The No. 4 Iowa field hockey squad opened up Big Ten play with a 5-0 defeat on the road at No. 1 Northwestern Friday afternoon at Lakeside Field in Evanston, Illinois. 

Here are three takeaways from the Hawkeyes conference opener. 

Defense falters

Entering Friday afternoon, Iowa’s defense was ranked fourth in the Big Ten in goals allowed per game with 1.11. The defensive unit was also tied with Ohio State for second in the Big Ten in shutouts with six. 

But against the Wildcats, the defensive unit finally showed some weakness. 

The Northwestern offensive attack put up 15 shots on goal in the contest, by far the most the Hawkeyes have allowed so far this season. 

Outside of the shots on goal, Northwestern’s offense drew nine penalty corners against the Hawkeyes.

This is the first time this season the Hawkeye defense has been punched in the mouth. For Iowa to keep competitive for the rest of conference play, the defense is going to have to regroup and move forward. 

Magnotta records career high in saves

Giving up five goals is something no goalkeeper wants to see, especially one that wears the Black and Gold. 

Despite the lopsided score, third-year goalkeeper Mia Magnotta recorded a new career high in saves with 10 against the Wildcats. The third-year was pressured more than she had been all year, but stepped up despite facing constant pressure from the Northwestern offense. 

Slow start for the offense 

The Iowa offense has uncharacteristically gotten off to a slow start to begin the season, and those woes continued into this matchup. The Hawkeyes entered the contest with only nine goals, marking the second-fewest in the conference.

The Hawkeyes were held scoreless against the Wildcats, managing only four shots on goal against the vaunted Northwestern defense. Not only did Iowa struggle to get to the goalkeeper, the Hawkeyes only drew two penalty corners in the afternoon. 

For Iowa to make noise in a competitive Big Ten conference this season, the offense will need to increase its output. Second-year Dionne van Aalsum has been held to just two goals on the season, a far cry from her stellar freshman campaign where she won Big Ten Freshman of the Year. 

Up Next

Iowa will continue its Big Ten road trip with a trek east to New Brunswick, New Jersey, on Sept 28 to take on Rutgers. The ball drop is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. CST with live television coverage on Big Ten Network.