Sept. 30, 2003
IOWA CITY –
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On the Road Again
After a perfect six-game, two-week homestand, the sixth-ranked Iowa field hockey team will hit the road and head to the state of Michigan for a pair of games with the Wolverines and Central Michigan Chippewas. The Hawkeyes will battle No. 5 Michigan Saturday in Ann Arbor, MI, then head to Mount Pleasant, MI, for a battle with the Chippewas. Both games are slated for 11 a.m.
Finishing the Homestand Strong
The Hawkeyes finished their six-game homestand in style, picking up three more wins last weekend. Iowa beat No. 17 California in a 2-1 overtime thriller, topped No. 6 Penn State 1-0, then blasted Southwest Missouri State 5-0. Against California, Sarah Dawson gave Iowa a 1-0 second-half lead, but the Golden Bears tied the game just two minutes later. In overtime, senior Pattie Gillern drew a penalty stroke, and Lauren Stiver converted it for the win. On Saturday, the Hawkeyes opened up the Big Ten season against No. 6 Penn State. The game was hotly contested, with Iowa slowly pulling away in the second half. Gillern scored the game’s only goal just over four minutes into the second half, and the Iowa defense controlled the game the rest of the way for the 1-0 victory. The Hawkeye offense exploded in the game against Southwest Missouri State, with Gillern putting all five Iowa goals on the board. The senior ended up with ten points on the day, while Lindsay Miller led the team with four assists. Debbie Birrell picked up three assists, while Dawson added one.
NFHCA Poll
The Hawkeyes moved up to sixth in this week’s STX/NFHCA coaches poll. Five of the seven Big Ten teams were ranked in the top 20, led by Michigan at No. 5. Penn State came in at No. 8, Michigan State at No. 9, Indiana fell to No. 20, while Northwestern dropped out of the poll. Both Ohio State and Northwestern were listed as receiving votes. Wake Forest held down the No. 1 spot.
Players of the Week
The Hawkeyes swept both Big Ten Player of Week awards this week. Pattie Gillern was named Offensive Player of the week after scoring six goals over the weekend. She was also named the co-National Player of the Week by womensfieldhockey.com. Barb Weinberg was named defensive player of the week after picking up a pair of shutouts. It was the second-consecutive week Weinberg was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week.
On Michigan
The Michigan Wolverines are currently 7-3 (1-0) and ranked fifth by the NFHCA. The Wolverines’ only losses have come at the hands of the top three rated teams in the nation, No. 1 Wake Forest, No. 2 North Carolina and No. 3 Maryland. The high-powered Wolverine offense is spearheaded by all-American forward April Fronzoni, who has 25 points on 11 goals and three assists. The fresh face on the offensive line is freshman Jill Civic, who is second on the team with 15 points and seven goals. The captain of the Michigan defense is all-American Kristi Gannon. She not only is a defensive force, but has eight points on three goals and two assists too. The goalkeeping duties are held down by the two-headed monster of Molly Maloney and Beth Riley. Maloney has started seven games and has a .605 save percentage and a 2.68 goals against average. Riley, a freshman, is 5-0 with a 0.91 GAA and a .800 save percentage. Iowa leads the all-time series 35-8, but Michigan has won the five of the last six meetings. The Wolverines are coached by former Hawkeye Marcia Pankratz.
On Central Michigan
The Central Michigan Chippewas come into the week with a 2-5 record. The offense is led by Kristy Reed (4 goals, 4 assists) and Tara Trottier (5 goals, 1 assist). Like Michigan, the Chippewas use a pair of goalkeepers, Laura Pleese (2.58 GAA and .609 save percentage) and Danielle Frank (3.14 GAA, .450 save percentage). Iowa leads the all-time series with Central Michigan 2-0, winning the last game 6-0 on October 15, 2000 in Mount Pleasant. The Chippewas are coached by Christy Freese, who is in her 18th year at the helm.
One Short… Twice
Senior forward Pattie Gillern’s five goals against Southwest Missouri State were just one short of tying Iowa’s single-game goals scored record. She did this while sitting out the final ten minutes of the game. Kerry Lessard scored six goals against Pacific on August 27, 1997. Fellow senior Lindsay Miller’s four assists were also one short of the team’s single-game record. Lisa Sweeny picked up five helpers against Northern Illinois on October 5, 1991.
Offensive Improvement
The Hawkeye offense is performing at a much higher level than last season, scoring 28 goals so far. Last year, Iowa scored only 26 goals all season. Pattie Gillern leads the team with 11 goals, more than the team leaders in each of the last three years.
Gillern in the Big Ten Senior Pattie Gillern is tied for the Big Ten lead with 11 goals. She is second in shots (58) and fifth in points (23).
Gillern’s a Gamer
Senior forward Pattie Gillern comes through when it counts. She currently leads the team with 11 goals, five of which were game winners. She leads the Big Ten in game-winning goals. In the last two weeks, the New Jersey native was involved with all six Iowa game-winning goals. Two weeks ago, she scored them against Northwestern and Ball State, then assisted the game-winner against Temple. Last weekend, she scored the game-winners against Penn State and Southwest Missouri State, and drew the penalty corner on a breakaway that gave Iowa the win against California.
Tenacious D
The Hawkeye defense is rapidly becoming a force to be reckoned with. Iowa has given up only seven goals all season and one in its last six games. The team is third nationally in scoring defense, allowing only 0.70 goals per game. Iowa’s seven goals allowed is the fewest in the Big Ten. Iowa’s 3-1 loss to North Carolina is the only time the Hawkeyes have given up more than one goal in a game this year.
Weinberg Ranks Nationally
Barb Weinberg is making her case as one of the top goalkeepers not only in the Big Ten, but in the entire country. The junior is third nationally with a 0.696 goals against average and ranks fifth with a robust .851 save percentage.
Weinberg in the Big Ten
Junior goalkeeper Barb Weinberg leads the Big Ten in shutouts, and is second with a 0.850 goals against average. The Louisville native also leads the league in minutes played at 491:35. Weinberg was a first team all-Big Ten selection last season.
Back in Business
After scoring on only one penalty in their first nine games, Iowa scored four goals on penalty corners against Southwest Missouri State. Before Sunday, Iowa’s only penalty corner came from Heather Schnepf on a broken corner.
Sisterly Love
Hawkeye ties always seem to run deep. This season, two juniors are the younger sisters of former Iowa all-Americans. Junior Tammy Leister is the younger sister of 2002 all-American Tiffany Leister, while junior Sarah Dawson is the younger sister of 2000 all-American Natalie Dawson.
The Head Coach
Tracey Griesbaum returns to the helm of the Hawkeye field hockey program for her third year. She has done a good job rebuilding the Iowa program, recording a 27-15 record. Before taking the head coaching job at Iowa, she was with United States Field Hockey. Griesbaum not only served as a full-time assistant, but was the head coach for the United States Under-21 Team. She led the Under-21 team to a second-place finish at the Pan American Junior Championships and a spot in the 2001 Junior World Cup. Her work was good enough to earn her the 2000 United States Field Hockey Coach of the Year award. Before taking the job with USA Field Hockey, Griesbaum was an assistant coach at Iowa for eight years.
The Assistants
Former Hawkeye Lisa Cellucci and Carla Tagliente will serve as the assistant coaches this season. Cellucci was a four-year starter in the cage for Iowa. From 1995-98, Cellucci was a three-time All-American, four-time Regional All-American and a four-time All-Big Ten selection. After graduation, Cellucci was an assistant coach at James Madison, where she helped the Dukes to a 15-7 record. Tagliente was a four-time all-America selection for Maryland from 1997-2000, earning first team laurels her final three years. She led the Terps to three ACC Titles and the 1999 NCAA Championship. She was also a two-time Broderick Award finalist and was a member of the U.S. National team from 1997-2003.