Following an NCAA Tournament berth a season ago, the Iowa field hockey team is poised for another successful season under the leadership of Lisa Cellucci, who is entering her 11th year as head coach.
Like last season, the Hawkeyes feature a youthful roster, relying heavily on underclassmen to step up and fill big roles. Cellucci said she brings the younger talent up to speed by developing team bonds on and off the field.
“First and foremost, it’s about building relationships,” Cellucci said. “We spent a lot of time on that early in the preseason, just doing some different things off the pitch to get everybody to get to know each other.”
Outside of developing team camaraderie, Cellucci and her staff are consistently teaching an aggressive style of play that Iowa field hockey is known for.
“It’s us being able to focus on our style of play,” Cellucci said. “The three big overarching things for us is going to be our ability to have a high level of possession, our defensive discipline, and real positional flexibility.”
Even with the bulk of the roster featuring underclassmen, the Hawkeyes return several key starters from last year who could make a strong impact this season.
Arguably, the most crucial returnee for Iowa is second-year superstar Dionne van Aalsum. The reigning Big Ten Freshman of the Year put the country on notice in 2023, leading the nation in both goals and points.
“She is going to absolutely be a marked woman,” Cellucci said. “Nobody knew about her until we got a little bit into the season. We expect her to make an impact and to score goals just like she did before. To lead the country in points and goals last year was unbelievable, and I think if she hits her stride she can score at a good clip.”
Another key returner is third-year goalkeeper Mia Magnotta. In her first season anchoring the defense, Magnotta thrived. She averaged 1.09 goals per game – good enough for sixth-best in the country.
“I feel a lot more confident in my abilities,” Magnotta said. “I think last season I was definitely nervous, but after a year of training and a full season, I definitely feel more confident in my abilities and more confident in leading my teammates.”
Iowa’s youth will be tested as soon as preseason play wraps up. After an exhibition match against defending Big Ten champion Northwestern, the Hawkeyes will face North Carolina and Wake Forest in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
“The Northwestern scrimmage will give us a lot of information,” Cellucci said. “I think it will put us under pressure and we will be able to break down the film. It will be great going into Wake Forest and North Carolina. Our goal is to go into the Big Ten vs. ACC Challenge and try to win those two games. You have to at least get one just for RPI reasons and NCAA Tournament resume.”
The Hawkeyes make their season debut on Friday, Aug. 30 against Wake Forest, who enters the new year fresh off a disappointing 8-9 campaign in 2023. The game is scheduled for 2 p.m. CT with live stream coverage on Big Ten Plus.