By Michael McCurdy
The Iowa field hockey team traveled to Kent, Ohio, this past weekend and took care of business, shutting out both Monmouth and Kent State.
Heading into the weekend, the Hawkeyes understood that they were in for a challenge. Monmouth and Kent State have both started out the season successfully, but they had yet to face a competitor with the impressive skills Iowa possesses.
The match against Monmouth looked very familiar for most Iowa fans. The Hawkeyes led at half, 2-0, with goals from freshman Katie Birch and senior Natalie Cafone, the two top goal scorers on the team so far. In the second half, senior Sophie Plasteras and sophomore Makenna Grewe got in on the action with goals of their own.
Plasteras’ goal came after a missed Cafone strike from the outside. Iowa dominated the game in all areas, piling up 15 shots on goal to Monmouth’s 1.
Iowa head coach Lisa Cellucci was very pleased with the first game, because her team was in control the whole match against a solid Monmouth squad.
“This was a great win against a very good Monmouth team,” Cellucci said in a release. “We stuck to the game plan; we let the ball do the work, and we capitalized on all opportunities.”
That was one thing Cellucci was anxious about coming into the game, whether her team would stick to its plan of team passing. Against Fairfield on Sept. 2, the Hawkeyes showed glimpses of selfish play, but these two games quickly put those fears to rest.
After defeating Monmouth, the Hawkeyes took care of business against Kent State, winning the game by a score of 2-0.
After a scoreless first half, Grewe opened things up with the first goal of the game in the 43rd minute. Then, freshman Isabella Solaroli decided to follow Grewe and add on another goal for the Hawkeyes seven minutes later.
That was all the offense the team needed, because senior goalkeeper Alexandra Pecora recorded 6 saves on all of Kent State’s shots on goal.
Iowa leaves Ohio with a 5-1 record and now hungry for Big Ten play. It will get Penn State on Friday afternoon, a match that will definitely let the rest of the Big Ten know if the Hawkeyes are for real this year.
