In a highly anticipated matchup, the No. 3 Iowa field hockey team fell to the No. 2 Northwestern Wildcats in a shutout loss at Grant Field in Iowa City on Friday.

The loss marked the Hawkeyes’ second defeat of the season — and second loss in three games — leaving them with a still-impressive 10-2 record but standing just 2-2 in Big Ten play. 

Strong defensive action from both teams marked the first half of the game, the half resulting in a scoreless stalemate. Despite the 0-0 score, the Wildcat offense applied offensive pressure by producing five shots on goal.

“They just had a really great presence,” Iowa head coach Lisa Cellucci said. “We caused way too many turnovers. We needed much more strength on the ball so we didn’t have these double turnovers that were such a big part of the game, especially early on.”

Two minutes into the third quarter, Northwestern’s Ilse Tromp broke the deadlock when she capitalized on a penalty shot, grabbing assists from Alia Marshall and Lauren Hunter, putting the Wildcats up, 1-0.

Northwestern turned the pressure into momentum, and in the 48th minute, Wildcat senior midfielder Lauren Wadas delivered another goal, effectively sealing the deal on the Northwestern win.

Despite their efforts, the Hawkeyes struggled to find the back of the net throughout the game. This game marked Iowa’s first shutout loss of the season.

“[Northwestern has] great defense, so we needed to be able to put them under continued pressure, and we couldn’t sustain our attack,” Cellucci said. “Their goalkeeper came up with some good saves there at the end, but the only way you’re going to break through against Northwestern is to be able to have some sustained attack.”

Despite the lack of offensive output, the Iowa defense as a whole showed its resiliency by only allowing two goals to a powerful Northwestern offense. 

Iowa sophomore goalkeeper Mia Magnotta emerged as a standout performer for the Hawkeyes, recording a career high nine saves in the game, bringing her total to an impressive 31 saves this season.

Up next

The Hawkeyes’ season has been defined by a strong defensive performance, having allowed only eight goals in 12 games. 

However, a closer look reveals that six of those goals have come against ranked opponents.

Looking ahead, the Iowa field hockey team will gear up for its next Big Ten challenge in a trip to Bloomington, Indiana, to face the Indiana Hoosiers. 

Indiana enters the contest unranked with a 4-7 record. 

“We have to take care of Indiana,” Cellucci said, reflecting on the end of the team’s regular season schedule. “There’s a lot of opportunity to still put ourselves in a really good position for the postseason, but we have to take one step at a time.”