Field hockey goes 1-1 against top-25 opponents
Michigan ends Iowa’s undefeated home streak before the Hawkeyes end Stanford’s eight-game winning streak.
Field hockey players battle for possession as time winds down during a field hockey match between Michigan and Iowa on Friday, Oct. 5, 2018.
October 8, 2018
No. 10 Iowa field hockey bounced back after losing its first game at home to break No. 21 Stanford’s eight-game winning streak.
Iowa dominated Stanford on Oct. 7, 3-0 , allowing the Cardinal only 2 shots during the entire match. The Hawkeyes collected 7 penalty corners in the matchup; Stanford had 1.
“Our defense was outstanding to not give up a shot or a penalty corner until the very end of the game to Stanford was absolutely unbelievable,” head coach Lisa Cellucci said in a release. “We stuck to the game plan and put in some very nice corner goals, which was great to see.”
In the 14th minute, sophomore Maddy Murphy tallied her 10th goal of the season on an assist by junior Ryley Miller. Mya Christopher added her second goal of the weekend in the 27th minute, putting the Hawkeyes up 2-0 at the half.
Junior Sophie Sunderland scored the third goal of the match in the 65th minute. wotj freshmen Anthe Nijziel credited with the assists on the second and third goals. The Hawkeyes registered 17 shots in Sunday’s game.
“It was a huge win,” Christopher said in a release. “We felt like we dominated on [Oct. 5], so it was tough to see us outshooting, and outplaying, and not coming away with the win. Today was really important to finish in our attacking third and get the outcome we deserved.”
On Oct. 5, Iowa outshot Michigan 13-7 but was unable to put enough shots in the back of the net. The Wolverines converted both of their shots in the first half that ultimately led them to a 2-1 victory.
RELATED: Field hockey loses home winning streak
Michigan’s freshman goalkeeper Anna Spieker registered 9 saves, only allowing Christopher to score in the first half on an assist by junior Isabella Solaroli.
“We repeated [Oct. 5’s] effort [on Oct. 7],” Cellucci said in a release. “We were dominant. We had a number of people roll in off the bench who gave us some great minutes.”
The Hawkeyes are now 11-3 overall, 3-2 in the Big Ten. They are outshooting their opponents 39-10, and Murphy leads the team in goals with 10.
Iowa has been awarded nearly double the number of penalty corners that its opponents have earned, 85-45, and 32 of Iowa’s 39 goals have been on assists. Junior Katie Birch has tallied 8 assists, the team’s best.
Michigan and Stanford also faced off during the weekend, with Stanford coming out victorious, 4-2.
Next weekend the Hawkeyes will tackle another set of top-25 opponents, both coming from the Big Ten. Iowa will face No. 7 Penn State at 5 p.m. Oct. 12 and No. 2 Maryland at noon Oct. 14.
