Cal field hockey opened the season with a split on the East Coast, falling to Monmouth 7-2 before bouncing back to defeat Delaware 5-4.

Starting in New Jersey, the Hawks wasted no time getting on the board, scoring on the Bears just 39 seconds into the first quarter. Though Cal held Monmouth’s offense down for the remainder of the period, Hawks’ freshman Florence van Doorn started an offensive barrage against the blue and gold in the second quarter with a penalty corner.

The home team then added another score off a rebound to extend the lead to 3-0.

Just a minute later, the Bears responded. Defender Victoria Beiro, a transfer from Lock Haven University, put Cal on the board for the first time this season with an assist from Lieve Schalk and Zara Schmitz.

But the Hawks did not let Cal get comfortable. Monmouth tacked on three straight goals to close the third quarter up 6-1, holding the Bears scoreless throughout the period.

“We had this mindset that we didn’t care how the game was going,” freshman Agustina Daud said. “We did not want the game to end and in every little space we had, we kept fighting and we never stopped.”

Cal finally found the back of the net again in the fourth quarter as midfielder Maya Hoepfner capitalized on an assist from Josefina Moyano. However, Monmouth remained relentless on offense, sealing the victory by converting a penalty corner to finish 7-2.

The Bears remain winless against Monmouth, with the all-time series now at 3-0. Despite out shooting Monmouth 20-14, and earning six penalty corners to the Hawk’s five, Cal simply struggled to convert. Liz Klompmaker, last season’s lead scorer, notched seven shots but only had two on target, both denied by the Hawk’s defense.

“We can all sometimes get in our head a bit, if (the game) is not going your way,” Klompmaker said. “If you just keep connecting with each other and keep talking to each other, then (the game) goes pretty great.”

This offensive performance by Klompmaker turned out to be just a warm up. Two days later against Delaware, Klompmaker went on a three -goal run and led the Bears to a 5-4 win against the Blue Hens.

Though Delaware scored off of a penalty to open the match, the Bears didn’t let the Blue Hens run away with the score.

After a back-and-forth first quarter, with Cal unable to convert two penalty corners, the second quarter told a different story that favored the Bears.

Forward Holly Pears started off the offensive blitz, kicking off a three goal push by Klompmaker. The sophomore’s run marked the second best single game scoring performance in the program, sitting behind Daniella Rhodes who scored four against Stonehill on Sep. 9, 2023.

Olivia Sharratt notched one more to push Cal up 5-1 before the momentum slid back to the Blue Hens.

“In the beginning of the game, we were very much in control and we were letting them make the mistakes,” Klompmaker said. “At some point, we switched … we were forcing passes, forcing plays.”

Delaware inched back into the game with two goals, trimming the deficit to 5-3 by the end of the third quarter. The Bears then faced foul trouble early in the fourth quarter when Klompmaker was sidelined with a yellow card.

“We really kept our cool and stayed calm,” Klompmaker said. “We played more than 20 minutes with a man down and I think that’s just really good practice for us to keep our cool and stay in control.”

The Blue Hens were ultimately unable to make the comeback, and Cal headed home with a 1-1 overall record.

Now, the Bears prepare to kick off a three-game homestand with a chance to define their 2025 season on its own turf.