Iowa field hockey falls in regular-season finale
No. 7 Iowa’s offense found chances, but couldn’t convert in its match against No. 13 Rutgers.
Iowa midfielder Sophie Sunderland passes the ball during a field hockey match against Maryland on Sunday, Oct. 14, 2018. The no. 2 ranked Terrapins defeated the no. 8 ranked Hawkeyes 2-1. (David Harmantas/The Daily Iowan)
October 21, 2018
The No. 7 Iowa field-hockey team traveled to Piscataway, New Jersey, to play its final regular-season match against No. 13 Rutgers on Oct.19. The Hawkeye offense didn’t fall short in opportunities, but Iowa ultimately fell short in its ability to execute inside the circle and lost, 1-0.
Rutgers registered the first shot of the match in the first period, but sophomore Ellie Holley got a shot on a penalty corner at 13:43, hitting the post.
The Hawkeyes registered 3 more shots during the first 35 minutes but weren’t able to put any in the back of the net.
The Scarlet Knights scored in the 21st minute on their first and only penalty corner attempt of the match, putting Rutgers up going into halftime. The Hawkeyes tallied 5 shots in the first half, while the Scarlet Knights had 3.
In the second period, freshmen Meghan Conroy tallied the only shot from either team until about 10 minutes left in the game. Junior Katie Birch drew a penalty stroke in the 61st minute, but Rutgers goalkeeper Gianna Glatz made a crucial save. Following this missed opportunity, Iowa had 6 penalty corners in a three-minute span but couldn’t finish any of them.
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Despite registering 6 shots in the second half and preventing Rutgers from having any shots or penalty corners in the second half, the Hawkeyes were unable to convert in the final third. Iowa outshot the Scarlet Knights, 10-3, and were awarded 8 penalty corners in comparison with Rutgers’ 3, but lost, 1-0.
The Hawkeyes finished their regular-season play at 12-5, with all five losses coming from top-14 opponents — then-No. 2 North Carolina, then-No. 14 Northwestern, then-No. 6 Michigan, then-No. 2 Maryland, and No. 13 Rutgers. At home, the Hawkeyes went 6-2 while finishing 3-3 on the road.
Although Iowa finished the season with a loss, there have been many exciting victories for the Hawkeyes that have left good memories with the team, including a 3-2 win over No. 6 Penn State.
“[My favorite memory so far was] probably the win against Penn State,” head coach Lisa Cellucci said. “The way the game went was super exciting, winning the game in the last two minutes. But I’m hopeful that we will have even better memories going forward.”
Another highlight for sophomore Maddy Murphy came in the team’s second match of the season, against No. 2 North Carolina, when it went into overtime before losing, 2-1.
“It’s got to be going overtime and against North Carolina at the beginning of the year,” Murphy said about her favorite moment. “I think that really set us up for a really great season ahead, and it just proved that we can match up with the best in the competition. Ever since then, we’ve just gotten better and tighter as a group.”
Iowa went .500 in conference play this season (4-4), and will begin Big Ten Tournament play as the No. 6 seed against No. 3 Penn State in Happy Valley on Oct. 28.