No. 15 Iowa will host No. 5 Stanford in home-opener.
By Mario Williams
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After a 2-2-road trip, the Iowa field-hockey team will return home to Grant Field to face No. 5 Stanford Thursday.
Last week, the Hawkeyes traveled to Harrisonburg, Virginia, to compete in games against Richmond and James Madison. The team came home 1-1-, but its 4-1 loss against the Dukes was a struggle, to say the least.
“We were not very smart against [James Madison] on Sunday and made some key mistakes that led to some untimely goals,” Iowa head coach Lisa Cellucci said. “We really struggled out letting the ball. We were giving the ball to our halfbacks with no options. We needed a lot more movement from our midfield.
“That’s what really hurt us. That was pretty much the entire game.”
Cellucci said she believes her athletes are playing too “big” with a large number of unnecessary risks.
Today, the Hawkeyes have a lot of adjusting to do against a tough Stanford offense. The Cardinal have a 3-1 record and have rolled through No. 4 Duke. The team averages 1.5 goals per game off 13.2 shots per game. Senior Maddie Secco leads the team in scoring with 3 goals and 7 points.
The Hawkeyes, on the other hand, average 2.25 goals per game on 10.5 shots per game but have only defeated one ranked opponent, No. 12 Wake Forest.
“Stanford is definitely a worthy opponent, and it’s going to be challenging,” junior Stephanie Norlander said.
Cellucci classified Stanford as an offense that enjoys stretching the field. While some of the athletes on the team know the Cardinal plan, it still may be a challenge for the Hawkeyes to come on top.
This week, the team has worked specifically on certain scenarios based on what Stanford may pull.
“We’re doing a lot of situations in which the play will be very stretched, so individuals are isolated, they have to be able to keep their feet and run their attacker into other members of the team,” Cellucci said. “We think that if we can get in and behind Stanford’s frontline, we’ll have a ton of room to be able to run and use our speed and the things we’re good at.
“If we cannot stay in the play, it’s going to be a real challenge.”
While the head coach is focused on the critical aspects of the team’s mission, a few athletes have other things in mind.
It wasn’t so sunny for the athletes in California last season when the Cardinal defeated the Hawks, 2-1, in overtime.
“I think that game was so close, but it didn’t come out the way we wanted,” sophomore Mallory Lefkowitz said. “We need to come out on fire, no giving up, and if we have scoring opportunities, we need to get it.
“We’re definitely ready to go.”
Follow @Marioxwilliams for news, updates and analysis of the Iowa field-hockey team.