday, Baekers scored for the Bears.  
• Six Away From 100: Bente Baekers scored two goals last weekend, giving her 94 for her career. With six more goals, she will become the 14th player in NCAA history to score 100 or more goals. Baekers, a graduate transfer from Northwestern, scored 86 goals for the Wildcats. She is tied with Daniella Rhodes for the team lead with eight goals this season.  
• More on Baekers: Baekers is currently on a goal-scoring streak for the Bears. The nation's top-returning goal scorer has scored in five consecutive matches dating back to the 9-1 win at Stonehill on Sep. 9.
• Against Ranked Foes: UMass-Lowell is the fourth-ranked opponent the Bears have played in 2023. Cal is 1-2 against teams in the NFHCA Top 20 with losses against No. 3 Maryland and No. 16 Rutgers. The Bears earned a thrilling 3-2 at home over No. 5 Penn State on Sept. 1
• Goals Galore: Cal ranks 17th in the nation and third in the America East in goals per game, averaging 2.80 goals per contest. Cal has three players in the top 10 in the America East in goals per game. Baekers and Daniella Rhodes are tied for fourth averaging 0.80 goals per contest. Kitty Baccanello is ninth, averaging 0.50 goals per contest.

 
ABOUT THE RIVER HAWKS
Last week, UMass-Lowell cracked the NFHCA top 20 for the first time as a Division I program. After going 2-0 with wins over Vermont and Bucknell at home last weekend, the River Hawks are 9-2 on the year and are currently riding a seven-match winning streak. At home on the Wicked Blue Turf, they are 7-0. As a team, UMass-Lowell is third in the nation in goals per game, averaging 3.64. The River Hawks average 19.2 shots per contest. They are holding their opponents to 1.27 goals per contest and 7.6 shots per game. Sophomore forward Madison Leeper leads the team with eight goals, and she has scored five goals over the last four games. In goal, the River Hawks have used both Marie Oliemans and Christina Calandra, who have both played 330:00 minutes on the year with Calandra leading the team with 18 saves.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Friday will be the fifth all-time meeting between the Bears and River Hawks with the series tied 2-2. Cal won the first meeting 2-0 in Stockton, on Oct. 10, 2015. As a member of the America East Cal is 1-2 against the River Hawks, which includes a 4-1 defeat on the Wicked Blue Turf on Oct. 28, 2022.
 
ABOUT THE BULLDOGS
Bryant enters this week with a 5-5 record and is 0-2 in the America East. Last week, the Bulldogs went 1-1 with a win over Holy Cross on Tuesday. On Friday, Bryant lost to New Hampshire 3-2 in Durham, New Hampshire. As a team, Bryant is averaging 1.9 goals per game and 11.5 shots per contest. Their opponents are averaging 2.3 goals per contest. Graduate midfielder Brittany Gouws leads the team with five goals on the year. Three players have appeared in goal for Bryant this season, with sophomore Dieneke Hess leading the team with 31 saves.  
 
SERIES HISTORY
Sunday will be the fifth time the Bears have taken on the Bulldogs. Cal is 4-0 with four lopsided wins over Bryant in a series that dates back to Aug. 30, 2015. Last time out, Cal defeated Bryant 5-0 with former Bear Rachel Buttinger scoring a hat trick on Sept. 25, 2022.
 
UP NEXT
The Bears return to Northern California for an America East contest at UC Davis on Saturday, Oct. 14. Saturday's contest is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. PT at Aggie Field Hockey Facility; that contest will feature live stats and video.  
 
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