For the second time in as many weeks, No. 15 Stanford women’s field hockey (7-4, 3-0 America East) will take on conference rival Pacific (9-4, 0-1 America East). After last week’s home win, the Cardinal will seek success on the road in Stockton this Sunday. 

This will be a rematch of last Sunday’s game, in which Stanford produced a decisive 3-0 shutout win on its home turf against Pacific, which has averaged 5.13 goals per game this season, the best mark in the nation.

Last time these two teams met, freshman attacker Jessica Welch, Stanford’s goal leader, started the scoring before the game was 10 minutes in with a shot from the top of the circle. Stanford’s strong offensive play continued in the second half, with fifth-year senior attacker Lucy Dikeou notching her first career goal and senior attacker Casey Deeds chipping in as well to seal the game.  The Cardinal offense controlled the match, dominating possession and stifling any Pacific momentum by countering with targeted shots on goal.

Focused defensive play kept a talented Pacific offense to just six shots on goal last week, and this time, Stanford will need to bring its top-notch defense on the road to keep the NCAA scoring leaders in check and preserve its perfect record in conference play. With four shutouts in their last six games and an active six-game win streak, the Cardinal should be feeling confident.

With home games against conference teams UC Davis and Cal in their sights, Stanford has a chance to continue to remain undefeated in conference play in these crucial final games before the NCAA tournament in November.

The match begins at 2 p.m. on Sunday.

Contact Laura Anderson at lauraand ‘at’ stanford.edu.