No. 18 Cal Falls In Defensive Battle With No. 1 Northwestern

Saturday, September 19

Davis, CA

1:00 PM PT

California

(5-1)

#1 Northwestern

(8-0)

Team	1	2	3	4	Final F
Northwestern	0	0	0	2	2
Cal	0	0	0	0	0

Bears Battle In Top-Ranked Matchup

Photo by: ANDREW MADSEN

No. 18 Cal Falls In Defensive Battle With No. 1 Northwestern

9/19/2026 4:10 PM | Field Hockey

Box Score

Bears Hold Defending National Champions Scoreless Through Three Quarters

By: Cal Athletics

The No. 18 California field hockey team (5-1) fell to No. 1 Northwestern (8-0), 2-0, following a defensive battle Saturday afternoon at the Aggie Field Hockey Facility. The Golden Bears held the two-time defending national champions scoreless through the first three quarters before the Wildcats scored twice in the fourth quarter.

The Bears came out strong, outshooting Northwestern 5-3 in the opening quarter while earning two penalty corners. Cal's defensive unit continued to set the tone through the second and third quarters, keeping Northwestern off the scoreboard through 45 minutes of play.

"Some bright spots today," said Donna Fong Co-Director of Field Hockey Steve Danielson. "When we played connected and went forward we had quality attacking moments. We held our defensive structure well and we are pleased with that effort."

Northwestern broke through with 11:43 remaining in the fourth quarter when Kerry McCormick converted a penalty corner. Ilse Tromp added a second goal with 6:31 remaining, also off a penalty corner.

Goalkeeper Carine Van Wiechen anchored the Bears' defensive effort, recording nine saves and making several key stops throughout the contest. Cal's defense also successfully defended 12 of the Wildcats' 14 penalty corners, keeping the nation's top-ranked team off the board for the majority of the afternoon.

"We continue to grow and improve moving into conference play next week," said Danielson.

The Bears now turn their attention to ACC play next weekend, hosting No. 16 Louisville and No. 11 North Carolina at Underhill Field.