Shellie Onstead News Today

Bente Baekers, a Cal field hockey transfer from the Netherlands, had accomplished almost everything a player could dream of before arriving at Berkeley and winning its first conference title since 2006. Previously at Northwestern, she was a perennial All-American and won a NCAA Division I National Championship. Her playing career has spanned oceans and experiences she wouldn’t trade for anything.

In its first match of the 2023 NCAA field hockey tournament, Cal lost to Miami University Ohio for the second time this season, ending the Bears' brief stint in the tournament.

The Bears forged a path of dominance, and after three matches in four days that included two overtime sessions, they pulled away with their first-ever America East Conference crown.

Cal field hockey is truly peaking before the America East Conference tournament: five straight wins, an overall healthy roster and a group that considers itself a family. It will ultimately have to win the conference championship to qualify for the NCAA tournament.

Following two back-to-back wins over UC Davis, Cal heads to the East Coast for its last two conference matches of the season

The No. 6 Bears are going into their nonconference senior day game against UC Davis with a two-game win streak, where they hope to keep the momentum going and head into their final conference matches with high spirits and confidence.

The Bears inched closer to an above .500 record against UC Davis last Saturday, after absolutely dominating Bryant 8-1 the weekend before. It was sophomore’s Morgan Kallman’s day, as she came off the bench to ice the game with her first two career goals.

Following a close 2-1 loss against league No. 3 UMass Lowell on Oct. 6, Cal field hockey’s mentality was simple: to regroup. It did just that to dismantle league No. 9 Bryant 8-1 on Sunday. Regrouping after a loss that was well within reach is much easier said than done, however.

Cal clocked in Friday and Sunday to play its first two conference games against a pair of redoubtable teams, the Albany Great Danes and the Vermont Catamounts.

Sitting at a .500 record after three straight wins, the Bears are on the brink of conference play. Cal will start against the Albany Great Danes on Friday and continue on Sunday against the Vermont Catamounts.