South SFV Today

Stanford's women's field hockey team is heading to the East Coast for an ACC doubleheader, marking the beginning of a four-game road trip. The Cardinal, currently standing at 5-5 overall and 0-4 in the ACC, will face No. 14 Syracuse on Friday at 1 p.m. PT, followed by a match against Boston College on Sunday at 9 a.m. PT. The game against Syracuse will be available on ACC Network Extra, while the Boston College match will be broadcasted on ACC Network.

Last weekend, Stanford faced two tough losses against top-ranked North Carolina and No. 12 Duke with identical scores of 3-0. Daisy Ford stood out by making 13 saves over the weekend against teams that reached last season's NCAA Final Four.

Cara Sambeth has returned to the team after taking a gap year in 2023 and is having a standout season with career-highs in goals (5) and points (10). Her shot efficiency has also improved significantly this season.

Daisy Ford continues to excel as Stanford's goalkeeper with a career-best save percentage of 0.741, ranking fourth in the ACC and second in saves per game (4.00).

Freshman Jenny O'Grady is making her mark by leading Stanford with five assists this season. She aims to follow Gemma Townsend as the second consecutive freshman to lead the team in assists.

Stanford recently secured a victory over UC Davis with Daisy Ford contributing four saves for a shutout win, while Cara Sambeth scored her third goal of the season from a penalty stroke.

The team's home opener was successful with a win over Kent State by 3-1, but they suffered their first loss of the season against Northeastern in early September despite Daisy Ford's six saves.

The current season marks Stanford's inaugural participation in the ACC after moving from America East conference since 2015. They are ranked tied-8th in the preseason poll among nine programs including several ranked teams.

Stanford added seven new players for this campaign: five freshmen and two transfers joining from Duke and Penn respectively, bringing fresh talent alongside returning experienced players who contributed significantly last year.

The coaching staff saw an addition with Maddie Kahn joining as Assistant Goalkeeping Specialist after her success leading North Carolina to a national championship last year.

Former Stanford player Kelsey Bing represented Team USA as starting goalkeeper during summer Olympics held in Paris, achieving notable performances including recording five-save shutout victories.