Big half gives Iowa field hockey the victory over Penn
Three goals in the second half led the Hawkeyes to a win heading into conference play.
Iowa forward Maddy Murphy celebrates after scoring a goal during a field hockey match against Penn on Friday, Sep. 14, 2018. The Hawkeyes defeated the Quakers, 3-0.
September 15, 2018
The No. 16 Iowa field-hockey team extended its winning streak in a nonconference battle, beating Penn, 3-0.
The game was a defensive fight in the first half — zero goals were scored. With only 17 minutes left, the Hawkeyes had a goal called back, which turned out to be the spark they needed.
Iowa’s first goal was with 13 minutes left to play on a beautifully designed penalty corner in which freshman Anthe Nijziel put the ball in the back of the net on an assist from Sophie Sunderland.
The Hawkeyes were not done there. With only five minutes left, the Hawkeyes played some fast offense, which allowed junior Katie Birch to score the second goal of the night.
With that goal, Penn took its goalkeeper out, and Birch tied sophomore Maddy Murphy for the team lead with 5 goals scored this season.
It didn’t last long, however, as Maddy Murphy took charge with less than a minute left. She was given the ball while trying to stall until she found an opening downfield to score an easy goal with 30 seconds left.
The goal wrapped up the game at Grant Field. The win moved the Hawkeyes to 6-1, but they are not yet done with weekend play. Field hockey will play its first Big Ten game Sept. 16 against Indiana on Alumnae Day at Grant Field. The game will start at noon, and the Hawkeyes encourage fans to wear gold.
