Cal Begins Campaign With Four Straight Home Games
SUNDAY, SEPT. 1
MICHIGAN STATE (0-0) AT CAL (0-0) | 1 P.M. PT | UNDERHILL FIELD | BERKELEY, CALIF.
LIVE STREAM: ACCNX | LIVE STATS: CALBEARS.COM
BERKELEY – The California field hockey team opens the 2024 season Sunday by hosting Michigan State at Underhill Field. The Golden Bears are coming off a memorable 2023 season in which they won the America East Tournament championship and earned a berth in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2006. It was the program’s first America East Tournament title, and in its last attempt as the Bears move to the Atlantic Coast Conference this season.
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 different 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 join 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 plays its first ACC game ever when it visits No. 3 Virginia on Sept. 20.
GETTING OFFENSIVE
The Bears had one of the most prolific offenses in the country last season, led by graduate students Daniella Rhodes and Bente Baekers. Rhodes ranked sixth nationally at 1.06 goals per game and 2.39 points per game. Baekers tied for 12th in the…
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