The No. 1 Iowa field hockey team bolstered its winning streak to nine games after defeating Michigan, 2-0, on Sept. 22 in Ann Arbor.

Both teams started slow in the contest, with the score knotted at zero going into halftime. The Hawkeyes had three shots on goal in the first period, but the Wolverine defense held tough.

The Hawkeyes broke the ice three minutes into the second half. Freshman forward Miranda Jackson struck the back of the cage after she stole the ball from the top of the circle. It was the England product’s fourth goal of the season.

The defense stayed resilient throughout the first three periods and held the Wolverines to only three shots.

But the Wolverine offense tested the Hawkeyes in the fourth period.

Michigan was given eight penalty corners, which led to eight shots by Wolverine players, two of them being on goal.

In the 54th minute of play, the Hawkeyes shut the door on the Wolverines. Senior forward Alex Wesneski shot the ball past Michigan goalie Caylie McMahon to take a 2-0 lead.

Both Hawkeye goals were unassisted.

The Iowa defense showed why it’s considered one of the best in the Big Ten and the country.

Heading into the contest, the Hawkeye defense led the country in shutouts per game with 0.75. Iowa held Michigan scoreless to earn their seventh shutout of the season.

The Hawkeyes now lead the Big Ten in the least number of goals allowed with three. The next best is Northwestern with seven.

Hawkeye goalie Mia Magnotta now has 18 saves on the season and improves her record to 9-0.

Iowa now has ranked wins over then-No. 1 North Carolina, then-No. 12 Wake Forest, then-No. 14 Michigan, and then-No. 19 Albany.

Up Next

The Iowa field hockey team will continue conference play against No. 11 Ohio State and Michigan State on Friday and Saturday, respectively. Games will start at 3:00 p.m. and 12:00 p.m. at Grant Field.

Ohio State comes into the contest with a 9-2 record and is 2-1 in conference play. The Buckeyes are in second place in the conference behind Iowa, Rutgers, and Northwestern, respectively.

The Buckeyes average the second most goals per contest (3.6) and are third in opponent goals per game (1.3).

Michigan State comes into the contest 3-5 overall and 1-1 in conference play. The Spartans started the year losing four of their first five contests but have rallied consecutive wins against Indiana and Ohio.