Cal Thrills With OT Win Over American

Friday, August 28

6:00 PM PT

California

(2-0, 0-0)

American

(0-2, 0-0)

Team	1	2	3	4	5	Final F
American	1	0	0	2	0	3
California	0	1	2	0	1	4

Laura Becker (#10) celebrates with older sister Emma Becker after scoring the game-winning goal.

Photo by: ANDREW MADSEN

8/28/2026 9:00 PM | Field Hockey

Box Score

Laura Becker Scores Game-Winning Goal

By: Cal Athletics

The California field hockey team (1-0) got the 2026 season off to a thrilling start with a 4-3 overtime win over visiting American University (0-1) on Friday night at Underhill Field. Freshman Laura Becker was the hero in her first career game as she scored the game-winning goal in overtime to secure the win.

American controlled the majority of the first half as the Eagles had four penalty corners in the first period alone and scored a goal within the first five minutes of the game. American held the lead until just 22 seconds left in the half when Becker found Josefina Moyano for the equalizer right before the horn to tie the game at 1-1 going into halftime.

The Bears continued their momentum into the second half holding the Eagles to zero penalty corners the rest of the game while Liz Klompmaker and Holly Pears each netted goals in the third period to give Cal a commanding 3-1 lead going into the fourth quarter.

In the fourth quarter, the momentum shifted once again, this time in favor of American. The Eagles' Jordan Reicher scored just three and a half minutes into the period to get them to within striking distance. Then, with less than five minutes remaining in the game, the Bears' Cato Arlman received a green card and American took advantage as Katelyn Dulin scored a goal less than a minute later to send the game to overtime.

In overtime with about eight minutes remaining, Agustina Daud stole the ball deep in Cal territory and worked the ball up to midfield and sent it over to Klompmaker who dribbled the ball deep into the scoring circle and among a crowd, she found Becker right in front of the net for the game-winner.

"The approach to the game is making sure we, as a team, are together in everything we do on the field, off the field, and problem solving all the time," Donna Fong Co-Director of Field Hockey Steve Danielson said. "Clearly, this game gave us gave us that. Down a goal, up goals, and then letting goals in, and then having to go into overtime to and figure it out, and ended up coming up with the win. So we did exactly what we had planned in preseason, and I couldn't have written it a better way. And proud of the team that they ended up solving all the problems to then end up being a champion in the end."

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