DAVIS, Calif. — UC Davis's field hockey opens their 2026 season at home, hosting Central Michigan on Friday, Aug. 28, before taking on UMASS Lowell on Sunday, Aug. 30, both set to start at 1:00 p.m. PT.

HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN/FOLLOW
Aug. 28  — vs Central Michigan | Live Stats | Live Stream | @ucdavisfh (X/Instagram)
Aug. 30  — vs UMASS Lowell | Live Stats | Live Stream | @ucdavisfh (X/Instagram)

GAME NOTES

• Preseason Nods: For the first time since 2023, UC Davis landed two student-athletes on the prestigious NFHCA Division I Collegiate Watchlist, with senior midfielders Morgan Caldera and Ella Franken earning national honors. The distinction places Caldera and Franken among elite collegiate talent across the nation with high potential for NFHCA All-Region and All-American consideration during the 2026 campaign. 
• Top Goal Scorers: Franken enters her final season with the blue and gold coming off a career year in 2025. Playing in all 16 games, the senior midfielder anchored the Aggies' offense, pacing the squad with a team-high eight goals and five assists for 21 total points.
• 2025 Recap: UC Davis finished the 2025 season 0-1 in conference play and 16-10 overall, earning a runner-up finish in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) following a hard-fought 2-1 battle against Delaware in the championship game. 

ABOUT THE OPPONENTS

• The Central Michigan Chippewas enter the 2026 season following a 4-5 in conference play and 10-9 campaign overall last year, finishing fifth in the Mid-American Conference standings.
• On offense, the Chippewas are led by junior forward Carolena Ryon, who appeared in 17 games while pacing the attack with 10 goals last season.
• In goal, Central Michigan transitions to junior goalkeeper Jenna Billig following the graduation of 2025 primary starter Ashley Cogger. Last season, Billig made seven starts for the Chippewas, collecting 31 saves to secure a .721 save percentage.
• Friday's season opener marks the first meeting between UC Davis and Central Michigan since 2019, when the Aggies earned a 2-0 shutout victory in Mount Pleasant.
• The UMass Lowell River Hawks enter the 2026 season coming off an 8-10 overall campaign and a 3-2 mark in conference play, finishing fourth in the America East Conference standings.
• The attack is powered by junior midfielder Karlijn Kerkhof, who started all 18 games while delivering a team-high 14 goals and nine assists last season.
• UMass Lowell is also anchored in goal by sophomore primary keeper Veerle Mous, who made all 18 starts during her freshman campaign and collected 123 saves, highlighted by a season-high 14 stops against Maine.
• The Aggies look to level the series score on Sunday in their first showdown with the River Hawks since a 4-1 loss in 2024.

SEASON NOTES

• 2026 marks the fifth season for head coach Austin Pile, the reigning 2025 MPSF Coach of the Year.
• Pile is joined on the sidelines by former assistant coach Rachel Stauffer, who enters her sixth season on staff after being promoted to Associate Head Coach heading into the 2026 campaign. 
• Rounding out the coaching staff is new assistant coach Jordan Carr, who brings her talents to Davis for her first season with the Aggies.
• The roster brings back a large number of other contributors from last season, including Aidan Claeys (So.), Molly Main (Sr.), Sutton Van Dyk (So.), Claire Anderson (So.), Emma Wood (So.), Katie Kim (Sr.), Mia Edwards (Sr.), Oona Buckley (Jr.), Larissa Roldan (Jr.), Elle Louise Kocmond (Jr.), Linnea Liljenstrand-Mjoen (So.), Jamie Dempsey (Jr.), Cosi Karleski (So.), Clare Torres (So.), and Addy Collingwood (So.).
• Additionally, the coaching staff brings in a highly talented group of incoming freshmen, including Clara Bruns, Charlotte Connally, Addie Goldstein, Tristen Stanimir, and Catalina Stefanich.
• UC Davis enters the 2026 campaign in its second season as a founding member of the MPSF field hockey conference. Heading into 2026, the league has expanded with the addition of Queens University of Charlotte as its third team, aiming to build on its early momentum and bring further collegiate competition to the West Coast in the near future.

ABOUT UC DAVIS ATHLETICS: 
UC Davis, the No. 2 ranked public university by the Wall Street Journal, is home to 40,000 undergraduate students and 12,000 employees. Ranked No. 1 in Agriculture and Forestry as well as No. 1 in Veterinary Medicine, UC Davis is located in a true California college town nestled between world-class destinations such as the San Francisco Bay Area, Napa Valley and Lake Tahoe. Over 650 Aggie student-athletes compete in 25 Division I varsity sports, with 16 sports transitioning to the Mountain West Conference beginning in 2026–27. 

For more information, visit https://ucdavisaggies.com/.