The Hawkeyes erupted for a win over Kent State this weekend
Maddy Murphy led the Hawkeyes in goals during the 5-1 win.
Iowa forward Leah Zellner tries to shield the ball from two Duke players during a field hockey game at Grant Field on Sunday, September 15, 2019. The Hawkeyes were defeated by the Blue Devils, 2-1 after two overtime periods. (Hannah Kinson/The Daily Iowan)
September 22, 2019
The No. 8 Iowa field hockey team took to Ann Arbor, Michigan, this weekend and emerged victorious with a 5-1 win over Kent State.
The Hawkeyes managed to capture their first goal in the first period by sophomore Anthe Nijziel, with an assist by junior Maddy Murphy.
Murphy then followed with an unassisted goal of her own, just seconds behind the team’s first.
The strength of the Hawkeyes’ execution and game plan pulled through in the first few minutes of the first quarter, giving them leverage and an early advantage.
“We had a goal of starting strong and being able to show growth in the way that we attack,” head coach Lisa Cellucci said in a release.
Kent State tried to mount a comeback in the second period, scoring its first and only goal of the match by Sydney Washburn.
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In response to the goal tipped by Washburn, Murphy scored again for the Hawkeyes, bringing the first half of the match to a close.
With the momentum going into the second half, sophomore Meghan Conroy pushed the Hawkeyes into a strong lead with an assist by Murphy, bringing the score to 4-1.
The Hawkeyes managed to hold their lead, pushing into the fourth quarter with strong passing and goal blocks. Senior Katie Birch came in and sealed the win for the Hawkeyes, scoring the last shot in the 50th minute of the fourth quarter, bringing the final score 5-1. Birch managed to close the deal with an assist by sophomore Lokke Stribos.
Murphy was the lead scorer of this match with two goals and two assists, and Birch had three shots on the goal with one made successfully.
The Hawkeyes used two goalkeepers in the contest, Grace McGuire and Leslie Speight. Speight managed to have one goal assist and three saves over Kent State. McGuire had one save.
At the close of the game, the Hawkeyes had a total of 13 shots and three assists over Kent State’s seven shots and one assist. Iowa had three penalty corners compared to Kent State’s two.
The Hawkeyes return home for two ranked Big Ten matches against No. 12 Ohio State and No. 23 Michigan State. Iowa starts off the weekend at 3 p.m. Friday against the Buckeyes and will finish it against the Spartans at noon on Sept. 29.
