It's the most wonderful time of the year—field hockey is back at every level. Close to home, the Marin County Athletic League is already in full swing with some compelling early matchups, while the other NorCal high school leagues are warming up with preseason play. Our Division I programs at Cal, Stanford, and UC Davis have started strong, each with impressive wins in their opening homestands.
On the biggest stage, the USWNT competed at the FIH Hockey World Cup in Belgium and the Netherlands—the program's first World Cup appearance since 2018. And before we dive into everything happening locally, USA Field Hockey published fall previews for Division I, Division II, and Division III—worth a read to understand what's at stake across the college landscape this fall.
Read on for high school watchlists, early league results, Junior Olympics medals, and more.
Community Spotlight
NorCal Athletes Named to Preseason Watchlists
Two SF Hawks, Olivia Van de Braak (St. Ignatius '28) and Frankie Lemieux (Lick-Wilmerding '28), were named to the MAX Field Hockey 2026 West/Mid-West Region Players to Watch, recognizing the top 40 players heading into the fall season across an 11-state region. A strong double honor for two of NorCal's most exciting juniors.
Additionally, 18 Northern California athletes were named to The Field Hockey Analyst's (TFHA) High School Watchlist ahead of the 2026 fall season. The list identifies approximately 400 returning athletes based on performance at events like Nexus, NITs, and RCCs, plus stats and post-season awards. Separately, University HS freshman Vivienne Wong earned a spot on TFHA's Rookie Watchlist, which identifies 50 top freshmen nationally — a notable achievement for a first-year player. Several locals were also named to the coach-nominated NFHCA 2026 High School Watchlist.
NorCal athletes on the TFHA Watchlist: Taytem Condit (Leland '27), Kaia Costa (Westmont '27), Genevieve Ferrini (St. Francis '27), Clara Froemming (Leigh '27), Grace Frieder (Valley Christian '28), Anoushka Gollerkeri (University HS '28), Eleanor Graham (Westmont '27), Claire Gunning (Convent '28), Ryan Hemeon (Christopher '28), Kira Kelly (Davis '28), Frankie Lemieux (Lick-Wilmerding '28), Quinley McCarroll (Los Altos '29), Hana Mercado (Mitty '29), Hailey Moncada (Gilroy '27), Magnolia Prentice (Willow Glen '27), Trishna Sinha (Lynbrook '27), Josephine Sutton (Berkeley '27), Olivia Van de Braak (St. Ignatius '28)
The College Season Begins
Cal kicks off its 50th season — and first under Co-Directors Tara and Steve Danielson — with a strong schedule: six opponents from the 2025 NCAA Tournament, including national champions Northwestern and 2025 ACC champions North Carolina. The Golden Bears are undefeated through their opening homestand and head to No. 8 ranked Michigan this weekend. Two locals on the roster: Jaiya Labana (St. Francis '23) and Adya Kadam (Willow Glen '25). Schedule
Stanford is also undefeated (4-0) after their first and longest home stretch of the season. The Cardinal return four of their top six goal-scorers, led by Natalie Hoppe (10 points as a freshman in 2025) and senior captain Mia Clark anchoring the defense. September closes with a marquee matchup: defending conference champions North Carolina visit on September 25. Schedule
UC Davis enters year two of the MPSF conference — now expanded to three teams with the addition of Queens University of Charlotte. Senior midfielder Morgan Caldera (Mitty '23) earned MPSF Offensive Player of the Week after opening weekend and joins Ella Franken on the NFHCA Division I Collegiate Watchlist — the first time since 2023 that Davis has placed two athletes on the list. Other locals: Aidan Claeys (Los Altos '25), Clare Torres (Los Gatos '25). Schedule
Mark your calendars — top national programs are coming to NorCal:
- Sept 19: Northwestern vs. Cal @ UC Davis, 2 PM
- Sept 20: Northwestern @ UC Davis, 11 AM
- Sept 25: North Carolina @ Stanford, 6 PM
- Sept 27: North Carolina @ Cal, 1 PM
Competition Recap
Junior Olympics Results
August brought strong performances from NorCal athletes at the AAU Junior Olympic Games in Iowa. Congratulations to our girls' medal winners:
- U16 Gold: Elizabeth Traverso (Mitty ‘29)
- U16 Silver: Beatrix Monk (Los Gatos ‘30), Mimi Bakker (University ‘30)
- U18 Silver: Magnolia Prentice (Willow Glen ‘27)
Congratulations to the local boys who attended training camp with U.S. U-21 Men's National Team Head Coach Paul Singh before competing in the 7v7 tournament:
- U14: Angad Josan (San Jose), Declan Ko (Moraga), Navkaran Mann (Danville), Rubin Pabla (Hayward), Aaron Shen (Cupertino), Abhinav Singh (Fremont), Vivaan Vashisht (Fremont)
- U18: Saihaj Brar (Sacramento), Gurmyn Gosal (Newark), Eckam Grewal (Fremont), Gurtej Kullar (Sacramento), Sartaj Kullar (Sacramento), Taran Nathan (Los Gatos), Tyler Shen (Cupertino), Ari Singh (Gilroy), Eknaam Singh (Los Gatos), Andrew Yang (Pleasanton), Bryan Yang (Pleasanton)
Masters World Cup Concludes
The second leg of the 2026 World Masters Hockey World Cup (August 7-16) featured the O-55 through O-65 divisions, with several NorCal athletes on rosters: Paramdeep Brar (Fairfield), Prashant Aji (San Jose), Caz Pereira (San Francisco), Gurpreet Gill (Roseville), Sankar Ramani (Fremont), and Jaswinder Singh (Woodland).
Both squads battled through a tough tournament despite injuries that limited their rotations. Jaswinder Singh tallied a goal against Belgium. The Men's O-55 finished 15th and the Men's O-65 finished 16th—results that don't fully reflect the effort and spirit the teams showed throughout. The USA Masters program continues to grow and compete on the world stage.
Hayward Hawks Win Gold at USFH Open
Hayward Hawks had a golden Labor Day weekend at the annual USFH Open in Moorpark. The Hawks swept their divisions in dominant fashion: U14 defeated the Dragons 3-0 in the final, and U12 blanked the Bulldogs 3-0. Two teams. Two gold medals.
Tracy Field Hockey Club Hosts 3rd USA Gold Cup
The USA Gold Cup returned to Tracy Field Hockey Ground at Gurdwara Gur Nanak Parkash over Labor Day weekend (September 5-6). The 7-a-side tournament brought together teams, families, and field hockey fans from across California for two days of competitive matches on the club's new water-based turf. Congratulations to all participants and winners!
High School Season Gets Underway
Most NorCal leagues are still in non-league play, but early results are already intriguing.
In MCAL, defending champions Tamalpais are navigating a tough early schedule—falling 2-1 to Redwood and tying University 1-1. Two teams have emerged undefeated: Redwood (5-0) and University (4-0-1), both averaging nearly 5 goals per game. Leading the charge is University freshman Vivienne Wong, who tops the league in both goals (10) and points (23)—a remarkable start for a first-year player.
In EAL, Davis is off to a 2-0 start, right on schedule with their status as the league's perennial favorite. And in the South Bay, St. Francis (3-0), Archbishop Mitty (3-0), and Valley Christian (3-0-1) are all undefeated through their opening weeks.
Follow the live standings as the season develops: BVAL Mt. Hamilton | BVAL Santa Teresa | EAL | MCAL | PCAL Galbian | SCVAL De Anza | SCVAL El Camino
Playing Opportunities
Club hockey has kicked off across the region! Don't overlook opportunities for all ages and genders while the high school season is in full swing. Check our Community Calendar for more.
- Hayward Hawks: U8-U19, weekends through December
- Lightning (Los Altos): U8-U19, weekends at Foothill College through December
- Rippers (Marin): K-8, Saturdays September 12 - November 13
- Roseville: Pickup and fall league for all ages including adults
- SF Hawks: U6-U19, fall season underway
Adult pickup runs year-round across the Bay Area: Fog City (Tuesdays, San Francisco), East Bay (Wednesdays, Walnut Creek), and Roseville (Fridays).
Coaching Corner
Level 2 Coaching Certification — Berkeley, October 24
Former Cal head coach Shellie Onstead leads a USA Field Hockey Level 2 Instructional Coaching Clinic in Berkeley on Saturday, October 24. The program builds on Level 1 and includes an online course plus in-person clinic. $250 members / $325 non-members. Register here
Lightning Field Hockey Club Seeking Coaches
Lightning is looking for passionate coaches for boys and girls teams grades 1-12 at Foothill College through December. All skill levels welcome. Contact clubmanager.lightning@gmail.com.
What to Watch
FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 Recap
Argentina's women and Germany's men claimed the 2026 FIH Hockey World Cup titles in Belgium and the Netherlands. The USWNT entered ranked 12th in the world and finished 10th—a result that moves them up to 10th in the updated FIH world rankings. Watch tournament highlights on YouTube.
What's On This Week
Final Whistle is the best resource for tracking who's playing across all NCAA divisions and how to watch — bookmark it for the fall season.
Looking Ahead
Monday, September 14 is National Field Hockey Day. Celebrate the sport by getting out to a game, sharing the sport with someone new, or simply posting about why field hockey matters to you.
It's only going to get busier from here. League play intensifies across all NorCal high school leagues over the next few weeks, Northwestern and North Carolina come to the Bay Area later this month, and the first postseason picture will start to take shape by October.
As always, if you have results, events, or stories to share, send them our way at admin@sticktogetherfh.com. The more our community shares, the better this newsletter gets.
See you on the sidelines,
The Stick Together Team