With the Big Ten regular-season slate completed, the Iowa field-hockey team will now shift its focus towards two nonconference games this weekend.
The Hawkeyes (6-9, 3-3 Big Ten) will play in Washington, D.C., beginning with today’s clash with No. 9 James Madison (11-6) on the American University campus. Game time is scheduled for 1 p.m.
Although only Saturday’s game will be a “true” road game, Iowa enters the weekend touting a 3-2 record in games away from Grant Field this season.
Even stranger, the Hawkeyes are 3-7 overall in Iowa City this year.
Both Iowa head coach Tracey Griesbaum and the players are equally baffled with the club’s home and road records.
But if the Hawkeyes can gain any confidence from their track record heading into the nation’s capital, they’ll take it.
“I think [this weekend is] an awesome opportunity,” Griesbaum said. “We have the Big Ten conference season kind of under our belt now, and it is what it is. And now, I wouldn’t think there’s a whole lot of pressure on us other than what we put on ourselves, which is just to have a good performance.”
Regardless of location, Griesbaum’s players, including senior cocaptain Meghan Beamesderfer, see this weekend’s games as a chance for Iowa to gather momentum before seeking a fourth-straight Big Ten championship.
“I think [it’s] very important, especially for our young team,” Beamesderfer said. “Just to get a couple more confidence boosters will be key before we go into the Big Ten Tournament. I think we have all the potential to do that this weekend.”
Griesbaum’s defense will try to continue its recent stingy play. The Hawkeyes have given up just seven goals in their last five games — progressively getting better since the season’s onset.
Still, Griesbaum plans on making a few slight adjustments.
She labeled her team’s recent defensive efforts as “middle of the road,” meaning they have been both pressuring and backing away at times. Griesbaum wants her players to “crank up” and “crank down” the aggressiveness when appropriate.
“We want to actually put more people above the ball and pin the other team,” Griesbaum said. “Have our formation be a lot more aggressive, curling up and not letting them transfer the ball. And then at times, if we need to kind of settle in, we can drop our press off.”
If the Hawkeyes are to get two wins this weekend, they won’t be able to rely solely on a stingy defense. As much as Iowa has locked down recent opponents, the offense has continued to see its share of struggles.
Senior cocaptain Tricia Dean expects more production this weekend.
“We are working with some of our younger players that are in our frontline,” she said. “We’re working on anything from receiving skills to just wanting the ball in the [striking] circle. I think we’ve been building on that this week, and hopefully, it will show in our games.”