Upset Special...Cal Field Hockey Stays Undefeated

Alan Hoshida
South Bay SportingNews
@SBSportingNews


Before the season even started, Cal Field Hockey Captain, and Gilroy native, Erin Magill (shown right) told me, "We're going to be good." Four games into the young season she and her teammates have not disappointed, going undefeated with three of the wins coming against top-20 ranked teams.


Friday night was the most recent upset victory over #18 ranked Northeastern, who had also come in undefeated (4-0) with a combined scoring margin of 15-3 in favor of the Huskies. Northeastern seemingly handled every opponent they faced except for a 3-2 win over Maryland in their first game of the season.


Cal wasn't going to rollover just because they were from the West Coast and an East Coast power was coming into their house. Friday was Cal's home opener; they played like a team protecting their house, controlling the vast majority of play, making a statement to every team with in the Nor-Pac and country that Cal Field Hockey will be a force this season.


Laura Spellman, a Junior defender, Gilroy Alum Class of '09, said that the team use the word ruthless to describe their game, always moving and pushing the pressure on their opposition. Cal controlled the ball throughout the match at Maxwell Family Field friday night, but when they did loose it, it was the pressure, ruthlessness, that allowed the Bear to recapture possession.


When a team looks at their schedule heading into the season and sees 5/7 and 6/9 of their first games are against ranked opponents, many teams would be intimidated but the Bears are different. They may of not even know that they are facing that many ranked opponents till its pointed out. Early in the season, right around the same time she made her preseason prediction, I asked Magill who's your first game against. Her response, "I dont know." Some will take that as uninterested, or lazy but I took it as this - Cal is playing a style of game that it doesn't matter who is their opponent is, they are confident they are going to have a strong showing; reason number 1 fit.


Magill and Spellman (pictured left) speak of how much a difference their fit level has played into their strong, quick start (A start that is the best in the five years Magill as been in a Cal jersey) . The entire Cal roster bought in this summer and came back to campus early, waking up just when the sun was coming up and going on hill runs, showing commitment to the upcoming season. That leadership came straight from the fifth-year players - Erin Magill, Maddie Hand, who chose to stick around one more year, in what they are calling their "Victory Lap." Spellman says the calmness the seniors brings rubs off on the entire team, giving the team composure. The Bears opponents are averaging just 1.5 goals per game; that senior leadership is noticeable.


Team defense has been a forte so far this season, seemingly because of the senior leadership - Magill, Hand, and Jessica Kreck - but also because Spellman and Magill have been playing with each other since high school, knowing each other even longer.


After the game, Magill expressed she needs no words to communicate with Laura. Just a look of acknowledgement is all the two need to be on the same page. Playing with someone you have grown up with isn't something many athletes can say they are still doing in college, making this last season Magill and Spellman share a field even more special.


The "Gilroy Duo," as I'm calling it, love what the nonverbal communication brings to the field. Magill talks about the ability to transition easily from defense to offense as being a key to their start. Transition plays start from the back, so being able to anticipate the others move without a word to tip the opposing team, allows Spellman and Magill quick-start the ball up the field, that's when the team fitness will take over. No more huffing and puffing in the waning minutes, the ladies can just focus on playing their ruthless style till the end, foot on the gas.


Everything these two Gilroy alumni said was centered around their fit, the ability to out run the opponent, the ability to push longer then the opponent, the ability to keep their mind settled when the play around them is chaotic. The Bears can now look back at those 7 am runs, knowing they have paid off, but still they are just 4 games in with three more ranked opponents in the next five games - Sun vs. Indiana, 9/17 vs. Virgina, and the first Big Game 9/23 vs rival Stanford.


4-0 won't win your season but it certainly allows confidence and momentum to build towards what can be a special season, starting with a strong defense that includes a couple of young ladies from the Gilroy, CA.