BERKELEY – The California field hockey team is back in the America East Tournament for the seventh time since 2015 and will meet fifth-seeded Vermont in the opening round on Thursday. The contest starts at 9 a.m. PT at Wicked Blue Field in Lowell, Massachusetts.
 
If No. 4-seeded Cal advances, it will play No. 1 seed and host UMass-Lowell on Friday at 9 a.m. PT.
 
 
GAME 17 INFORMATION
Date/Time: November 2 – 9 a.m. PT   
Opponent: No. 5 Vermont
Site: Wicked Blue Field (Lowell, Mass.)
Live Video (US): ESPN+
Live Video (International): AE.tv
Live Stats: CalBears.com
 
GAME 18 INFORMATION (If Cal Wins First Round)
Date/Time: November 3 – 9 a.m. PT   
Opponent: No. 1 UMass-Lowell
Site: Wicked Blue Field (Lowell, Mass.)
Live Video: TBD
Live Stats: TBD
 
GAME 19 INFORMATION (If Cal Wins Semifinal)
Date/Time: November 5 – 9 a.m. PT   
Opponent: TBD
Site: Wicked Blue Field (Lowell, Mass.)
Live Video: TBD
Live Stats: TBD
 
AT A GLANCE

• The Golden Bears (9-7) enter this week on a hot streak, having won five games in a row. The five-match winning streak Cal's longest since it won six in a row between Sept. 10-29, 2017. Cal is 6-4 away from Underhill Field this year, including a 2-0 record in neutral games.
• Last time out: Cal overpowered host Maine 4-1 on Sunday in a game where the America East Tournament's No. 4 seed was on the line. A win by Maine would have dropped Cal to the No. 6 seed. Cal's trio of Kitty Baccanello, Bente Baekers, and Daniella Rhodes were brilliant; Baekers scored the game's opening goal, her third of the weekend. Rhodes notched her fourth game-winner of the year when she scored in the third quarter. Baccanello put the game away with a pair of fourth-quarter goals.
• Tournament Time: Since debuting in the America East Conference in 2015, Cal is 3-6 all-time in the tournament. The Bears competed in the tournament most recently in 2021, defeating New Hampshire, 2-1, before falling to eventual tournament champion and host Maine 2-1. The Bears have never faced Vermont in the conference tournament. Cal is 2-1 against UNH, 1-2 to Maine, 0-1 to Stanford, and 0-1 to Monmouth. The Bears are 1-1 as the No. 4 seed.          
• Goals Galore: The Bears have scored 55 goals this year, which is tied for fifth most in the nation. The 55 goals by Cal is tied with the 2012 team for the program's fifth-most goals scored in a single season. The record is 75 set by the 2006 team. With five more goals scored, Cal will score 60 or more in a single season for just the fourth time in program history.
• Century Mark For Bente: In the win over New Hampshire on Friday, forward Bente Baekers became the 14th player in NCAA history to score her 100th career goal. Baekers, a graduate transfer from Northwestern, scored 86 goals for the Wildcats. She leads the team with 16 goals in 16 contests.
• On the Attack: The Bears boast a talented attack. Cal ranks second in the nation averaging 3.44 goals per game. Cal is the only team in the America East with three players in the top-10 in goals per game and goals scored. Bente Baekers (16 goals) is third, followed by Daniella Rhodes (15). Thanks to her two goals Sunday, Kitty Baccanello is 10th with nine goals.
• Bears Sweep Weekly Awards: On Monday the America East announced its offensive and defensive player of the week awards with Baekers and keeper Tina Jolly sweeping the awards. It is the first weekly award for Baekers as a Golden Bear and second for Jolly who earned the award on Sept. 6. It is the second time since Cal joined the America East that they have swept the weekly awards. The first time since Sept. 12, 2017 when Megan Rodgers and Danielle Mentink did it. The first time was on Sept. 21, 2015 when Sydney Earle and Kori Griswald took home the awards.
• Adding Up The Minutes: Senior stalwarts Kiki de Bruijne and Claire Hind have logged a lot of time on the field in their career. The duo have combined to play 6,142 minutes in 114 career games played, averaging 53.87 minutes per contest.

 
ABOUT THE CATAMOUNTS
Vermont enters this week's America East Tournament as the No. 5 seed after finishing the year 8-9 and 4-4 in conference play. The Catamounts are 2-3 away from home and are coming off a 2-1 loss at the hands of UAlbany last weekend. As a team, Vermont is averaging 2.59 goals per game and 11.2 shots per game. Their opponents are averaging 2.59 goals per game and 11.5 shots per contest. Offensively, the Catamounts are led by junior Alina Gerke and sophomore Sophia Lefranc who have scored 10 goals each. In goal, Vermont is led by Lauren Halenkamp who has 52 saves on the year, while sporting a 2.59 goals-against average.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Thursday will be the seventh meeting between the Bears and Catamounts. The series is tied 3-3 after Vermont defeated the Bears 4-3 in overtime earlier this year. In that contest, the Bears scored three first quarter goals but could not hold on to their 3-0 advantage. This is the first meeting between the two teams in the America East Tournament.
 
UP NEXT
With a win, Cal will play No. 1 seed and tournament host UMass-Lowell on Friday at 9 a.m. PT. UMass-Lowell defeated the Bears 2-1 earlier this year on the Wicked Blue Field. Friday's match will feature live stats and live video for fans to follow.  
 
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