Believe it or not, high school tryouts begin next week. Coaches are finalizing practice plans, multi-sport athletes are digging out their shinguards and socks, and parents are replacing lost mouthguards.
Before we turn the page to fall, there's plenty to celebrate from a busy July. The Olympic Club women won their fourth USFHL National Championship in St. Louis. NorCal athletes brought home the hardware from Nexus Championships in Virginia Beach. And our Masters athletes wrapped up the first leg of their World Cup in the Netherlands. The community has been representing at every level this summer.
Looking ahead, the biggest hockey event in the sport—the FIH Hockey World Cup—kicks off August 15 and the USWNT will be competing for the first time since 2018. And for those of us closer to home, NCAA action begins at the end of the month. Read on for everything you need to know.
Competition Recap
Olympic Club Women Win Fourth National Title
The Olympic Club women made history in St. Louis, becoming the first team (men's or women's) to win four USFHL National Championships. They went 4-0-1 through the tournament, beating Atlanta FHC in the semifinals and blanking Washington FHA 1-0 in the final. Augustina Singh (UC Davis '17; Mitty HS '13) was named tournament MVP and was joined by teammates Emma Christus Klein (Stanford '19) and Mollie D'Arcy Rice on the All-Star Team.
Masters World Cup
As the first leg of the 2026 World Masters Hockey World Cup wrapped, one attendee described it as the best competition yet—intense, rewarding, and a sign that the USA Masters program as a whole is leveling up across age groups. Results:
- Women's O-40 (7th place): Savannah Devarney (San Rafael), Lisa Lohre (San Francisco)
- Women's O-45 (12th place): Nicole Ketterer (San Francisco)
- Men's O-35 (5th place): Derek Cheng (San Francisco)
- Men's O-45 (8th place): Jatinderpal Chahal (Fremont), Jatinder Dhaliwal (Elk Grove), Harpreet Juneja (Clovis), Sukhwinder Kullar (Sacramento), Gursev Singh (San Jose), Malkiat Singh (Fremont)
- Men's O-50 (17th place): TJ Bamrah (Roseville), Peter Buckingham (San Francisco), Harry Labana (Mountain View), Saran Mandair (San Jose), Konix Varahoor (Windsor) — coached by Shiv Jagday
The second leg runs August 7-16, featuring the O-55 through O-65 divisions. NorCal athletes competing include Paramdeep Brar (Fairfield), Prashant Aji (San Jose), Caz Pereira (San Francisco), Gurpreet Gill (Roseville), Sankar Ramani (Fremont), Jaswinder Singh (Woodland), with Raghbir Mangat (Gold River) as an alternate.
Nexus Championship Medal Winners
Last month 38 NorCal athletes competed at the Junior Nexus Championship in Virginia Beach. Congratulations to our medal winners:
- U14 Gold: Eloise Edwards, Reheth Sandhu
- U14 Bronze: Mika Nakamura
- U16 Bronze: Vivienne Wong
- U18 Gold: Eva Layton
- U18 Silver: Storey Lewis, Genevieve Ferrini, Hailey Moncada
- U18 Bronze: Caitlyn Hughes, Frankie Lemieux
- U21 Gold: Bridget Schilb
NCCs: All-Stars and Updated Rankings
The updated national club rankings reflect a strong summer for NorCal programs. SF Hawks U16 made the biggest jump after competing at NCCs, moving up 16 spots to #33. NorCal Impact U16 climbed to #63, SF Hawks U19 sits at #59, NorCal Impact U19 at #64, and Infinity U19 broke into the top 100 at #96. Full rankings here.
Congratulations to Olivia van de Braak (St. Ignatius '28; SF Hawks) on her selection to the 2026 National Club Championship All-Stars for U16. Full All-Stars list here.
Community Spotlight
2026 High School Season Preview
Last season was all about Los Gatos. They went 22-1, outscored opponents 176-4, and capped it with a CCS Division I championship. It was one of the most impressive seasons in NorCal history. Tamalpais also made history, winning their first-ever MCAL title in a dramatic shootout over six-time defending champion Redwood. And Valley Christian came from fourth place to win CCS Division II in double overtime.
But the storyline we'll be watching this fall cuts across leagues and divisions. Club talent in NorCal has historically been concentrated in the South Bay, feeding directly into SCVAL and CCS contention. But that's shifting. Elite club-developed athletes are increasingly landing in MCAL and EAL programs. And while those leagues produce exceptional players and compelling competition, they don't have a path to CCS playoffs or NCS postseason. As that talent continues to move northward, it raises a real question: are we building the right structures to give every athlete the postseason stage they've earned?
Here's how we see the 2026 season shaping up, league by league:
- SCVAL De Anza: St. Ignatius enters as the clear favorite, returning Offensive Player of the Year Olivia Van de Braak and senior Storey Lewis, who recently committed to DI Colgate University. The other storyline in De Anza is St. Francis, who reached the CCS final last year but enter 2026 under new leadership. Longtime head coach Nicole Ng stepped down and has been replaced by Emilie (Soares) Marino, a Mitty and VCU alum.
- SCVAL El Camino: Los Gatos graduates nearly their entire championship roster, including Leaya Cleary (now at MIT). They will miss the class of ‘26 but have a talented pipeline and strong program culture. Archbishop Mitty has a promising core coming back and could make a real run at the title.
- BVAL: Leigh loses Elle Obenour (MVP, now at Indiana University) and could be in for a down year. Christopher is the team to watch, returning Alyssa Montejano (Junior of the Year) and Ryan Hemeon (the only sophomore to make First Team). Gilroy could surprise with Hailey Moncada and Lexie Osaki both returning.
- MCAL: Tamalpais enters as defending champions with standout goalkeeper Sierra Duncan returning for her junior season. But with talented players distributed across nearly every program—including Lick-Wilmerding's Frankie Lemieux, who earned MCAL Player of the Year as a sophomore—this could be the most competitive the league has ever been.
- EAL: Davis is the safest prediction in NorCal field hockey, returning MVP Forward Kate Loscutoff and MVP Goalkeeper Kira Kelly. Chico remains their only credible challenger.
- PCAL: Both Stevenson and Carmel graduated large senior classes, making this the most open PCAL race in years. Stevenson returns goalkeeper of the year Zola Ducker. Carmel returns a solid defensive core but loses Offensive Player of the Year Ava Staehle. Whoever develops offensive chemistry first could take the league.
Playing Opportunities
Check out our Community Calendar for all of these events and more.
Cal Berkeley Clinic Series
Cal is offering two types of clinics at Underhill Field this month under Co-Directors Tara and Steve Danielson. An ID Clinic on August 15 is available for girls in the classes of 2028-2031. Two all-ages, coed clinics follow on August 30 and September 6, each paired with a home game afterward — Central Michigan and Columbia respectively. Details here.
Khalsa Cup 2026 | September 5-6 | Stockton, CA
San Jose Khalsa's annual 7v7 tournament returns over Labor Day weekend at the University of the Pacific on water-based turf. Ten divisions from U8 through Masters O60, plus open Men's Super and Women's divisions with cash prizes. Entry fees due August 8, rosters due August 28. Register here.
USA Gold Cup 2026 | September 5-6 | Tracy, CA
Tracy Field Hockey Club hosts their third annual 7v7 tournament at the newly installed water-based turf at Tracy Field Hockey Ground. Four divisions (Competitive, Masters 55+, U14, and U12) compete for a total cash prize of $5,000. Contact Charanjeet Singh Goga (209-407-8007), Vijay Singh (510-760-4973), or Aman Saini (209-601-7194) for registration information.
Adult Weekly Pickup
Options for adults across the Bay Area: South Bay (interest form), East Bay (WhatsApp group), and San Francisco via Fog City Field Hockey.
What to Watch
Fall NCAA Schedules Are Out
Cal, Stanford, and UC Davis have all released their 2026 schedules and open their seasons at home the last weekend of August, which makes for a great opportunity for high school or club teams to coordinate a group trip to watch college field hockey up close. Schedules: Cal | Stanford | UC Davis
Mark your calendars: Cal hosts American on Friday, August 28 at 6 PM at Underhill Field in Berkeley. It's Cal's home opener under new Co-Directors Tara and Steve Danielson (the former Stanford coaching duo returning to the Bay) and the opponent brings some local flavor. Jordan Reicher (St. Francis '23) had a breakout junior season with the Eagles, leading the team in scoring, earning Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year, and earning Third Team All-American honors. Now a senior, she's traveling back to the Bay Area for opening weekend, playing Cal on Friday and Stanford on Sunday. Friday night field hockey doesn't get much better than this.
FIH Hockey World Cup Begins August 15th
With all the buzz around the FIFA Soccer World Cup, you may have missed that field hockey has its own mega tournament this month. The FIH Hockey World Cup kicks off August 15 in Belgium and the Netherlands, with 32 teams competing for the title of world champion.
The USWNT makes their first World Cup appearance since 2018, facing a tough Pool B: No. 2 Argentina, No. 6 Germany, and No. 14 Scotland. Local fans may recognize goalkeeper Kelsey Bing, a Stanford alum now with 101 caps, between the posts for Team USA. Full roster here.
Most matches stream in the wee hours for West Coast fans, but the USWNT opens against Argentina on August 15 at 8:30 AM PT (then tape delayed on CBS Sports at 2:30 PM PT). Women's Gold will be on August 29 at 10 AM PT. The Men's Gold follows the next morning, August 30 at 7:30 AM PT. CBS Sports Network will air the U.S. Women’s National Team’s matches and the entire tournament will be streamed on Watch.Hockey for $34.99.
Looking ahead
Next month we'll be back with a full collegiate preview covering Cal, Stanford, and UC Davis as they open their NCAA seasons. We'll also have our first high school results of the year as league play gets underway.
In the meantime, get out to a collegiate game. All three NorCal programs open at home the last weekend of August. Bring a youth team, bring a friend who's never seen field hockey, and help us grow the stands. If you have news, results, or events to share, send them our way.
See you on the sidelines,
The Stick Together Team
