The California Golden Bears field hockey team just wrapped up their 50th season, making it one to remember. The nine-win, seven-loss Bears had an electric year, with big time wins and thriller games. The 9-7 win-loss record might not be as eye-catching as you think, but looking inside their schedule it becomes clear this was a quality, but also entertaining team.
In only their fourth game of the season, they ousted #8 ranked University of Michigan 1-0, and started the season with five straight wins. On September 19th, they faced off against #1 ranked University of Northwestern, a tough game where the Bears were tied until the fourth quarter eventually leading to Northwestern punching in two goals. The next game, they faced number #12 Louisville in an overtime nail-biter, where the Cardinals came from behind and scored an overtime winner to finalize a 3-2 result. Only a few games later, they faced another top 20 opponent, #11 ranked University of Virginia, however this time the Bears pulled through 2-1 with their stars Josefina Moyano and Liz Klopmaker, each scoring impressive goals. However, their schedule only got tougher as the following two games were against #8 ranked Wake Forest and #3 Duke. The Bears lost both of these games, but not for a lack of effort.
Cal versus Wake Forest was a battle. Tied 0-0 with less than 5 minutes, Wake Forest was able to find the back of the net twice. Midfielder Augustina Daud post game said: “I felt like we had control of the game for 58 minutes, and wasn’t until the last two minutes in which we lost the details…but, we are getting all out energy back for Sunday for Duke who we lost to last year in a tough ACC tournament game.” Cal lost to Duke last season in the ACC tournament 7-1, a game where Cal had 15 players in the hospital for food poisoning.
Image courtesy of The Daily Californian
This year’s matchup against #3 Duke was a different story: a competitive contest between two quality teams. After going down a goal, Cal’s star players responded once again. Josefina Moyano started the scoring barrage with a goal in the 51st minute, and only three minutes later Liz Kolpmaker scored the Bears second goal to go up 2-1 on the Blue Devils. But, Duke was persistent and responded with a clutch goal in the last minute of the game to tie it 2-2. In overtime, the two teams remained deadlocked, neither able to gain an advantage, sending the game to a penalty shootout. After two rounds of attempts, Duke eventually scored the winning shot in sudden-death play.
The Golden Bears finished the season with two more wins and two more losses, including a detrimental loss to Stanford ending their season. Both teams were 2-6 in ACC play heading into the game, knowing a win would put them into the tournament and a loss would finish their season. Despite a goal by Liz Klopmaker and ten shots on goal, the Bears couldn't find the net for a second time and fell 2-1 to rival Stanford.
Cal ended the season with plenty of highlights and entertaining games. Although the Bears fell short of making the tournament, they still put together a successful season, finishing with their best record in two years. Additionally, junior forward Liz Klompmaker was named the 2026 ACC Offensive Player of the Year, alongside 5th-year goalkeeper Carine Van Wiechen named to the All-ACC Second Team.
While the Bears’ season is ending, my appreciation for the sport is just beginning. I have never been a serious fan of field hockey, I've only ever watched it once before this season, but recently learned just how awesome of a sport it is. I got scheduled to work as the ball boy for my campus job, not knowing what to expect, and ended up getting paid for pure excitement. I’ve always been a sports fan, but never experienced field hockey, and if you are in the same boat as me, I highly recommend it. If you like non-stop action, field hockey has it. If you like rowdy crowds, field hockey has it. If you like impressive athletes and goals, field hockey has it!
Most of my issues with sports in 2026 stem from too much stoppage, games are incredibly long, and too many ads. Field hockey is a quick, simple, four-quarter game that has entertainment until the final whistle. Sadly the Bear’s 2026 season is over, but if you are looking for entertainment, this Friday, Syracuse will be facing the winner of Boston College vs. University of Virginia, in the ACC championship (both teams that Cal beat). As the Bears look towards the second half of the century they do so with hopes that the next half century of field hockey will be just as good as the previous 50 years. And, if you ever need something to do next fall, mosey over to Underhill field off College Avenue on game day and expect quality sports.