Difficult terrain: Cal’s struggles continue against Wake Forest
After two tough losses in a row, Cal searched for answers in the woods, only for Wake Forest to go to town in the goal-scoring department. Were the Bears up to the task — taller than the trees — of beating the Demon Deacons?
Sunday afternoon was host to an eventful game, packed with action from the first minute of the first period up until the 60-minute mark on the scoreboard. Both teams tallied a combined 28 shots, resulting in seven goals scored in total.
Wake Forest made a statement early, not only blocking two quality shots by Cal’s Monica Arteaga and Jane Onners, but also grabbing the lead four minutes into the game. The Deacon Demons added to their early lead on a goal scored by Grace Delmotte, beating the keeper, Cato Knipping, to the left side of the circle.
Delmotte would go on to score a second goal about 15 minutes later, padding the opponents’ early lead and putting pressure on Cal’s offense to respond.
However, the Bears would not get a shot off until over twenty minutes later when junior Sara Stone finessed a shot past the opposing goalie, Ellie Todd, capitalizing on a loose ball opportunity and scoring on the left side. This constituted the only goal scored in the game for the Bears, but made for an entertaining third goal of the season for Stone.
To add insult to injury, Cal conceded three goals in the fourth period, allowing Wake Forest’s Meike Lanckohr to match her teammate, Delmotte, in scoring her second goal of the game. Lanckohr and Delmotte controlled the field, combining for an impressive 10 shots on net, four goals scored and two assists.
If the Bears develop a one-two punch like the opposing duo, they could put themselves back on the radar and attempt to get out of their current slump. With nine games left in the year, Cal needs to gain momentum to turn its season around if the team wants to make the America East Field Hockey Championship.
In one final effort to cut the deficit, Cal gained possession with 30 seconds left in the game, managing to crack two shots taken by Olivia Sharratt and Rachel Buttinger. To the Bears’ dismay, both of these shots were blocked as time expired, handing Wake Forest its third win of the season and its eighth win over Cal all-time.
The last time the two teams matched up at Underhill field was back in 2007, where current head coaches Shellie Onstead and Jennifer Averill were still at the helm of their respective teams. Both coaches are highly decorated, each collecting well over 200 wins with their teams — Averill sitting one victory shy of 400 wins with Wake Forest.
Both teams exited Sunday’s meeting headed in two different directions. On the rise to success, Wake Forest collected their third straight win, going from a 0-2 start to the season to an over .500 record of 3-2. On the opposite side of the spectrum, Cal dropped to 1-5 on the season after suffering its third straight loss.
Currently sitting in last place of the conference standings, the Bears are approaching must-win games, since eight of the nine remaining matches are against conference opponents. There were promising signs of resurgence for Cal at the beginning of this past game, but the offense slowed down, letting Wake Forest command Bear territory.
Cal takes a short break from games until Friday, Sept. 23, when it resumes play in Albany, NY. Fans are hoping that this time off allows the Bears to recover and readjust in an effort to work toward its second win of 2022.
Joshua Kamins covers field hockey. Contact him at jkamins@dailycal.org.