STOCKTON, Calif. – Appalachian State University field hockey fell in the opening game of the NorPac Conference tournament to California. The Mountaineers were unable to overcome an early deficit and dropped the match 3-1.

The Golden Bears opened the scoring up quickly in the fifth minute when Cal's leading scorer Laura Kruggel dribbled into the circle fired a shot passed Appalachian goalkeeper Cristina Ceppi for her 11th goal of the season. 

Just over a minute later Cal struck goal again. This time it was Nicole Wallstedt who found the back of the net to give her team a 2-0 advantage going into the break.

The Mountaineers fought hard to get back into the game and earned a penalty corner in the 50th minute. Hanna French took the corner and Laura Malinoski converted the chance after the stop by Dana Wetmore set up the opportunity. The goal was Malinoski's third of the season. Wetmore and French were credited with the assist.

With the score at 2-1, the Bears found themselves with numbers in the Appalachian half. Wallstedt was able to pick out a pass to Andrea Earle, who converted the cross into the Golden Bears third goal.

Despite the loss, Ceppi had a excellent game in the net for the Mountaineers. She tallied 11 saves in the match, which was her most since recording 16 at Miami on Sept. 20th.

California advances to the tournament semi-final against the East's top seed Liberty on Friday.

Appalachian will play for the last time this season on Friday at 12 p.m. versus the loser of the matchup between Pacific and UC Davis. The match will decide fifth place at the NorPac tournament. The live video stream of the match can be viewed by clicking HERE.