The Iowa field hockey team split a two-game set for the second consecutive weekend, topping No. 17 Penn State 1-0 on Friday, then falling to No. 5 Maryland 5-0 Sunday afternoon.
The split leaves the Hawkeyes at 6-4 overall and 1-3 in Big Ten Play.
Here are three takeaways from the weekend split:
The offense stalls again
The Iowa offensive unit has played under par to start the 2024 season.
The Hawkeyes rank near the bottom of the conference in a handful of categories and trailed only Indiana in total goals with 13 so far this year.
Though Iowa showed flashes last weekend with four goals against Delaware and Rutgers, it couldn’t build off of the momentum and scored one goal in both contests.
Despite winning a 1-0 slugfest against Penn State, Iowa mustered only one goal on six shots and three penalty corners.
But it was a different story against Maryland.
The Terrapin defense shut down the Hawkeyes for all sixty minutes, holding them to just two shots on goal, both of which from second-year forward Dionne van Aalsum.
Iowa now finds itself at the bottom of the Big Ten in both goals scored and shots on goal, something it needs to fix if it wants to emerge as a contender in the league.
The Terrapins break through the Iowa defense
The Iowa defense entered Sunday’s game against Maryland with optimism after forcing consecutive shutouts against Villanova and No. 17 Penn State.
But it was a different story when the Terrapins came to Iowa City.
Maryland’s five goals tied a season-high allowed on the Hawkeye defense, with Northwestern reaching that mark on Sept 20. Iowa third-year goalkeeper Mia Magnotta was pressured against the Terrapin offense, giving up all five goals and only notching three saves.
The results against Maryland put Iowa at fifth place in the conference in goals allowed with 14.
For the Hawkeyes to stay competitive in a talented Big Ten conference, the defensive unit has to stay consistent every single game, especially with an offensive unit that is still developing as the season progresses.
Hawkeye’s earn their first ranked win of the season
Iowa’s schedule has done them no favors so far, playing contests against No. 1 North Carolina, No. 2 Northwestern, No. 5 Maryland, and No. 17 Penn State.
And it doesn’t slow down anytime soon, as three of Iowa’s final eight regular season games will be against ranked teams, facing No. 4 Ohio State, No. 6 Michigan, and No. 20 California.
Despite Iowa’s low position in the conference leaderboard, there is still a plethora of opportunities against some highly-rated opponents.
Up Next
The Hawkeyes continue their home stand next weekend with games against Indiana on Oct 11 and Monmouth on Oct 13. The games are scheduled to start at 2 p.m. and noon, respectively.
Fans can watch both competitions on Big Ten Plus.