STANFORD, Calif. — A quick strike second half proved the difference as the Stanford field hockey team secured a season-opening win on its home turf, dispatching UMass-Lowell on Friday night, 2-1.
“That was not how we wanted to start the first half, but I would rather have this lesson to begin the season,” said Susan Ewing York Director of Women’s Field Hockey Roz Ellis.“ It was huge for us to come back in the third quarter and play our style and establish our principles.”
Stanford, which opened its season at home for the first time since the 2023 campaign, fell behind early in the contest as the River Hawks secured the opening goal late in the first quarter. In a frame that was largely dominated by the visitors, the River Hawks found the opening goal on a counter with Karli Penrod slotting one high into the corner past Stanford’s Anya Jackson to open the scoring.
Having fallen behind in the late stages of the opening frame, Stanford did well to get back into the game, outshooting the River Hawks 2-1 to close the half as the visitors took a 1-0 lead into the halftime break.
In an elongated halftime break, the Cardinal immediately blitzed the River Hawks to open the third quarter, penning the first shot of the half just 15 seconds in. From then on, the Cardinal blitzed continued, culminating in the season-opening goal from a duo of experienced players.
“They told me at halftime that they were not playing with each other,” said Ellis. “They did, however, talk about who we are as a team and that showed in the second half.”
Hemming the River Hawks inside their own half while a player down, Stanford’s barrage of shots from outside the circle allowed the Cardinal to find the cage. Natalie Hoppe, who gathered a rebound outside the scoring area, rifled a shot that deflected off the stick of Ella Ganocy and straight through the UMass-Lowell keeper that after review was confirmed as a goal, leveling the scoreline 1-1 with under five minutes left in the third.
Just over a minute later, Stanford doubled up the River Hawks with the first collegiate point from Opal Sparling, as the midfielder sent a cross in that deflected off the stick of Star Horlock and slowly past the goalkeeper to push Stanford ahead, 2-1. Sparling’s first collegiate assist came just 68 seconds after the Ganocy tally as she mirrored Summer Knight-Thompson’s achievement last season, becoming the second-consecutive first-year Cardinal to secure a point in their debut.
The GWG from Star!!!#GoStanford x #MYM pic.twitter.com/H5HsWjk45w
— Stanford Field Hockey (@StanfordFH) August 29, 2026
Holding the lead through the end of the third, Stanford continued to negate any semblance of a comeback from the visitors, outshooting the opposition 4-1 in the final frame while maintaining a majority of the possession. With both sides battling into a 9v9 battle late in regulation - courtesy of two yellow cards two minutes apart - Stanford’s game management showed strong as the Cardinal controlled play while down a player with under two minutes left and secured a season-opening win with the 2-1 decision.
“That’s who Stanford Field Hockey is,” said Ellis. “We have plenty of talent and goal scorers and our team knows that. So, when we score, we are going to keep searching for that next one and we found it today.”
Stanford is back in action to close out the weekend with a pair of bouts on Sunday, August 30 and Monday, August 31. The Cardinal opens the two-game slate against American on Sunday with first strike slated for 11 a.m. PT from Varsity Turf.