FRIDAY, OCT. 11
CAL (6-3, 0-3 ACC) AT NO. 10 BOSTON COLLEGE (8-3, 3-0) | 2 P.M. PT | FIELD HOCKEY COMPLEX | NEWTON, MA
LIVE STREAM: ESPN+/ACCNX | LIVE STATS: TBA
 
SUNDAY, OCT. 13
CAL AT NO. 14 SYRACUSE (8-3, 2-2) | 9 A.M. PT | J.S COYNE STADIUM | SYRACUSE, NY
LIVE STREAM: ESPN+/ACCNX | LIVE STATS: TBA

The California field hockey team will begin its season-long four-game road slate with a pair of ranked ACC opponents - No. 10 Boston College on Friday and No. 14 Syracuse on Sunday. Coverage for both games will be available on ESPN+/ACCNX and via live stats.
 
After climbing two spots in this week's Penn Monto/NFHCA National Coaches Poll, the 18th-ranked Golden Bears will face off against top-20 opponents in four consecutive outings, which began last weekend when Cal took on then-No. 12 Duke and No. 1 North Carolina in Berkeley.
 
As a team, the Bears rank seventh in the nation in defensive saves (6) and ninth in assists per game (2.67).
 
GOLDEN DUO
 
Freshman Liz Klompmaker remains one of the top players in the nation after an impressive start to the season. Klompmaker currently ranks fourth in the nation in goals per game (1.22) and eighth in points per game (2.56). She leads the ACC in total goals (11) and points (23), is tied for second in game-winning goals (4), third in shots per game (5.22), and fifth in shots on goal (21).
Graduate student Canisha van Duyn has displayed her veteran presence as she currently ranks third in the nation in assists per game (1.00) and sixth in defensive saves (3). van Duyn is also second in the ACC in total assists (9) and defensive saves (3) while being 10^th in points per game (1.22).
 
GOING FOR 300
Donna Fong Director of Field Hockey Shellie Onstead continues her quest for the 300 career wins milestone. With a win against either No. 10 Boston College or No. 14 Syracuse, Onstead could accomplish this feat.
 
ABOUT THE EAGLES
No. 10 Boston College enters Friday's matchup with an overall record of 8-3 (3-0 ACC) after splitting last week's matchups with a win against then-No. 3 Virginia (3-2) in overtime, followed by a loss to then-No.19 Massachusetts (0-1). The Eagles had won six consecutive outings before failing to the Minutewomen in a tightly contested game. It will be the sixth meeting all-time between the two teams and the first as ACC foes. Boston College has won all five of the previous matchups with the last coming on Oct. 6, 2018 (4-3 OT).
 
ABOUT THE ORANGE
No. 14 Syracuse currently sits at 8-3 (2-2 ACC) on the season after winning three out of its last four games, which included wins against two ranked opponents in then-No. 16 Louisville (2-1) and then-No. 14 Princeton (2-1). Its only loss during that span came against then-No. 9 Duke (0-1, 3-1 SO). The Orange will take on Stanford on Friday before Sunday's matchup. It will be the seventh all-time meeting between Cal and Syracuse, and the Orange holds the advantage (5-1) with the last meeting coming on Oct. 4, 2019 (4-3) in a double overtime victory for Syracuse. 

LAST TIME OUT
Cal dropped a tightly contested matchup to then-No. 1 North Carolina (3-1) in Berkeley. After a scoreless opening quarter, the Tar Heels found the back off the net in the second period to take the 1-0 lead at the halfway mark. North Carolina extended its advantage to 2-0 in the third period. The Bears responded with a goal from Sophomore Holly Pears, assisted by graduate student Canisha van Duyn and senior Sydney Decher. In an intense fourth quarter, Cal couldn't find the equalizer after attempting four shots in the frame. The Tar Heels managed to drain a final goal late in the game to secure the victory.

2023 RECAP
The Bears made sure their final year in the America East Conference was a memorable one, winning the AE Tournament title and advancing to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 17 years. Cal gave an indication of what type of season it might be early on when it knocked off No. 5 Penn State in the fourth game of the year.
 
The Bears finished in fourth place in the America East standings and then had a thrilling run to the AE Tournament title, winning all three of their games by one goal - including the final two in overtime. They knocked off top-seeded UMass-Lowell in the semifinals before ousting No. 2 Albany for the championship.
 
After the season, graduate student Daniella Rhodes was named to the NFHCA All-West Region First Team while fellow grad transfer Bente Baekers and senior Kiki de Bruijne garnered second-team accolades. It marked just the third time in program history the Bears have had three players earn all-region honors in the same season.
 
WELCOME TO THE ACC
The University of California, Berkeley, announced last Sept. 1 that its athletic department was joining the Atlantic Coast Conference, beginning with the 2024-25 academic year. With that, the Bears joined arguably the top field hockey conference in the country. North Carolina has won five of the past six NCAA championships, and seven ACC teams are ranked in the NFHCA preseason poll. Cal played its first ACC game ever when it visited No. 3 Virginia on Sept. 20.
 
THE NEWCOMERS
The Bears welcome 10 new players to this year's roster, including two international graduate transfers who are making their NCAA debuts. Noemie Mekki (Paris) and Canisha van Duyn (Emmen, Netherlands) are playing their first collegiate seasons after accomplished club and international careers. Mekki was the captain of France's U21 national team last summer.  Another graduate transfer from The Netherlands - Carmel van Dijk - spent her undergraduate career at Fairfield and was an All-NEC Second-Team selection last season.
 
RETURNING EXPERIENCE
Despite the loss of several key players from last year's America East championship team, the Bears still have a hefty dose of experience with seniors Sophie Everett and Sydney Decher, junior goalkeeper Tina Jolly and sophomores Holly Pears and Anjana Pioch. Pears is Cal's returning leading point-scorer with five goals and two assists last season while Pioch had the most starts of any returning field player with 16 last year. Jolly started every game in goal for the Bears last year while Everett and Dechar combined for 21 starts.
 
30 FOR ONSTEAD
Shellie Onstead is in her 30th season as the Donna Fong Director of Field Hockey. Onstead has a career record of 299-235 and has guided the Bears to 12 conference championships. She is a six-time NorPac Coach of the Year and has led Cal to six NCAA Tournament appearances. Onstead served as an assistant coach for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team and was inducted into the Cal Athletics Hall of Fame in 1982. Onstead played at Cal from 1980-82 and was the program's first All-America player.