The No. 10 Iowa field hockey team fell to a sound No. 12 Maryland team, 2-1, at Grant Field on Friday.
Iowa came out of the gate early with plenty of offensive pressure on Maryland through the first quarter. But this seemed to dissipate in the second quarter, as Maryland took the offensive prowess through the remainder of the first half.
Needing a reset, the Hawkeyes took the halftime break to regroup and establish a game plan for the second half of action.
“We needed to continue to move the ball and play two/three touch hockey,” head coach Lisa Cellucci said.
Using this mentality, Iowa sprang out of the halftime break with the hope of returning to its fast start. After multiple penalty corner opportunities with under four and half minutes remaining in the third quarter, third-year Lieve Van Kessel found the back of the net for the Hawkeyes.
“Dionne had a great shot on that corner and just being ready to rebound on the ball was my mentality,” Van Kessel said. “It was a team goal and we all did well to set it up.”
The one-goal lead for Iowa would not remain for very long, as Maryland first-year Jordyn Hollamon would sneak one past Hawkeye goalkeeper Mia Magnotta three minutes later to tie the game at one apiece.
Both teams would lean into the fourth quarter of action, hoping to find that last goal to edge their team closer to a victory. Unfortunately for the Hawkeyes the Terrapins would nab that last goal of the game early in the fourth off their own penalty corner opportunity.
Penalty corners were the deciding factor for this game for both squads, with Iowa having twelve penalty corners to Maryland’s seven. Even though the Hawkeyes had nearly twice as many penalty corners as Maryland, the single goal deficit was too much for Iowa to overcome in the long run.
“Maryland does have a really good defensive arrangement but we just weren’t hitting the mark,” Cellucci said. “We were a little slow in our timing and executions on the penalty corners.”
Penalty corners were not the only struggle for the Hawkeyes on Friday, with the continued struggle of passing and ball handling playing a factor in Iowa’s loss.
“We are taking the ball on the dribble when we should be passing and just understanding when to make those decisions will be a priority for us to work on,” Cellucci said.
If there was one player who had a promising afternoon, it was fourth-year goalkeeper Magnotta. The senior recorded 11 saves against the Terps, tied for the most she has collected this season.
“She has been a solid performer back there for us over the years especially in today’s game,” Cellucci said.
Up next
Iowa’s record now sits at 7-3 overall and 1-2 in conference play. The Hawkeyes, having lost the last two Big Ten conference games against top-ranked teams, are looking to rebound to a winning mentality.
“We really just want to reset a little bit and get positive again,” Van Kessel said.
“We want to really find each other and build our team connection to what it once was.”
The Hawkeyes return to action this Sunday, Oct. 12 for a non-conference matchup against Saint Louis. Ball drop from Grant Field is set for 12 p.m. on Big Ten Plus.