After suffering a 3-2 overtime defeat to Rutgers on Friday, the Iowa field hockey team bounced back with a 2-0 shutout victory against Villanova on Sunday afternoon.
Here are three takeaways from the Hawkeyes’ road trip:
Offense find its footing
While it’s still early in the season, the Iowa’s offense has been below their typical standard.
After getting shut out by Northwestern on Sept 20, the Hawkeyes were ranked as the second-worst scoring teams in the Big Ten behind only Indiana.
One main factor for the struggles could be the weak production of forward Dionne van Aalsum. The sophomore led the entire nation with 28 goals in 2023, but she has only mustered three goals in eight contests this season.
But the offense may have found its identity this weekend, as four different players notched a goal.
The most important player on the field this weekend for Iowa was fourth-year forward Annika Herbine. The Pennsylvania native recorded a goal and an assist in the losing effort to the Scarlet Knights on Friday, but proved that she could still be a key contributor moving forward.
While the Hawkeyes still remain near the bottom of the conference in a handful of offensive statistics, seeing progress and consistency from the offensive unit is what head coach Lisa Cellucci hopes to see as the season goes on.
Defense comes up in a big way
The loss to Rutgers made Sunday’s contest against Villanova a must-win game. With the thought of back-to-back losses ringing in their ears, Cellucci and her coaching staff leaned on their defense against the Wildcats.
The Hawkeye defense allowed 4.5 goals in their last two games, but held Villanova to just two shots on goal on the way to their fifth shutout of the season.
Despite the struggles on offense, Iowa’s defense still ranks in the upper echelon of the Big Ten. The Hawkeyes have allowed the fourth fewest goals in the Big Ten conference, and are behind only Northwestern in shutouts forced.
Upcoming homestand
The Hawkeyes are in a three-team tie for last place in the conference after starting Big Ten play 0-2. But the next three contests will see the Hawkeyes face three fellow conference opponents in Penn State, Maryland, and Indiana.
For Iowa to get themselves back into Big Ten title contention, they will need to take advantage of a home-heavy slate towards the end of the year. The Hawkeyes only play two road games the rest of the way before the Big Ten Tournament kicks off in November.
Up Next
Iowa returns home to Grant Field this weekend with contests against Penn State and Maryland. The games are scheduled to start at 5:00 p.m. and 12:00 p.m., respectively.
A live-stream for both matchups can be found on Big Ten Plus.