The No. 6 Iowa field hockey team kicked off its season by competing in the Big Ten vs. ACC Challenge held in Ann Arbor, Michigan, over the weekend. 

After topping No. 18 Wake Forest in a double overtime stalemate-turned shootout on Friday, the Hawkeyes fell to No. 1 North Carolina, 2-1, in a heartbreaker on Sunday. 

Here are three takeaways from this non-conference tournament performance. 

Dionne van Aalsum steps up when needed

In Iowa’s season opener against No. 18 Wake Forest on Friday, there wasn’t a lot of offense to be played. After four quarters and two overtime periods, both teams combined for only eight shots on goal.

Hence the stalemate.

But in shootouts, fifth-year defender Harper Dunne and second-year forward Miranda Jackson both found the back of the cage to even the score at two apiece for the Hawkeyes. 

With only one shooter remaining for each team, third-year goalkeeper Mia Magnotta stopped Wake Forest’s Ashley Hart to put the ball in van Aalsum’s hand with a chance to win the game. 

Like we’d seen so many times last year, van Aalsum came up clutch for the Hawkeyes. After sprinting to the cage, van Aalsum strung the keeper out just enough to put it past the Demon Deacon for the win. 

1-0 🙌#Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/EAN9FYZtV4

— Iowa Field Hockey (@iowafieldhockey) August 30, 2024

While the goal won’t count for van Aalsum’s season total, moments like this show why she is regarded as one of the top players in the country. 

Mia Magnotta picks up right where she left off

Iowa goalkeeper Mia Magnotta made a name for herself in her debut season last year for the Hawkeyes. Magnotta was the ringleader for one of the best defenses in the Big Ten, helping the Hawkeyes pitch eight shutouts and allow just 1.09 goals per game.

This weekend showed that last season for Magnotta wasn’t an accident. 

Magnotta was a key reason for the Hawkeyes’ win against the Demon Deacons on Friday — as she saved both shot-on-goal attempts that came her way. She also gave Iowa a chance to win in shootouts after blocking three of the five attempts by Wake Forest. 

And despite the loss against the Tar Heels on Sunday, Magnotta put on a good performance for the Hawkeyes.

North Carolina put up 24 total shots against Iowa, with eight of them being on goal. Even with the high volume of shots, Magnotta recorded six saves and played three quarters of shutout goalkeeping. 

Offense still searching for a rhythm 

The Iowa offense has been out of sorts since the back half of last season. With the team scoring one or fewer goals in four of the last five contests, head coach Lisa Cellucci made ball distribution a priority heading into 2024. 

It was more of the same this weekend in Ann Arbor as the Hawkeyes managed to put up one goal in two games. 

Against the Demon Deacons, the offense got good looks after putting up six shots on goal. Even with three shot attempts from van Aalsum, the Hawkeye offense couldn’t put one past the goalie in regulation or overtime. 

It was a similar story when facing North Carolina. The Tar Heel defense applied pressure against Iowa all game by only allowing two shots on goal.

For Iowa to make noise in a competitive Big Ten conference, the offense has to find a rhythm similar to what it had in the early parts of last season — a rhythm that saw the team average over four goals in the first nine games. 

Up next

Iowa field hockey makes its debut at Grant Field this Friday against Miami of Ohio. The ball drops at 2 p.m. with coverage coming on Big Ten Plus.